IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadiar  Uistitute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 

1980 


Technical  Notes  /  Notes  techniques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Physical 
features  of  this  copy  which  may  alter  any  of  the 
images  in  the  reproduction  are  checker^  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possiLle  de  se  procurer.  Certains 
d6fauts  susceptibles  de  nuire  d  la  quality  de  la 
reproduction  sont  notds  ci-dessous. 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couvertures  de  couleur 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 


□ 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


Coloured  plates/ 
Planches  en  couleur 


D 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 


0 


Show  through/ 
Transparence 


E 


Tight  binding  (may  cause  shadows  or 
distortion  along  interior  margin)/ 
Reliure  serrd  (peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou 
de  la  distortion  le  long  de  la  marge 
intdrieure) 


D 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


D 


Additional  comments/ 
Commentaires  suppidmentaires 


Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  bibliographiques 


D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


n 


Pagination  incorrect/ 
Erreurs  de  pagination 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 


Pages  missing/ 
Des  pages  manquent 


□ 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


Plates  missing/ 

Des  planches  manquent 


D 


Maps  missing/ 

Des  cartes  gdographiques  manquent 


n 


Additional  comments/ 
Commentaires  suppldmantaires 


The  images  appearinf;  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Les  imagas  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  netteti  de  I'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche  shall 
contain  the  symbol  — »►  (meaning  CONTINUED"), 
or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"),  whichever 
applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la  der- 
nidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le  cas: 
le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUiVRE",  le  symbole 
V  signifie  "FIN". 


The  original  cooy  was  borrowed  from,  and 
filmed  with,  the  kind  consent  of  the  following 
institution: 

Library, 

Geological  Survey  of  Canada 

Maps  or  plates  too  large  to  be  entirely  included 
in  one  exposure  are  filmed  beginning  in  the 
upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to  right  and  top  to 
bottom,  as  many  frames  as  required.  The 
following  diagrams  illustrate  the  method: 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de  I'dtablissement  pr§teur 
suivant  : 

Bibliothdque. 

Commission  Gtologlque  du  Canada 

Les  cartes  ou  les  planches  trop  grandes  pour  dtre 
reproduites  en  un  seul  cliche  sont  filmdes  d 
partir  de  i'angle  sup6rieure  gauche,  de  gaurhe  d 
droite  et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Le  diagramme  suivant 
illustre  la  mdthode  : 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

DEPAKTMKNT   OF   THE    INTERIOR 

D.  8.  GEOLOGICAL  AND  GKOOIIAPHICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBaiTOBIBS 
F.  V.  IIAYDEN,  Oroi.oowt-in-Ohabo* 


MISCELLANEOUS  FUBLICATIONB-No.  12 


HISTORY 


OK 


ISrORTH    AMERIOA-ISr 

PINNIPEDS 

A  MONOfiKAIMI   or  THE 

WALRUSES,  SEA-LIONS,  SEA-BEARS 
SEALS 

OF 

NORTH    AMERICA. 


Bv  JOEL  ASAPH  ALLEN 

AisMantin  lln  Mimeiim  of  Comparative  Zoology  at  Cambridgi 
Special  Collaborator  of  the  Survey 


WASlMNCiTON 
GOVERNMENT    I'llINTINO   OFFICE 

18S(» 


<•    ^ 


:•  : 


PIIEFA'I'ORV  NOTE. 


United  States  Geological  and 
Geograpuioal  Survey  of  the  Teuritories, 

Washimiton,  D.  C,  'fitly  1,  1880. 

Tlii'  picsciit  si'iies  ol'  iDonofiiaplis  of  the  North  Anit'ricHii 
Piiiinji(<li((,  l»v  yiv.  J.  A.  Alien,  may  he  coiisidcnMl  ps  a  second 
iiistalliiieul  of  the  systematic  History  ot  North  American  ]\Iam- 
mals,  of  which  the  Fiir-Uearini;-  Animals  by  ])r.  Elliott  Cones, 
V.  S.  A.,  Ibrminji  No.  S  of  the  Miscellaneous  Publications  of 
tiie  Survey,  was  published  as  a  .si)ecimen  fasciculus.  The  lirst 
monoji'iaph  of  this  series,  treating;' of  the  Walruses,  was])re]»ared 
nearly  three  years  since  for  pnblittation  in  the  Bnlletin  of  the 
Survey,  but  before  it  was  ipiite  ready  for  the  press.  Dr.  ("ones, 
owinji'  to  his  ]»ressing  enj;ay'ements  in  other  directions,  invited 
Mr.  Allen  to  extentl  hi  treatise  toend)race  the  entire  suborder 
of  the  rinnipeds,  to  wi..ch  he  had  already  j^iven  special  atten- 
tion, with  a  \  iew  to  its  ineorporati(Mi  as  a  i)art  of  ttn-  proposed 
;;'enei'al  Llistory  of  Ncnth  American  jMammals.  Since,  how- 
ever, considerable  ti;ne  must  elap.se  betbre  the  whole  work  can 
l)e  completed,  it  has  been  thon,uht  best  uot  to  delay  the  i>nl>li- 
cation  of  the  part  already  i)repared  relatinji'  to  the  Peiniipeds, 

As  nearly  all  of  the  K])ecies  belonjiinj^'  to  this  {:ronp  foinid  in 
the  nortlunii  lienMsjdiere  are  nuMubers  of  the  North  American 
fauini,  the  ]n'esent  treatise  is  virtually  a  mono}.';raph  ol  all  the 
species  occurring;'  north  of  the  ecpiator,  an<l  inchules  incidentally 
a  revision  of  tho.se  of  other  seas.  The  literature'  of  the  whole 
jiToup  is  uot  only  reviewed  at  lenj-th,  but  the  eeonomi<'  i)liase 
of  the  .subject  is  treate<l  in  ihitail,  eud)racin}i,  in  fact,  a  ^ucneral 
history  of  the  Sealing  industiies  of  tlu'  world.  The  technical 
treatment  of  the  subject  is  ba.sed  mainly  on  the  rich  mate;iiil 
of  the  National  Mu.seum,  supplemented  at  many  imp<»rtant 
points  by  that  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoiilojiy  of  (Jam- 
bridge,  whii'h,  through  the  kindness  of  the  directors  »f  the.st! 
institutions,  was  geueronsly  i)laced  at  the  author's  di.s])o.sal. 
That  contained  in  the  ()thei  princi(»al  nuLseum.s  of  the  country 


publislictl,  the  work  may  be  (umsideicd  as  a  t'Oiii])('n(liuiii  of 
our  ])re.seiit  knowiedfio  of  the  sul)ject. 

Ill  regard  to  the  need  of  a  work  like  the  ])reseiit,  it  may  be 
stated  that  with  thecxceptioii  of  Dr.  Theo(h)re  dill's  iinjxutaiit 
"J'rodi'ome"  of  a  projiosed  moiioyTai)h  of  Noith  Amerieau 
riiini])eds,  ]mblished  in  18(50,  there  has  been  no  general  treat- 
ment ()f  the  species  sinee  the  excellent  compilations  of  Drs. 
Harlan  and  (lodman  a))i)eared,  now  moiv  than  half  a  century 
ago.  liesi)ecting  foreign  works,  n«)thing  has  been  recently 
published  coveiing  the  ground  "  .e  taken  bcyoiul  a  very  gen- 
eral synopsis  of  the  technical  i)hases  of  the  subject.  The  best 
accounts  oi'  the  si)ecies  ocuuirring  along  the  shores  of  Europe 
are  in  other  languages  than  English,  while  no  general  history 
of  the  economic  relations  of  the  subject  exists.  In  'elation  to 
the  important  Fur  Seal  Fisheiies  of  Alaska,  the  author  has  been 
able  to  present  in  externa  the  results  of  Captain  Cinules  Bryant's 
long  ex])erience  at  the  l-'nr  Seal  Islands,  where  for  nearly  ten 
years  he  was  the  government  agent  in  charge  of  the  islands. 
Altiiough  not  received  until  the  article  on  this  species  had 
been  transmitted  to  the  ]>rinter,  it  i»roves  to  be,  to  only  a  small 
degree,  a  rei>etitioii  of  the  account  given  by  ]Mr.  Elliott,  also 
rejuoduced  at  length.  The  history  Captain  liryant  gives  of 
the  changes  in  the  numbers  and  relations  of  the  different 
classes  of  these  animals  at  the  rookeries,  under  the  present 
system  of  management  of  tl>e  Fur  Seal  business,  forms  a  valu- 
able l)asis  for  generalization  in  regard  to  the  future  regulation 
of  this  industry,  and  is  aiso  an  important  contxibution  to  the 
life-history  of  the  species. 

The  cuts,  some  thirty  in  munber,  illustrating  the  cranial  char- 
uctt'rs  of  the  Walruses,  were  drawn  for  the  present  work  by  Mr.  J. 
H.  Blake,  of  Cambridge,  and  engraved  by  ^lessrs.  Bussell  and 
Eichardson,  of  Boston.  The  Survey  is  indebted  to  Professor 
Baird,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  for  aseries  of  six- 
teen original  tigui'es,  engraved  «y  Mr.  H.  H.  Nichols,  of  Washing- 
ton, from  photographs  on  y  «M,d.  vllustrating  the  skulls  of  CaWoWti- 
nus  ?( rsin  MS,  Peale's  ^'■Haiivhwmaantarcticuii,''^  (Jystophora  crLstata, 


^-^.»f-^^f-:rf*f-,^ 


(»f  London  for  electros  of  (7 ray's  ^^HalUyon  richardsi,"  and  of  a 
seri''H  yf  historic  tignres  of  the  walrus  i>ublished  in  the  Society's 
»'  l»roceedinj;s,"  Ity  tiie  late  Dr.  Gray,  and  to  the  proprietors  of 
"Science  (Jossii),"for  electios  of  the  full-lenj;th  figures  of  seals. 
These  were  reci'ived  throuyh  Dr.  Cones,  who  also  furnished  the 
full-length  \iews  of  EnmetopiaN  .stelleri  and  CaUorhinus  ursinns. 
Mr.  Allen  desires  nie  to  express,  in  tiiis  connection,  acknowl- 
edgnients  of  liis  indebtedness  to  IMof.  Si)encer  F.  Bdrd,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  and  to  Prol".  Alexander 
Agassiz,  Director  of  the  iNluseum  of  Comparative  Zooh)gy,  for 
the  liberality  with  which  they  have  placed  at  his  service  the 
rich  material  relating  to  this  gTon])  of  aninuds  <!ontained  in  the 
museums  respectively  under  their  charge ;  to  l*rof.  Henry  A. 
Ward,  of  Rochester,  X.  V.,  for  tlie  use  of  much  valuable 
material  relating  to  the  Walruses  that  he  would  not  otherwise 
have  seen ;  and  to  Captain  Charles  Bryant,  late  special  agent 
of  the  Tnited  States  Treasury  Department,  for  his  reiujrt, 
kindly  prepared  at  th«'  authoi's  lecjuest,  for  the  t)resent  work. 
Also  to  Dr.  Elliott  Cones,  Secretary  of  the  Survey,  for  the  use 
of  many  of  the  cuts,  for  valuable  suggestions  during  the  prepa- 
tion  and  printing  of  the  monograph,  and  revision  of  tiie  proof- 

slieets. 

F.  V.  UAYDEN, 

United  States  Geologist. 


LETTER  OF  TKAXSMHTAL. 


rA.MHiiiBGK,  Mass., 

May  2,%  1880. 
Sik:  I  have  the  luiiior  to  transiiiiT  licicwitli  tor  approval 
and  for  publieatioii  the  "History  ofNortli  Aiiiericaii  Piuuipeds," 
bo.iiiK  a  nu)iioi,aapli  of  the  Walruses,  Sea-Lions,  Sea-Bears,  and 
Seals  of  North  Ameiica. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servaiit, 

J.  A.  ALLEN. 

F.  V.  llAVDFN, 

Wofihinyl'm,  I).  C\ 

vn 


TABLE   OF  C0NTP:NTS. 


Page. 

Thle I 

I'ri'fttt^irv  uotn    Ill 

Lt'tti-r  of  trausiuiltiil V 

Tubltt  of  CDIltl'IltH VII 

List  (il'illuHti:itioiis     XIII 

Olinnulcrft  ol'  tlir  I'inmckiha 1 

Kiinily  Ol >( )lt.K.\ 1 1  >.K— Wiilnmcs 5-180 

Sjuniiviiiy .I 

tii'Uriiil  olMcrvatiiuis  iuid  cliiinicteM  of  the  j^roiip  5-12 

(Jfiicia 12-14 

S.Miii|i»i.-(  III  till-  iii'iina   14 

til'IIUS  (•IHIII.EM  > 14 

S.viniiiyiiiv  anil  lii.stmv 14-17 

Species    17-23 

( M)Oiia;m  s  KosM Alii  s— Atlantic  Wi'lrus 23-147 

Syuoiiviuy  anil  liililiii!;iai>liii'al  ict'iTcnces  23-20 

Kxtcrnal  iliarartcis 2()-;)8 

Srxnal  ilill.Ti  iiics   3S-43 

Inii'.iilual  viiiiat  inns  anil  vaiiatiouH  dcprmlL'Ut  npou  age 43-45 

McaHiilrnirnts  111  .sliiills    40 

Unutitii)n 47-37 

l''o«sil  ri'iiiains ."i7-fl5 

(rfogiapliiral  ilistrilmliim.  pivsrnt  ami  pUHt 05-79 

f '(last  lit  Ndi til  Ainriira     Oi5-71 

("oast  lit'  Kniopc 71-79 

NoinciiclatuiT 80 

EtyuKdoiiy   bO-82 

Litcratiiiv    . , 82-107 

( icnt  ral  history 82-92 

Fi)j,nivs 92-107 

Habits  and  tlu«  cliaBe 107-133 

Products 133-134 

Food  134-137 

Fiiui'tiiins  of  the  timks    137-1"" 

Knciiiics 13H- 

Diiincstiiation 140- 

Oiioha;m  K  oiiKsif—l'acitlc  Walrus 147-.' 

Synonymy  and  liildiiijiiaphical  references 1 

Kxlenial  iliaraeters  and  skeleton 147-1 

Measurements  of    '   deton   14!»-1 

Measinenielits  ot  .  ..tills 15 

Uill'ereiitial  eliaracters 150-171' 

Nomenclature    .         ..         170-171 

General  history 171-172 

Figures 172-174 

<  teou;rapliical  distribution 174-178 

llaliits,  food,  commercial  products,  and  the  chase 178-180 

Family  tVl'AKI ID.K— Fared  Seals 187-411 

Synonymy  and  characters  of  the  group 187 

Technical  history 188-207 

Higher  gi-oups 188-190 

(leuera 190-193 

Species ia3-207 

IX 


■j.iii 
•j;i7-j:is 


J44 


X  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

Page. 

t'li.aiirliT.H  111' I  he  I'lNMl'KIH  \--('()ntuiiir(l. 

KmiiiUv  OTxVIUIDJ:— KmitiI  ScalH. 

S\  iiiipsiH  of  till,  ^iiiiia  unci  .spiicics 2U8-ai3 

M.vlhic.'il  :iu(i  uiiilitiiiiiiMiibli'  spcciea 2U->l(i 

tliDm^liliical  ilistiiliiilion   216 

f'o»,sil  ( Itiiiics ''l?.-!'"! 

Milk  (Iciititidii    2''l-2"4 

•Infj,'iiliiiilips  of  (Iciititimi ^24 

I'lLsition  of  (h,.  1,181  upper  piriiiiincnt  mou.r ^iri 

(rfui  rill  oliaervationn "ja.'i-'J''" 

Habits     ""'    .„"- 

J  J 1 

Products    .,.,g 

Pestrurlioii  of  Fur  Si  iils  for  tiirir  peltries i;'Ji*-J31 

Genus  Ml  MKTOIMA.S ._i;j1 

Ei;Mi:roi'iA.s  biklleui— StfUci  s  Sea-Lion 2;i'j-274 

S.vuou.viiiy  iiml  l)il)lio-raphi(Ml  n  iVjicncos L':)2 

Kxtt'ina!  cliaraclir.s 

Extoriial  niia.surt'uicnts 

Skull '     '" 

.McaauriTiiiiits  of  skulls    ..   

TlM'l  ll                         ^rji, 

Sk(li't(Mi    24(1-241 

ili'a.siiiriUfUt.s  of  skrlt'ton 212-244 

Sexiuil,  ailolfsifut,  ami  iuilividual  variation 244 

Gpofir.ipliiial  \  aiiatiou    

Comparison  with  allied  .speeies 244-24 

.McasiiiTiiii  ills  of  skulks  of  OTAiilA  JliDATA 247 

Geouiapliical  iKsiiiliiiliuu 248 

General  bistm y  and  nonienelature 248-254 

Habits 254-274 

Genus  ZAUii'iirs 275 

Zai.01'hi-,s  (  Ai.itniiMANrs— Califcuiiiau  Sea-Lion 27ii-;il2 

Syuouyniv  ami  bibliosiiapbieal  references 270 

External  eliaraelrrs ]'_'  27ii-27^ 

Younu .,7^ 

•'''l"!i'- 27b 

Si^«; 27>^-28;i 

External  measurements 2711-280 

Measuieiiients  of  skeleton  (d'  female 281-283 

^"^"11    283-285 

ileasnieiuenls  of  skulls 285 

Dentition    .jjjg 

Sexual  dirt'erenees    287 

Variation  with  age 287-289 

Coraparison  with  allied  speiiies 289 

Geographiealdistiibiition  280-291 

General  liistory  and  nomenclature 291-290 

H"l"'« 296-312 

Ge.nusOAi.LoimiNis 312-4l(i 

UALi.oHHiiM  s  imsLNUb— Northern  Fur  Seal 3i;j 

Synonymy  and  bibliographical  references 313-314 

External  eharaetiTS ;j14 

Color jjl^ 

Pelage ;j|,-, 

Size 31»-319 

External  measurementa  ...   319 

Ears ;j2u 

Fore  limbs ;j2i) 

Hind  lindis 320 


TAIJLK    OF    CONTENTS. 


XI 


Page. 

Chiira«tci sol' till-  I'i.vmikiha— ('(intinind. 

raniily  OTAIillD.K— Kiiicd  S.uls. 
Gi'nuH('ALi.ij|;iii.Niis. 

CAi.LOiiiil.Ni'8  UU8I.NLS — Northern  Kur  Seal. 

Skull 820-323 

Moasuvcmonts  of  skulls 323 

Tc-etli 3i;4 

Skclctdii 324-32t) 

^Mtasiin  nil  Ills  of  ski'letun 325 

Si'XUiil  (lill'.iiniiH 325-327 

Difl'iicnccH  iiHuhiii;;  frtiiii  age 327 

Inilividiiiil  variiitioii         'S'JS 

Comiiaiiwin  with  alliccl  Hpocies 329-331 

Mcasurciiu  uts  nf  skulls  of  AliCTOCEPHALUB  AUfiTIIALIS 331 

Oi'Diiiniiliiral  ilistriliution  and  niifiration 332-335 

GeiH'i'al  liistmy  and  ncninuclature    335-33'J 

Fijiuii's   330-3 U 

Ilalnts 341-371 

Till'  cliasi! 371-3Tr 

Miidr  lit Caiiluri- STl'-:;"- 

llistiiiy  aud  pKisjiicts  iif  the  Kur  Seal  business  at  the  Prybilov 

Islands 37H-3«1 

EufUiifS  (if  llic  I'm- Seals Ilj^l 

History  of  tlie  Kiir  Seal  Fishery  at  thi;  I'rybllov  Islauda,  Alaska. 

iVimi  186!)  1(1  1«T7,  liy  Ciiaui.hs  Huyani' :)i?J-tll 

I'reliiniuary  aud  acueral  oliservatioiis ;ihj-:j:<.- 

Kecelit  ehauuis   in  the   lialiits  and  relative  uiimbers  (d'  the 

ditlerellt  classes  (if  Seals    :il?>?-;i!(5 

Cause  (if  tile  eliani;es  in  I  lie  lialiits  (if  the  Seals,  &e 3ilh-4U2 

Albinos  and  sexually  almoriual  individuals 4(13 

Descriiition  of  the  youni;  ;  vaiiatiou  in  eohn'  with  ago,  &c. . . .  403 

M.iltin.i.'  404 

Sexual  orj^aus,  &e   405 

I'ower  (if  siispendiug  respiration 40G 

Natural  enemies 400 

Eflbet  of  elimatie  iutluences 407 

Number  of  Seals  reiiulred  for  the  subsistence  of  tlie  natives. .  409 

Winter  resorts  aud  habits  of  the  Seals 410 

Family  PUUCIDiE—Karless  Seals 412-7.10 

Characters  of  the  tirmiii   412 

Technical  liistory 412-4«li 

Highet  groups 412-414 

Genera 414-421 

Species 421^00 

Classilication 400-407 

Synopsis  of  sub-families  and  genera 401-463 

Synon\  niatic  list  of  the  species 463-407 

Geographical  distribution 407-409 

Fossil  remains 409-481 

North  America 409-470 

Europe 47(i-481 

Milk  dentition 481-484 

General  habits  and  instincts 484-486 

Food 486 

Enemies 487 

Mitiratious 487-491 

Locomo.^ion  on  land 481-490 

Seal  huutin);    490-540 


XII 


TAMLK    OF    CONTliNTH. 


Chiini'  HiH  (il  llic  I'lNsirKiifA— Colli  iiiiiiil. 
F  .iiiil.v  I'llOCID.K-  KiiiliHH  SciiIh. 

Si-aliiif;  iliHii'iriN 

WimI  I  in  I'll  III  mi  I  

Nrw  rdiiriilliiiiil 

illin  MllMTl  111    "(Mrl'lllllllll   '  SlIlM  

Niivii  /I'liililii  ami  Kiini  Sni 

Wllltr  Sill 

('aH|iiiiii  Sisi  

Niirlli  I'acilii  

Son  III  rarilir  ami  A  iilanl  ii'  Siiim  

MiIIioiIh  of  i:i|iliiii  ,  ,V  1  

Slioif  liiiiiliii^  

l')Hii|iiniaii\  iiiiilioilH 

Hv  tlliMlls  ilT  IlrlH.  .      

'Jill'  HI -a  I  I  io\  ,    .....    ... 

'I'll!' .sfal  lioiik 

'I'llr  ■    SKiiiikla" 

Ici' liiiiil  ill'.:  

In  llii' liiiHol' liolliiiia  

(Ill  I  111'  1  oa.sl  111    Si'uli. Ilami 

In  I  III'  .Ian  Mavi  II  Slim  

|laii;:i'i  K  anil  iiinri  tajnlir.s  ol'  \ir  liiiiiliiii; 

.SpcrirH  liniilril 

Alililiilaiii  1   III'  Si  alH  III  |iai  I  Iriilai  liM'iilllirH 

I'rodinlH  . .  

I'li'iiiiralion  111' llii' |iioiliirlM   

WiiHli  Till  ili'Hli  III  linn  111'  Siiils 

Di'i'i'i'iiHi' rriiiii  in.jiiilii'i'iii.s  liiinUiit; 

Si'iii.s  anil  Sral  liiliilili);  in  llirnlilrii  llinr  in  llir  ( iiilt' ill' St.  laiwri'iici' 

Sub-Ciiinily  I'liiii  in.i,    

fii'nim  I'liiii  ,\ 

I'jioi  A  VII I  i.iNA—  Ilailinr  Si'iil  

S\iionwii>  anil  liililii>nia|iliiriil  11  Iii'iihth 

K\  111  nil  I  I'liarai  Ins  

HlHlini'livi'  rllllliU'll  TH 

Iliiliviiluiil  iiml  HI' X mil  vaiialioii  ...    .   

Mt'iiMiii'1'tnrnln  iif  (lie  HkiillH 

<iiin  ral  lilslors  iiiiil  ininii'm  liilini' 

Oi'(((ira|iliiral  iliHliiliiiliiin 

llabilH  

I'llocA  (I'l  MA)  MlllliA— Kiii;;i'il  Sial  

S\  niiiiviii"  mill  lilliliiii;i:i|iliiral  irt'iirini'H  ...    

Kxiri'iial  rliaiarli'i.s  

liiiliviiliiiil  vaiialliin  iiml  varialiniiH  ilcjiciidi'iil  upon  hi'.x  anil  agii 

Mi'itMini'inrnlN  III'  III!' Hkiill 

DlU'iri'iilial  rliararliivi 

I'hiiea  ( J'linii )  iimpii'ti 

I'lioai  (t'uKii)  nilnriiM 

(i<'(i(;iapliiral  iliMliilmtioii 

(icinriil  liiNliiiv  mill  iioiiiriK'latiii't^ 

UubilH 

I'm  MA  (I'Al.dl'llll.l  !•!  i.lKl.M.AMlll  A'— Harp  Sl'Ill      

SvmiiiN  niv  and  liililiofiiapliiral  irfrniiifH 

K.\lriiial  rliaiarli'iH  

Si'Mial  anil  inilividnal   viiiiiilioii  and   variiitlnhH  dcpi'iidcii'    iipuli 

ilBf 

Mi'aHiiirnii  iilM  111'  I  111'  hK nil 

(irnri'iil  IiImIoi  \  and  iiiinirmliiliirr    


r»Kci. 


•I!t7-'i!t0 

.mil  .Ml 

.'■I! 

.■•ill  .■.i:t 
.■ii;i-.".i7 

'•.17 

.".i7-.-.:''j 

.VJL'-.'illll 
."iJX 

r.'jii 

.■|2« 

xw 

.Miii-.''.:i4 

6;i4-.''i4(l 

Mil  :'i4:; 

w, 

w\ 

f)4(>-r)4» 

.')41l-,'^^,0l 

:.::.{ 

.■i.'.:!-.",.-.7 

.-,.''.7 

.V)7-.'i,-.!) 
.'"i.''ili-.'"i(i7 

.")i!.*>-ri7 1 

liTI-.W! 

.-.74 

r>7.''>-.'>H4 

.'H4'-.'iHH 

,MI7-»K» 
.SIt7-tlOI) 

i>iHi-(iu:i 

IID.'I-DU.'') 
U(I6 
01)7-1114 
Ulilt-lllll 
•11 -.Mil;! 
IIM-Iiltl 

uii)  rdu 

(illl-tlL'il 
iYM-im 

tw()-(i;rj 
o:)'j-ii:i7 

ii;i7 
urn 
ii;iu 


TAIlLi:    OK    ('ONTKNTS. 


CIlllliK  I'  IH  III    lll>     riSMI'I'.IllA  -('(llltlllUl'll. 
I'.uuil.v  I'llOClK.lv 
Siili  liiiiiil\    I'iKii  l\.i:. 
(Ic'lillH    rilni  A. 

I'lKlc  A  (  I'Ai.cil'llll.l      I  l.l|c|„NI.ANI)|l'A— Illllp  HiMtl. 

<i(liyl;i|iliirill  lli..tl  ililllicpll  

Mii;i;il  Kill--  iiiiil  liii  I  (liny  hI;iI  joiiH 

ll;ihilM  

Imii'IiiIih 

I' I  

Iliiiiliiiy  :iiiil  iiIihIimIh 

Uci.u-  I'lltH.S  Mill  s  

I'Jdi.NAIIll  .^  i;aku\  1 1  h— llr;i|'<l<^il  Sell  

SviHili>  tii>  ;iiiil  liililiii;;rapliiital  icfi^iciKtoM   

Kxiriiinl  rliiiiai'lciM  

SUiill  and  mLcIi  lull  

MraHiirriiii'iitH  1)1'  I  hi-  Hki'li'tnn        

MiaNiiii'iiii'iilH  III'  III!    sKiill  

(ii'lii'ial  IiIhIiii  V  and  iihiih  nrlaliirr    

•  li'ii:;ia|ilil<  al  ili^l  li lull  inn  

II aliil-i,  iHiiiliirlM.  anil  liiiiilln;:         

(JllllH  lll^l  ninriKir  \  

IIimHIIiiIIKh  A  I'Ahi  I  M  A  —  Itiiiliiin  Sial  

Syiiiiii.Nins  anil  liililliij,'ia|iliiral  1 1  I'liinrrM   

KxliTiial  I  liaiaili  IN      

Si/i-  

tii'iii'ial  liiHlni  \  

Iirii;:ra|iliiral  iIInI  i  iliiillnii 

lialiiK  

(irllll^   II  Mil  IIH.Ill  H - 

<  ii-ni-ral  IiInIiii  \  anil  iliHriisMJun  nl'  the  ''(ii-nim  IN'ha  "  iit'  Sropoli . 

IlAI,|rl|i|;UI  -  i.in  I'l  ,■^— (ila\   Si  al 

S\  111  my  in  \  anil  liilillnurapliiral  irrrri'iirnH 

•  lOsIri  nal  iliaiarli  IH      

MiaNlllrllH  lit  H  III'  mU  nils  

(li'iiV'iapliiral  ilisli  iliiil  ion       

(inirial  li  ill  I II  V  anil  niniii  inlatiiK^ 

Ilaliils 

(iriin«  Mll.NArill  n     .. 

Mi.NAi  iii.s  iiail'irAl.lH— WihI  Inillan  Siiil ... 

(Miaiai  Ills  

I>anipli'i\s  arriiiiiil  

1 1  ills  anil  (iiissc  .s  ai  riainlH.  iKi:),  I  HP)!    

(iiav  H  ai  riinnlN.  IXI'.I,  |h7I  

(■ill  nil  (llr   W'rnl     Inillall    Sial.s.  I  Hid      

Aiial\Mi«  anil  ili.siii.ssinii  nl'  I  In    Intiiiiniiii^    

Alllnilli  n  nl'  I  III'  .laniaiiaii  oi   I'liliii  Siiil     

(  li'nL'l;i|illlr.ll  ilisit  ilillljiill        

Sail  rainih  CVSl'orillilMllN.K     

(il'llllrt  ('Vhl'll'IMKA  

(!VKHiriiiii!A  I  iii>i  Ai  \— llonilcd  Sial  .         

S\  111 iiiv Illy  and  lillilin;.'iaphi('al  ii  riTriir.tm   

Kxiri  nal  rliarai  lii.s     

Skill  Inn  and  sUiill  

.Mrasiiii  nnnl.-i  111'  HiiiillK 

MiiLsiininiiilti  111'  till'  Hliili'tiin 

liin^iapliii  m1  iIimI  I  IIiiiI  inn  and  nii<ii'iiti(iiiH   

(iinrial  liiilni>   mil  nniiii'iirlatilKt     

llalillM  

Iliinliliu  and  jiiiidinls     


XIII 
Pa(jc<. 


(14(1 

(m-(M7 

(M7  llal 

(i.'il 

(I,'.'J 

flr.u-ii.'M 
ll.-lj 

(ir.,-i-(i7r. 

(irir>-(i.';7 
():.7 

B,-.*<-(Itll 
(ItiO 

litii 

(Kl'J  lilili 
lillll  (170 
(17n-(i7"i 
117:1 -ii7ii 
(17(MWJ 
Ii7() 
(I7(M17'< 

tYjH 
(17H-(iM| 
(iKI-liK-.- 

()«:; 

(W'J-(i«!t 

liH.'!-  i;«:i 

(lH!l-7lMi 
(in'.l^li'.tll 

(iiHi  li'.i:: 
(IIM 

(m.'i-(i!Hi 

lillli-li'Jn 

(i!lil-7il(i 
707-7nx 
7iiK.7'j:t 

7llH 

7(IH  710 
7|ip  7l"i 
17.".  7  M 

-\H 
7IK-7'JI) 
(Un-TJl 
7'J  1-723 

7'j;i 

7-j:i 
7:'i-7»:: 

72.1  72(i 

7'J(i  721* 
7:111  7:1:1 
7:12 
7:i:t 
7:1:1-7:17 
7;w-71o 
7ln-7H 
741-712 


XIV 


TAIU.K    OF    CONTENTS. 


Chara4'U)i'M  of  tin-  I'inmi'I  hia— Cciiitiiiiiril. 
Family  riKMID.K. 

Sub- family— ('vi-i(pi'iii  iiiiii.N  a;. 

<ii  IIU8  Macuoiiiiimh 742 

MAcitiiKiiiMh  AMirHTiiiOHTiilM — (,'alit'nniinii  Sou  £Io|ibant 743 

liililHi;it:i|ilii<iil  iflrrcuci'H                         743 

Extii'ial  (liiiMulriH             74;i-746 

Skull                           74<h74U 

Ml  a.suri'iixMitH  of  HkullH      ..          ..  748 

Miiisi)      iiciits  of  tliii  Mkildtoii  of  Haerorhinut  leoninun 748 

Coiiiiinii.Miii)  Willi  I  lie  Soutlium  Sru  Klopbant 740-7.")l 

(ji'oi;ia|(liiral  ili.stiiliution 751-7.J:i 

GciU'iiil  liiHloiy 75'J-7')3 

lliiliilM    7,")3-7')5 

t'li:i^»i-  uliil  pKiiliit'tH  .    75,'V-7."(i 

APPENDIX. 

A.  Material  cx(i)iiiiied      757-704 

I-Miiiily  OlMiU.v.MIMC     757-758 

Uiliiliiinim  iiisiiuiius  7.)8 

(iiloljii-mis  iibi-Miis 758 

Fiiniily  (II  \i;;iii,i',  758-760 

KiinMlopi.is  sIclliTi    758 

Zaliipliiis  1  alil'oriiianus "59 

( 'alliiiluiiiis  uiHiiillH 70u 

Fnniih  rii(irM>.i: 761-704 

I'liuiij  viliiliiia    761 

Plioca  fotiila        702 

Plioca  fiiii'iilaliillcu 701! 

Eritfiiatlms  liarlmlus     .. 703 

m.stiio|ilioia  fasi'iata  ..    703 

Hulicliiiiiis  ;;iy|iiiH 704 

ryHli>|ilioia  ri  i.slata     764 

.Mariorhiiiiisaiicim'    'mtris   "04 

B.  Adtiitidiin  iiiiU  I'lncrtii.   n    765-774 

Family  OlMiii.i,M!>.v,       705-7IW 

(Moha'iiiiK  riixiniirun — .\tlaiitlo  WaJruB 765-708 

.Ailditioiial  iiliiiiiciH 705 

Sizi  anil  rstiiiial  ainicanilKM!    705 

(ii'oniaiiliiciil  ilistiihuliou 700-707 


Nova  Zi'inbla    

Kraiiz-.Iomf  Laud 

Aliiiiiilaii'  ('  ill  Wolatenhobne  Sound 

SpitzlMljirll,  &c 

lirlaiid 

SiipiMiHi'il  pi'cHi'Mi'i^  of  Walraflos  in  the  Autarotio  Soaa  . 

'I'lw  'Wall  iirt  a  foriiiiilalilt>  nnta^oniHt 

Ciiiiosiiv  ami  liailcHsncsH  of  thr  Walrus    

I/oi  iiniotioii  :  iiHC  of  tin)  UukH  ill  climbing 

KiHuriH  of  till'  Walrus       

Odobcmiig  obemin — I'aciQo  Walrus , 

Disliiliiiiioii     

Family  OtaiiiidjE 

( )tai  iiH  at  t  he  (iolapagos  Tslnnda  

FoHHil  Olarii'S 

('apt nil-  of  Sea  Lions  for  menafjerles 

Zalophun  cal{f<irnianiui — (/alilbmia  Soa  Lion 

I'riiod  of  niKtaliou 

Oallorhinun  urginiis 

liri'i'diiit:  otf  tlid  co»8t  of  Washington  TerrHory 

Family  Pikicida: , 

Ext  inct  species 


706 
706 
700 
766 
766 
706 
707 
707 
707 
768 
768 
768 
769-774 
769 
770 
770 
771 
771 
772 
772 
778 
778 


LIST  OF  ILLUSriiATlONS. 


Fiji.    1,|>. 

41. 

Fi};.   2,  p. 

4J. 

Fie.   'M'- 

4;). 

Vig-  4.1>- 

u:t. 

Fi^:.   r.,p 

ii:i. 

Fiji.   O.p. 

1)4. 

Fif.'.    T,p. 

'.»4. 

Fi«.    H,p. 

!t4. 

Fin.    l»,p. 

!l."i. 

Fiti.  1",  p 

'.Hi. 

Fi«.  ll.p. 

Kill. 

Fi};-  1-.  !'• 

101. 

Fi-.  r!,l>. 

l.-.:i. 

Fili.  M,  p. 
I-'Im    I."i   II 

i.-.(i. 

1  ."i7 . 

1    IL.    !•'.   P- 

Fi;;.  Ii-i.  p. 

i:.s. 

Fi;;.  17.  p. 

i."i«. 

Fi-.  1.S,  p 

l.-.!t. 

Fi^;.  l!".p 

I.V.I. 

Fi;;.  Jii.  p 

ICO. 

Fi^'.'Jl.p 

Kil. 

FiL'.  -JJ,  P 

ll!J. 

Fi^'.-J:i,i) 

l(i^. 

Fi.-.  •-•4,  P 

i(i:i. 

Fi;..  -J.-.,  p 

IGli. 

Fi«.  -jr,.  p 

104. 

Fii;  -7,  p 

Km. 

Vi'A--Jx.\< 

II 10. 

Fi-.21l,  p 

100. 

Imk-  :•<!.  i> 

107. 

Fit'.iil.p 

.  107. 

Fi-.  .'l^,  p 

lOK. 

Fi-.  ;)3, 1 

.  IIW. 

Fi-.  :;i,  1 

.  101). 

Fi;;.  ;t.->,  1 

.  lO'.t. 

Fi-.  :ili.  I 

.  i7;i. 

Fi,;;.  ;i7,  | 

.  ;;,■>». 

Fi-.  -.iX,  1 

.:ii7. 

Fi;;.  :i!l,  1 

.  :i'.'i. 

Fi-.  -li),  1 

.:i'.'i. 

Fi-.  41,1 

:rj^'. 

Fi;;.  4J.  i 

.  :cj;;. 

Fi-.  lit,  1 

.  .')0:i. 

Fi;;.4J.  1 

.  .V(). 

Fis.4.'-..| 

.  "iHO. 

Fiu.  4(i,  I 

.581. 

Fi-.  47, 1 

.  .182. 

Fig.4H,|).  '8:1 

Fi(f.  4«,  p.  Udl . 

Odvbimiwi  rimmarut.  skull  nl'  ((oinilf  in  pnilili'  anil  lowiT.juw  from  above. 

OdAibniPuim  rnnmariui,  skull  nl'  fiiiiiilf  fiDiii  iilinvf. 

Odob-iiiuH  riiKiiKinin.  .•^KuU  nl  !•  miilr  tVniii  liclcw. 

OlauH  M;i-iiiis  s  "  Udsuianis  srii  .Mnrsiis  \iiivf;;icuH." 

(•laiis  MaLiiiiis's      I'linus  alniistniMis  Ocriiui  (li'nniiuici." 

(H'Siii'i'.s  '■  KiisMianis." 

tiisiici  s  •■  Varca  iiiaiiiia  "  (.\ililii)(ia  tii  Icoiifs  .\iiiiiial). 

(ii'sui  r's  •■  KoHiiianiM"  (Innics  Aniiiiill..  l.'iOli/. 

l)r  Vri'is    'Sia  IIkisc,"  100!I. 

HisHil  (Ji'iaiil's  "  \ValiU8s,"  lOia. 

Martin's  '•  Wall-niss,"  17ti.">. 

l!llll'(ill's  ■'  I.r  Mdl'Sl'.'    17*i."i. 

OiliihiriiiiK  iiIk^hhii,  llilri-  \  ii  WH  i)f  licail. 

(Mliihitiynim  iilieiiit'<.  sliiiU  in  imililc. 

Odiilxi'iiiis  riiKiiiiiniK,  skull  in  pmliJi-. 

Oil'ihifiniH  iiJHiiinntn,  skull  liniii  I'riiiit. 

Oiliilni'iDiH  ubi'siiK,  skull  rriiiii  liniit. 

(J(tiib(riiUK  niHiiKirim.  m  ripilal  viiw  of  xkuU. 

(JduhiviiiiK  iibexiin.  iMii|iii.il  \  ii-w  nl'  skull. 

(Miihii'itiiH  roHmaruH,  skull  IVom  almvf. 

(Jdiil'd'UUX  (ibf.Kiis,  m1;u11  I'l  nil  almvi-. 

OdiihifiiiiH  iibfKtiu.  .Minn-  skull  fimii  almvi'. 

Odiibdniw  nmiiKinin,  Mnni-  skull  I'lnni  above. 

(Jddbunian  obebitu,  .miiiu-  skull  I'miu  I'riiut. 

Odobwnnn  rumiMnui,  .viniii.i;  skull  f'lniu  t'niut. 

Odobii'iiu.i  riiKiiioruii,  .skull  I'lcmi  liclovv. 

OdiibiviiHH  ohemix.  skull  riimi  lirl.iw. 

Odiihii'nnn  rnKKinriiK.  |ci«ir.j,,«   ridiii  aliiivi'. 

Oddbiiuun  (ibentin,  lowri  jaw  I'linu  abuvo. 

Odobimius  rimmaniH.  Inwcijaw  t'rnni  side. 

(JdnhiiiniH  tilnKim,  liiwci-  jau    I'lnni  Bitlc. 

nddbiiiitm  riiHiitdiKu,  liiwii  .jaw  nl'  young  from  above* 

Odvbd'uiiH  (ihcKiiK,  Inwi-r  jaw  nl  \  nuug  from  nbovo. 

Odulnriiiin  riiniiiariDi,  lower, j.iw  nl'  young  from  Hide. 

OilnhirnuH  iibi'xu)!,  lower  jaw  nl'  ynuiig  I'rom  Biilc 

Odobd'iiiin  ubt'sim.  Cnnk'.s  fl-ure  of  tlif  aiiironl. 

KumeUijniiH  stelUri,  li-uriB  of  animal 

VaUi/rliiniin  nrninun,  li-urcM  of  animal. 

(JaUurlii'ii^KK  iiitiintin.  skull  nf  fiinalr  iu  protilc. 

('allurliiniig  urtiiiniii,  skull  of  I'l  luiiln  from  ubovi-. 

Cnlliirlnniin  iimintiii,  skull  nf  fiinali    lower  jaw. 

('ulliiihuiiin  iirniniiK.  skull  of  finialr  from  below. 

J'liiicd  litiiliitii.  auiinal. 
.  "  llalichwriiM  ant'irrliCHH,"  I'liiln,  Hkull  iu  prollle. 

"  llulii'lidriin  <(iiliir<:t.icuK,"  I'rali', okall  from  above. 

"  niilirliwrus  iintdrctiKng,"  I'lule,  Bkiill  lioin  below. 

"  Ilalichiernii  antnrclicut"  I'ealc,  lower  juw. 

"  tlalicyun  richtirdgi"  (iray.  skull  iu  profile. 

Fhiica  firtida,  uuinuil. 


XVI 


IJST    OK    IIJ.l'riTltAI  lONH. 


I'iu  ■'",  l> 

n:i:i 

Ki«.r.i,|. 

)ll)l 

Kili.V.M. 

7'.'  ( 

Klu.r.:i,|. 

7-JH 

V\H.  M,  |. 

7211 

Ki«.  r,r.,  p 

Tlsn 

KiK.  .'>«,  I, 

7;ii 

KiK  ■■•T,  |. 

711 

Ki-.  r.K,  |, 

71:. 

KiU'. . ■■,!),  p 

7  Hi 

Hlmio,  p 

717 

t'Imrti  ^fruliinflif-ii,  ;ilMiii;il. 
llntirliirniH  'iri^jiiiK.  ;iiijiiiiil 
('ilKliiiilinrii  frinlii>ii.  :iiiiiti;il 
I'llHli'iiliiifii  ••iiHldld    mIuiII  ill  piiillli'. 
I'liKfiiiiliinii  irinldlii    ^^liiill  hciiii  iiliiiviv 
('jltiliiithdrii  rrinldlii.  sKiill  ficiiij  ImIuvv. 
(hlKhi/iliiirii  ftisliilii.  lipHi  r  |ii» 
Mnrriifliiiiiiii(iiiiiiiiiliriiHlr\H,  hIiiiII  in  piiilll«. 
MiirrnrliiniiH  tiii;iiiiilini/ihin.  hKiiII  limii  :iIm)V«. 
Miifriirhiiiiix  iiiiiiiiKlirdHhix.  hUiiII  ('miii  lii'low. 
Mdvriirhiddn  dii'iUKtim/ilriii.  lnwi  r.jiiw. 


HISTORY  OV  Till']  NORTH  AMKRICAN 

riNNIPKDS. 


'i'lic  l'iiiiii|>iMls,  <)!•  I'iiuilixtliti,  niiliracin^  llic  Seals  iiiid  Will- 
riis<'s,  iuv  (■oiiiiiioiily  r<'<'(><^iii/«'d  by  r«M'«Mi(,  sysleriiiitiit  wiitcrs 
as  coiislitiilinjf  a  siilxndcr  ol"  Mic  order  hWtv,  or  Oariiivoioiis 
Matiiiiials.  Tliey  are,  in  slioit,  ti'iie  Cortniutni,  iiiodiiied  lor  an 
a<|iiatie  existence,  and  have  <-onse<|iieiitly  l»eeti  sometimes 
termed  '■'•Amphihinus  ('antirnra.''^  Theii-  whole  I'orm  is  modilied 
for  life  in  the  water,  whieh  element  is  their  true  liom«-.  Ileie 
they  display  extreme  activity,  lint  on  lan<l  theii'  movements 
are  eonlined  and  lahored.  Thiy  <-onse(|nently  rarely  leaNcthe 
water,  and  ;;enerally  (»nly  lor  sh<»rt  periods,  and  are  ne\er  I'onnd 
to  move  volnntarily  more  than  ii  tew  yards  i'rom  the  shore.  Like 
theother  marine  Mammalia,  th(^  (Ulncid  and  Sirntio  (Whales, 
holphins,  I'orpoises,  Manatees,  etc.),  theii'  l»odi<'s  are  more  (»!■ 
less  lish  like  in  };eneral  form,  and  their  limits  ar«>  transi'ormed 
into  swimmin;;'  orj;ans.  As  tiieir  riiime  impli(^s,  they  are  Jin- 
footed,  (lencially  speakin;^,  the  body  may  be  compared  to  two 
cones  ioined  basally.  I'niikethe  other  niaiine  mannnals,  the 
I'imiipeds  arc  all  well  clothed  with  hair,  while  several  of  them 
ha\e,  underneath  the  exterior  coars<-r  hair,  a  thick,  soft,  silky 
nndcr  liM.  In  contrasting'  thetn  with  the  ordinary  or  terrestrial 
mammals,  we  note  that  the  l)o(ly  is  only  ex<'eptionally  laiscd, 
and  the  limbs  are  contined  within  the  common  internment  to 
beyond  the  knees  ami  elbows,  and  \\\v.  hence  to  only  a  slight 
dejirce  sciviceabh^  for  terrestrial  locomotion.^  The  first  di^it  of 
the  manns  is  generally  lenj^thened  and  enlarj^cd,  as  arc  both 
the  outer  dibits  of  the  pes.  As  compared  with  other  Fcm\ 
they  present,  in  osteolo;^ical  characters,  many  ob\ioiis  poinisof 
dilVercnce,  especially  in  relation  to  the  strnctnrc  of  the  sknii. 
limbs,  and  pelvis,  and  in  (h-ntition.  The  sknil  is  <lislinctiv<'iy 
cliaracteriz<Ml  by  ^reatcompression  or  const lict ion  of  the  inb-r 
oibital  port i(»ii.  the  lar^c  si/c  of  the  orbital  fossa-,  in  the  lachry- 
mal bone  bcin^  imperforate  (wilhont  a  lachrymal  canal)  and 
contained  within  the  orbit,  and  in  the  presence,  (;fenerally)  of 
Misc.  i'nb.  No.  IL' -I  1 


CIIAKACTKK'S    o|-    I'INMl'l.l  »IA. 


coiisidcriiblr  \  :i<-iiiti(>,s  hct  wcfii  tli<-  piilatiiic  iiiid  Iron  .<!  boiH's 
anil  tin*  tyinpiinic  iiixl  cxoccipital  Ixmh-s.  TIm'  tlccidnons  den- 
tition is  rudinH'ntiuy,  n('\«'r  to  iiny  yroat  extent  Innctionul,  and 
fjeqiicntly  docs  not  persist  beyond  the  lodd  lite  ot"  the  animal. 
In  the  pernianeiit  d<>ntition,  the  canines  are  j;i'catly  de\eIoi)ed, 
soinetiines  enoiMKHisly  so;  the  ](»\ver  incisois  aie  never  more 
than  tour  in  nnndter,  an-'  sometimes  only  two;  the  iippt-r  incisors 
usually  nund>er  six,  hut  sometimes  only  Ibui',  or  even  two;  the 
jrrindin^  teeth  (premolars  and  molars)  are  j;enerally  simjile  in 
structure,  and  usually  didei'  from  each  other  merely  in  resi)ect 
to  size,  or  the  number  of  roots  by  which  they  are  inserted.  The 
pelvis  dilVei's  from  that  of  the  teirestrial  /'V/vr  in  the  sliortness 
of  the  iliac  portion  and  the  eversion  of  its  anterioi-  border;  the 
ischiac  bones  Itaiely  meet  tbi' a  short  distance  in  the  male,  and 
arc  usually  widely  separated  in  the  female,  the  i»elvic  ai'ch  thus 
remaining'  in  the  latter  permanentl,\  open  \entrally. 

The  existing  rinnipeds  constitute  three  xcry  distinct  minor 
iiroups  or  families,  ditl'criii;^'  ipiitc  widely  from  each  other  in 
importaid  characfeis:  these  arc  the  Walruses,  or  Otlolxniithr,  the 
Eared  Seals,  or  Ohirilthv,  and  the  Marless  Seals,  or  /'hociila:  The 
tirsi  two  arc  far  more  nearly  allied  than  arc  cither  of  these  with 
the  third,  so  that  the  (hlolxcnidic  and  (Htnilthr  ma\  be  together 
contrasted  with  the  I'hochUv.  Tiie  last  named  is  the  lowest  oi 
mo>l  .i;cncralizcd  yroup.  while  the  others  a[)pcar  to  stand  on 
nearly  the  same  plane,  and  about  e([ually  iemot<  from  the  Pho- 
viiJd.  The  AValruscs  arc  really  little  more  than  thick,  clumsy, 
obese  Ibrms  of  the  Otarian  type,  Avith  the  canines  «'normously 
develo]>cd.  and  the  whole  skull  i-orri'lat ively  modilied.  The 
lind)-structiire.  tin'  mode  of  life,  and  the  whole  economy  are 
essentially  the  same  in  the  two  fiioups,  and,  aside  iromthe  cran- 
ial modifications  ])rescnted  by  the  (hlohdiiuhv,  wldeh  ar<^  obvi 
ously  related  t(»  the  development  of  thecauines  as  huj;(!  tusks, 
the  Walruses  are  merely  elephantiueOtariids,  the  absence  or 
presenee  of  an  external  ear  beiuo-  ju  reality  a  feature  of  minor 
importance. 

The  characters  of  the  suborder  and  its  three  families  amy  be 
more  foriually  stated  as  follows :  * 

"The  (.■liiUiicf'.r.'s  Iktc  j;ivun  uio  in  part  tlioso  collated  !•>•  1  >r.  I'licdddrc  ». 
Gill  ill  187:'.  (•  Ariim;;('iii(Mit  of  tho  rainilifs  .>t'  llir  Mai  iiiials.'  Sniillisniiiaii 
Mi<('('lliiiiciiiis  ('(illcct  ions.  \o.  ■.>:!(•.  )i|i.  ."iCi.  (H,  li",M.  l'\  wlioiii  I  lir  dist  inctivc 
t'latnicN  ol'  llirx  uiiiii|is  well'  lirst  loriiiiilati'i!.  'I'licv  Jiav;  ,  liowcvcr.  been 
<air|iill\  Miilii'il  ami  I'mtliri  ilalioialcil  liv  tlir  jiri  sciil  writer,  wliili'  llie 
t'aiuilio  ail'  liiTi'  iiuiic  ilillriiiil  !>  ansncjaiiil. 


CIIAIfACTKHS    (»l'    IMNMITlilA. 


Limbs  i>iniiil'iii'iii,  cir  iiinilHii'il  intn  >.\viiiiiiiiu;;'  nruiins,  ;iiiil  ciirlnsril  li>  ni 
Ix'yitiiil  III!'  I'lhiiws  ,'tii(l  ktii't's  witliiii  I  lie  I'lHiiiiiiiii  hiti'^iiiiiriit. 
Dij^ilsiil'  till'  liiiillM.s  tlcircii.siii;;  ill  Iclljilll  illltl  si/c  iVmii  t  Ik'  I'iinI 
to  tilt'  lil'lli;  III'  lliiisi' III'  tilt'  |M's,  the  lii'Nt,  iiiiil  lit'tli  l;ir;;i'xt  iiliil 
lolly•('^*l ,  llir  llircc  iiiiililli'  mil's  .slioitiT  iiiiil  Miliri|ii;il.  I't'lvis 
with  till'  ilijir  |iiiitiiiii  MTV  ^limt,  ami  tin'  .iiili'iioi-  Ipnriji'r  iniiili 
cvri'lt'il;  isilijii  liairl.N  iiii'i'l  iiiji  l(\  a  sliiirl  >viii|(li\.siN  (ncvrr 
liucliylosrd)  anil  in  tlir  IViiiali'  iisiiall.v  wiilrly  .sr|iaiali'il.  Skull 
P'lit'rally  ;;ii'atly  cDiiipirssi'il  iiili'iitrliitally  :  I'arial  |Miitii(ii 
iiHiiiilly  sliiirt  anil  ratliiT  liri>ail,  ami  llir  luain-iaM' aliiiiptly  t'X- 
pandi'il.  liarliryiiial  liuiir  iiii|M'i'tbi'iitr  ami  Jiiiiii'il  In  tlir  maxil- 
lary, cncl'isi'il  wliidly  williin  tlir  nlliit.  ralatiiirs  usually  si'pa- 
ratril  liya  variiil.v,  kIIiii  nrnuisiilcralili' si/c  rriuii  llir  tViuiials. 
Tyiii|uinic  lioni's  si'parali'il  alsoliya  varuityrrom  tlii'i'XDccipil- 
als.  Di'iititinii  sini|ilr.  jii'iH'i'ally  unsprriali/ril,  till'  imdais  all 
.similar  in  striii'liirr.  Itii'liliiuus  dcnliiiiin  riiiliim-nlary,  iii'vcr 
truly  luni'tiiHial,  and  ^riirrally  not  jit'isisti'iit  ltr,\iiiid  tin-  ln'tal 
slaj,'r  id' llir  animal.  I'rrniani'iit  im'isius  usually  !;  lu  |.  snmi- 
times  .]   {('fiKUti'liiint  and    Miifi'inliiiiiis).  nr  rviii    >    ( Diliilm  iiiik); 

raniiics  .;  ;  nndars-   ;,  '  ,  nr  '; I 'INNiri",!  )rA 

A.  llimi  li';^sr;i>)ialdr  id'  Idillii  I  llltird  tiU'waid  and  llsiil  in  li'l  irstri.'ll  jdi'o- 
miiliiin.  Nick  lrii;;l  liriH'd  (isjii  riallv  in  laiuilv  ,1 1  i.  .^kullwilli 
till'  masliiid  proii's>i's  lar^i-  and  salient  ^espeeially  in  I  In-  mult.'S), 
ami  with  disiinel  .'liispliennid  eaiials.  Anteiinr  I'eei  nearly  as 
larjie  as  the  )iipsteriiu'.  tlieir  di,i;its  rajiidly  deeicasiii'^  in  lenntli 
I'riim  tile  liisi  Id  the  lillli,  wiilniut  ilistinet  ela.\s,  and  with  a 
hroad  earl  i  la;;  i  noils  liorder  ex  I  end  in;;  heyoiid  I  he  di;;il-.  Hind 
Icct  .sileepi  ible  of  Mical  expansion,  I  he  I  liiee  iiiiddii'  di^ils  only 
willi  e laws,  and  all  I  he  di;;ifs  terminat  in;;'  in  lon^i,  narrow,  i  ar- 
tilai;iiioiis  tlaps.  united  li.'isally.  I'eiiinr  wiili  the  Irocliaiiter 
ininiir  well  developed <  !lii;,«SK;nAUA. 

I.  Witlioiit  external  ears.     I'orm  Ihiek  and  heavv.     .\iiterior  por- 

tion of  the  skull  <>reatly  swollen,  ffivin;:"  support  to  the  enor- 
mously developed  eaiiiiies,  wliieh  i'orm  li>n>^,  protrudiiiff  tu.sl<H. 
IiK'i.sors  of  decidiiou.s  (fudal)  dentition  ^;  of  permanent  denti- 
tion 5.  No  postorbital  i>roee.s.ses,  ami  tlie  surface  of  the  mastoid 
processes  contiiiuons  with  the  auditory  Imlhc Odolnvnldcc. 

II.  With  small  oxtonial  ears.  I'-orm  slender  and  clon'^ated.  Ante- 
rior portion  of  the  skull  not  uiin.siially  swollen,  anc'  tlio  canines 
not  highly  sj)i'ci;ilized.  Incisors  of  deciduous  dentition  -},  only 
the  outer  on  either  side  cuttinj^  the  j^um ;  of  permanent  denti- 
tion 4,  the  two  central  pairs  of  tlus  npi)cr  with  a  transverse 
irroove.  I'ostorhital  ]ii'()ce.sses  strongly  developed.  Siirfteo 
of  the  ma.^^i/id  jiroeesses  not  eonfimious  with  the  anditorj'' 
hnlhe Otarilda: 

B.  Hind  li';;s  not  ca|>;ildi'  of  heiuf;  tiirneil  forward,  and  not  sorvicoablo 
for  terrestrial  locomotion.    Neck  short.     Slcull  with  the  mastoid 


•Jr  view  of  the  uncertainty  respecting  the  proper  notation  of  the  grind- 
ing teeth,  they  will  in  the  jiresent  work  be  designated  simply  as  molars, 
"with  noiiltemiit  at  distingnishiiig  "premolars"  from  "molars.'' 


CIIAI.'ACTKKS    or    I'INNII'KDIA. 


IH'iM'i'.s.si's  swiillrii,  lull  IK  1 1  smIu'IiI,  ,\\\i\  w  it  liiir'  ilistiiicl  ali,H|ilu'- 
iioiii  1','iiiiils.  Anli'iior  iimli.s  siiiiiiji'i'  ijiim  t  hi'  iioHtriltii',  Ihr  first. 
ilit;it  litllc,  il'iiii\,  liiiij;cr  tliiiii  tlir  iirxl  Niicccciiiii;;  diics,  all 
iU'int'il  with  Nti'<)ii<;  rhiw.s,  \\  hicli  jiii'  tri'iiiiiiiil.  liiiiil  iVi'i  I'a- 
]itllil('  of  iiioiii  I'jitr  <'\|iMiiMi()ii,  shiil'l  :  (limits  (iiHiiaJl.v)  all  aiiiinl 
witii  Niroii;;-  claws,  anil  witJKMit  icrmlnal  laitilayiimiis  llaps. 
I'riiiiii  with  nil  tiarr  i>t'  the  ti'iM'haiilt'r  niiimr. . .  Iii:i'i  iiiijAPA.* 
III.  Without  cxtci'iial  cat's,  rostoi'liital  ju'ori'SHcs  watititi;;,  m'  very 
small.  Itn'isiits  vaiialiji'  (';,  :|.  i>i'}).  lirridnoiis  ili'titil  ion  not 
|M'i'sislrnl  licvotiil  I'd'lal  life I'limidii. 

The  riiiniptulH  prcs'iit  ii  lii;;li  drorcc  of  cci'dtriil  ilcNclop- 
ment,  iiiul  arc  easily  «loiiH'sti<'al('(l  under  liiv(»ial)le  e<»ii<li(ion.s. 
They  Jiiaiiife.st  stroiio-  .social  and  |»ai«'n(al  atleelion,  and  defend 
their  yonn;;'  with  ;;ieat  ]M'r.sist«'ney  and  (•(nira;i('.  'I'liey  are  ear 
nivorous  (ahnost  without  exception),  .siih.si.stin^i  upon  fishes, 
molliislis,  and  cnista<'eans.  of  \vhi<'h  tliey  <-oiisiinie  enornions 
qnantities.  The  Wah'iises  and  ICared  Seals  are  polynia iiiou-, 
and  the  mah's  oreatly  exceed  the  feinah'S  in  size.  'I'he  ordinary 
or  EarU'ss  Seals  aie  connnoidy  siippo.sed  to  he  iiioiiooanioiis.  and 
there  is  j^-enerally  little  diU'erence  in  tln'  si/e  of  the  .sexes.  The 
Walruses  and  ICared  Seals  usually  resort  in  larji'e  iMinihi>rs  to 
certain  favorite  hreedino'  oromids,  and  diirino'  \]w  .season  of  re 
])rodnction  !ea\<'  the  water,  and  pass  a  coiisideraltle  period  upon 
land.  The  ICarle.ss  Seals,  on  the  other  hand,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Sea  I'Mcphants,  do  not  so  nniforiiily  resort  to  |»articnlar 
lireedin;;  oronnds  on  land,  and  leave  the  water  (»idy  for  very 
short  intervals.  They  nsiially  hrinj;'  forth  their  yonn;;  on  the 
ice,  most  (»f  the  sp"cies  l»«'inj;'  conlined  t<t  the  colder  latilinles. 
Oidy  one  of  the  vari<»ns  species  of  the  I'unilpcdla  a]>]>ears  to 
be  strictly  tropical,  and  very  few  of  them  rauj^e  into  troi>ical 
waters.  As  a  i^ronp,  the  ['innipeds  ari^  distinctively  character- 
istic-(tf  the  Arctic,  Antarctic,  and  Temperate  ])orti<tns  oi"  the 
;4h)be,  several  of  the  ;i;'enera  heinj;'  strictly  Arctic  or  Snharctic 
in  their  distribution.  The  AValniscs  are  at  present  confined 
mainly  within  tlie  Arctic  Circle,  and  have  no  representatives 
south  of  the  colder  ]>ortions  of  the  Northern  iremisidiere.  The 
Otariidw  and  riiocida',  on  tlie  other  hand,  are  abumlantly 
represented  on  both  sides  of  the  equator,  as  will  be  noticed 
more  in  detail  later. 


*l''or  the  .suKj;osti()ii 
to  my  friciid  l>r.  Kllio. 


ho  terms  Grcsmgrada  and  UcpUgrada  I  am  indiOiteil 

^011f.S. 


FAMILY  ODOHyl^.NlDiK. 


Wl»!r:j;;j:;. 

'• 'J'rkhnidii,  (iJt.w,  l.niiiliMi  Mfd.  K'riius.,  If^-JI,  ItiKl"  (I'iirnil.v  ).     .lj(«(i  Gray, 
Jri(7»((7/((/ri,  (iit.w,  Ann.  ol' I'liilos..  l^•,>^),  :tl(i;  Ann.  and  .M.ij;.  Niil.  Hint.,  ^d 

H<T.,  .wiii,  l-d*;,  ^",'1»;  iW.,  Itii  iscr.,  iv,  lH(i',»,  y);^;  Sniipl.  Cat.  Srals 

an<l  Whal.'s,  1H71,  :>  (laniily). 
Tiivhiciiia,  (iu.VY,  London's  .Mai;.  Nat.  lli.st.,  i,  1K!7,  r>:{H ;  "Zotil.  Krthiis  and 

Tt'n<)i',;r'  (.sulil'aniily).     Jn  pait  only,  oi('x<ln,siv(«  ol'  IfuitcharKH, 
Trkluchina,  GitAY,  Cat.  .Mam.  Brit.  Mns.,  \>t.  ii,  1850,  'ill;  Cat.  Srals  and 

WIialcK.  H(i(i,  :i:5  (snlifaniily).  In  jiart  only  _-  Trichicina  (jiny,  1837. 
"  Triihtrliiild  stn  Cuiiipodoiiliti,  IfiiooKKs,  Cat.  Anal,  and  Zoiil.  Muh.  18a8,  37." 
Trirhnlioiilni,  (iiKlii:!,.  Fanna  <ltr  ^■(ll■\v(d(,  i,  1K17.  yjl :  SiinK«'tli.,  1855,  127 

(I'aniily). 
TrirlKiiiiii,  TuKNlWi,  I'roc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  I.ond.,  Hl^^,  K'),  H-j  (subla-iiily). 
HoHiiKiriiliv,  (Jir.i,,   I'roc.   J^shcx  Inslitulc,  v,  l."^()ti,  7,   II;  rainilics  of  Mam., 

1H7',>.  '27.  (ill,  7(1  ( -.=  "  TtiihivhUhv  MrooUcs,  (irrvais").— Ai.i.r.x,  Hnll. 

,Mns.  Comp.  Zoiil..  ii.  1^70,  *,M. 
J!iiniii<iri>iili<i,  (ill. I.,  I'am.  .Mam.,  11^7'^,  10  (••snpcrt'amily  "  =: /i'«.s/;(((ci(/(r  (Jill). 
Ilroia,  L.\ri!i;ii.i,i:,  I'am.  \iijx.  Anim.,  l^'J5,  51  (family). 
A.s'  .yorsis,  V.  Ccviiii.  Drnlsdcs  Mam.,1^'-J5,  i>33;  Diet.  ."^iLNal.,  lix,  l^'JO, 

Iti.'i  (family'). 

(|i;m;i;ai.  ohsi'-uvations. 

.Viiioiij;  llic  disliiictiv*'  li'adin'.s  ol"  (lie  (hlolnvnUkv  iiio  the 
('iu»iiii()ii.s(l('v»'l(»|)iiM'iit  of  I  he  iij)i)cr('imiii('s,  aiul  tlie  <'on.s»'quont 
gic'iit  rnliirjicinciit  of  tlu'  aiilcrior  ])(>rti<)n  of  tlic  skull  for  their 
reception  jiihI  sii])j)oit,  tiie  early  losis  of  all  the  iiu'isors  excej)t 
the  outer  i)air  of  the  upper  jaw,  the;  caducous  character  of  the 
posterior  molars,  au<l  tiu'  uiolariforiu  lower  canines.  The  Wal- 
nises  share  with  tlie  lOannl  Seals  th<;  ability  to  turn  the  hind 
feet  forward,  and  consequently  have  considerable  power  of  loco- 
motion on  laiul.  This  is  further  aided  by  a  j^reater  freedom  of 
movenujiit  of  the  fore  feet  tlian  is  possessed  by  the  Earless 
lieals.  Tlie  Walniscjs  dilT'er  from  the  Kared  Seals  by  their 
nuich  thicker  bodies,  shorter  necks,  and  loiioci- caudal  vertebra', 
the  dtusal  and  luiid>ar  vertebra'  iciiiaiiiiny'  of  proj)ortioualely 
the  same  lenj;th.  \n  consecpu'uce  of  their  obesity,  the  ribs  and 
tile  proximal  s(>o|iients  <»f  lhelind)s  are  lonjicr  in  the  Walni.ses  '' 
than  ill  tile  iOared  Seals,  wliiU'  tlie  distal  sej^ineiits  (d  the  li.Mbs 
are  iclatively  sliortei.  The  scapula  is  long  and  narrow,  instead 
of  short  and  broad,  a.s  in  the  Otariida',  iwid  it.s  ciest  is  ithiced 


(i  FAMILY    tiDoll/KNIlM;. 

irioif  iiiilnidilv.  Acnii'diii^lN ,  ill  rcspccl  to  L;<iici'iil  loriiij  Ave 
li;i\c  slciidrriicss  ol'  liotli  lio(l>  iiiid  liiiilis  in  the  one  r(»litrastC(I 
with  ;^rr;il  tliicKiicss  ol'  IxMly.  iiiid  distall.v  ii  dispi  »])()rti()iiiito 
K'diitiidii  (>r  I  lie  cNti'diiitics  in  llic  (»tlicr.  TIic  iiKid  stiikin;;" 
tlirrticiiccs^  liowt'Vci',  exist  ill  llic  ciaiiial  riniriiclcrs.  roiiitinj;' 
Ikhii  the  unreal  devt'lopincnlor  tln'  iippci-  caiiiiics  in  ihr  W  ;il- 
I'liscs,  ;iiid  tlic  ('oiis('(|ii('iil  iiiodilit'iilions  ol'  (lie  facial  portion  of 
tlic  skull.  Ill  llic  (}hir!!(l(i\  tin-  j;<'iit'ial  contoiir  of  tlic  skull  is 
stroii,L;l,\  I  isint';  in  llic  (hlolKiiiida,  \\  is  iiiii(|iic.  owiii;;  toils 
;iicat  expansion  antcri(»il,v.  In  respect  toolliereianial  features, 
the  WalinsesdilVeilioin  the  Eaved  Se:ils  in  liavinjiiio  post-ovb- 
ital  ]»i'oee.sHos,  and  in  the  niastoiil  [troeesses  lieinj;' not . separated 
from  the  auditory  hiilhe.  Tiie  teeth  are  all  sin^ile  rooted,  and 
iiave  in  the  periiianent  dentition  no  distinct  crowns. 

On  coiiipariiiji'  the  Odolxviiidiv  with  the  I'lioriihv,  the  ditVer- 
enee.s  in  j^oneral  .stnieture  are  Ibiuul  to  be  far  ••reater  than  ob- 
tain between  the  Wabnses  and  I'iared  Seals,  espe<'iall,v  in  rej^ard 
to  the  hind  exti'eiiiities;  these  in  the  J'liocidd-  beinji  directed 
ba<'kward.  and  useless  as  organs  of  teirestiial  Ioconioti(»n. 
Hence,  in  s(.  .ar  as  tL<'  (hlohwnUUv  and  ()t(irii(l(v  n'^vvv  in  linib- 
aiid  skiiU-strneture,  they  both  similarly  depart  from  the  Phocine 
tyi»e.  As  already  indicated  in  the  synopsis  of  the  sidxtrdei' Z'/«- 
nijx'ilid,  the  I'Ikh'kUv  dill'er  far  more  from  either  the  OdolxvnUlw 
and  OtariUUv  than  do  these  latter  from  each  other.  This  ditier- 
onee  is  esi»ecially  emphasized  in  the' skull;  for  whih;  tlie  Odo- 
h(vni(l(v  and  Otariiilw  aji'ree  in  all  important  cranial  characters, 
aside  from  the  special  features  correlatf'd  with  tlu;  immense 
enlar;;<'ment  (»f  the  u])per  canines  in  the  former,  they  widely 
differ  from  the  riiocida:  This  is  es])ecially  seen  in  the  absence 
in  the  latter  of  an  alis]dienoid  canal,  in  the  greatly  swollen  andi- 
toiy  bulla',  the  position  of  the  carotid  foramen,  and  the  non- 
salient  character  of  the  mastoid  ]m>cesses. 

The  few  points  in  which  the  Walruses  dilfer  in  myology  from 
other  Pimiipeds,  Dr.  3Iurie  statv's  to  be  ''the  presence  of  a  co- 
I'aco-brachialis,  a  llexor  brevi.s  manus,  a  pronator  quadratus,  an 
op])onens  jtoUieis,  and  a  palmaris  brevis,"  in  the  ])Ossession  of 
Avhich  it  differs  both  from  Otarid  and  J'Iiock,  but  tliat  in  other 
resj)ects  they  "  muscularlyju'esent  general  a jireement."'  ''('om- 
]>ared  with  the  Seals  [I'liora  .^]  there  are  two  extra  peionei  and 
a  llexor  Imca  ishallucis."  "•Though  deficient  in  concha, the  auri- 
cular muscles  aic  remarkably  large."* 

I'roi-.  Zoai.  Soc.  1,(111(1..  1*370,  1).  .')4.'). 


OMM'.l.'AI.    (tllSl-.KVATlONS. 


i 


••(  'nlisi<|»'rill,n  tin'  Nt'fV  (litTcifllt  ;lttitll<lcs  MSNilliicd  hy  tllc  '/'/•('- 

,li<clii<hi'i\]\{\  (Harliiliv  iisc(»iii|»iii(Ml  willi  tlic  l'lio<!iln;''^ho  riiiilioi' 
smMs.  '-il  is  i('iii;irlviil»lt'  liow  \<  r>  liltic  (l(!viii(i<m  fnllows  in  tho. 
iiiiisciiliir  (lfV.I(»|»ii  "lit  Titi'  two  (miiimt,  iis  iiiinlit  Ix!  luilici- 
li;itr<l.  piC'ifiit  !i  i^c  ''m!  juicniiciif .  cspcciiilly  in  tlic  modi'  of 
iiri|»l;iiit;iti«>ii  of  tlii-  iin  sclcs  of  tlir  liiiid  Icj;',  aixl  in  this  rcsiioct 
himmIc  iVdiii  tlic  Sell,  vet  Imt  slijilitly."* 

Ill  n's]icct  to  fill'  iMisitjdii  iuiil  cliiiriictcr  of  till'  visc«!ra,  a  yen- 
fill!  a;ii'tM'iiifiit  lias  Itcccii  iiutcd  with  lliosc  of  tlic  other  IMiiiii- 
pcds,  and  tlicv  i»icsciit  iiolliin;;  that  calls  lor  special  notice  ill 
tlic  present  connection.  As  Dr.  ^Inrie  lias  stated,  tlu-re  is  littlo 
api>recial»le  dilferciice  exiiihited  tlironj^lioiit  the  IMnnipeds  in 
the  construction  of  the  alinitMitary  canal.  "  It  is  .siiiij)ly  that  of 
a  Carnivore,  with.  lio\v«'ver,  a  moderate-sized  ca'ciini.  The  great 
ylaiidnlar  snperticics  and  correlated  large  lyini>hatie.s  point  to 
means  of  sjicedy  and  freipient  digestion;  and  in  the  Walrns 
these  apparatus  are  extraordinarily  develoi)ed.''t 

In  a<*cor(lance  with  the  characters  already  given  (p.  .'i),  if  any 
snbdivision  of  the  Pinnipeds  into  groups  of  higher  rank  than 
families  is  to  be  made,  it  seems  evident  that  the  OdohaunJcc 
and  Otarlidn'  are  to  be  collectively  contrasted  with  the  PhocUlw; 
in  other  words,  that  to  nnite  the  Otarildw  and  Phocidw  as  a 
group  of  co-ordinate  rank  with  the  Odohwnuhc  is  to  lose  sight 
of  the  Avide  ditterences  that  sei)arate  the  two  first-named  fami- 
lies, as  well  as  of  the  many  important  features  shared  in  com- 
mon by  the  (hlolxviiidw  and  Otarndtv,  by  Avhieh  both  are  trench- 
antly se])arated  from  the  Phocidw. 

Although  the  Walruses  are  now  \ery  generally  recogniz«'d  as 
constituting  a  natural  faunly  of  the  Pinnipeds,  ranking  co-ordi- 
nately with  the  I'^ared  Seals  on  the  one  hand  and  with  tho  Earless 
Seals  on  the  other,  the  affinities  of  few  groui)s  have  been  more 
diversely  intcrju-eted.  As  early  as  the  thirteenth  c«'ntnry.  the 
author  of  the"kSi)eeidnm  Regale'', — one  of  the  earliest  works  re- 
lating to  natural  history,  in  which  the  Walrns  is  mentioned, — 
stated  distinctly  that  the  Walrus  Avas  an  animal  closely  related 
to  the  .Seals:  and  wetin<l  that  nearly  all  natural-history  wiiters 
prior  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  who  referred  to  the 
Walruses,  gav<' them  the  same  association.  It  was  the+<'clinical 
systematists  of  the  last  half  of  the  eighteenth  centuiy  who 
broke   up  this  natural  juxtaposition,  and  variously  grou]ied 

"Trans.  Zoiil.  Hoc  I.oik'..,  vo!.  vii.  li^'T'i,  p.  'I')',!. 
tTrans.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Loud.,  vol.  vii.  \>^7'i.  p.  4()I. 


8  FAMILY    ODOH/EXlDyi:. 

llicm  with  forms  with  whicli  they  hiul  no  lohitionshii*.  Tn  the 
ii'fuiR'v  of  scioncc,  nothhig  was  perhaps  more  natural  tliau  that 
an'inals  sliouhl  be  chissitiecl  in  accordance  Avith  their  mo(h'  of 
]ife,  their  liabitat,  or  their  external  form,  and  w<'  are  heiu-c  not 
surprised  to  find  ihat  llondelet,  (lesner,  Ahh'ovaiuhis,  Joustou, 
and  other  pre-Linna?an  writers,  arranged  tlie  Pinnipeds,  as  well 
as  the  Sirenians  and  Cetaceans,  with  the  iishes.  or  tiiat  other 
early  Avriters  should  term  all  four-footed  creatures  "Qiiadin 
peds,*'  and  divide  them  into  "Land  Quadrupeds"  and  "Quadru- 
peds of  tlu'  Sea."  While  all  marine  animals  were  by  some  early 
writers  classified  as  ''fishes,'"*  the  Pinnipeds  were  much  sooner 
«lisassociated  from  the  true  fishes  than  wer«»  the  Cetaceans  and 
Sirenians,  the  mannnalian  aflinities  of  which  Avere  not  at  first 
lecognized  by  even  the  great  Linne  himself,  who,  as  late  as  the 
tenth  edition  of  his  "Systema  datura'"  fl75S).  still  left  them 
in  the  class  ••  J'isrcs." 

In  view  of  the  several  exceUeut  descri])tions  and  very  credit- 
,d)le  figures  ol'  the  Atlantic  Walrus  that  ap])earcd  as  early  as 
the  sixteentli  and  seventeenth  centuries  (a  detailed  account  of 
which  will  be  given  later),  it  is  sur])rising  iii;'t  the  early  sys- 
t^ematic  writcis  sliould  display  such  romi>lete  ignorance  of  souu- 
of  the  most  olnious  external  characters  of  this  animal,  as  was 
Jiotably  the  case  with  Linne,  Klein.  Brissou,  ICrxleben,  and 
Gmelin,  who  strangely  associated  th<'  AVidriis  and  the  ]\binatee 
as  niend)er>  of  the  same  (/eiiKs,  ami  groujied  them  with  such 
diverse  creatures  as  Sloths  and  Elci)hants.  Linne,  it  is  true,  in 
the  earlier  editions  of  the  ''  Systema  Xatura>,''  placed  the  Wal- 
rus with  the  Seals  in  the  genus  Phoro,  in  his  order  Fem\ — a  near 
hit  at  their  true  affinities.  Later,  however,  foil  wing  probably 
Klein  and  Brisson,  he  fell  into  the  grave  error  of  r.'nioviiig  tluMii 
to  nearly  the  most  unnatural  association  possible.  In  this  con- 
nection, it  may  prove  not  uninteresting  to  sketch,  in  brief  out- 
line, the  strange  history  of  the  classification  of  this  singula)" 
grou])  of  fin-footed  Carnivores. 

.\.s  already  stated,  l^inne's  first  allocation  of  the  grou]»  was 
the  natural  one.  Brisson,t  in  IToO,  led  in  the  long  role  of  error 
by  forming  his  third  "'order"  of  mammals  of  the  lOIcphant,  the 


*Mosf  modfi'ii  l!ii)<'iiii!L{c8  still  ivtiiin  nlics  of  (liis  iincii'iii  cnstoiii,  as 
«'\iiict'ii,  for  ('\;iiiiiilf.  ill  siicli  I'hi^'ii.sli  words  ;is  s7((7/-//.s//,  crdii-jisli.  irlidh- 
Jlslitri/.  >ic(il-ji>flu'rji,  etc..  wliilc  hrdljifili  (Swcilisli),  ividrixclt  (Djiiiisli),  irallJlKk 
(GiTiiiiiii),  ftc..  iirc  coimiioii  Ncrnariiljir  iiiiini's  jiiipiii'd  to  Cclaccuns. 

tRi'^nr  Aiiiiiial.  I7.")(i,  p.  t-'. 


(!i;m:i{Ai.  ousKiaATioNs. 


1) 


NValius,  and  llic  .Manatee,  tlie  two  h.s\  iiaiiKMl  eoiistitiitiiiu  Iiis 
••  j;euus  Odohnni.s."  This  was  a  iiiaiki'd  i<'ti(K'es.si(»ii  IVoin  even 
the  system  of  Ivleiii,*  of  a  lew  years'  eailier  date,  w1h»  l)ioiitilit 
to<;etlier  as  one  family  tlic  Seals.  ( )ttei's,  Meaver,  NN'alrns,  and 
Manatee.  Linne,  in  17(»<1.+  not  <»niy  remov<M|  tlie  Walrus  from 
I  lie  ucnns  I'liiKd.  in  wiiicli  1m'  had  previously  plaeed  it,  to  Tri 
<-iin-lnis,  hut  also  tniusfeired  it  from  ids  orde."  Fcnr  t<»  lliHta, 
wliieli  thus  contained  not  oni.,  the  Walrus,  l»ut  such  a  <li\';  i.se 
ass»'Md)la;i«'  as  l-^lepliauts,  Sloths,  and  Auteiiteis.  '.inne's  ^icnus 
Tricliei'liKN,  as  at  this  time  eonstitiited,  was  equivah-nt  to  liris- 
.sou's  ji«'uus  ••  (hh)h( litis."  Erxlelu'ii,|:  who  leeogni/.ed  no  higlior 
j>roui)s  than  ;;('nera.  plaeed  the  Waliuses  and  Seals  tojiether  im- 
uiediately  after  the  ('avidvores.  Schrel)ei',§  at  about  th«?  same 
date  (1777),  ad»»j>t<'d  a  siudlar  ehi.s.sitication,  t!u'  Walrus  .staud- 
iuy  next  aftei'  the  Hlejthant  fiid  lU'.'cedinfi'  the  Seals.  Scliro- 
l)Oi*s  ;;enus  'I'ricliirliKs  contained  also  the  Dufionj;'  and  tlio 
Manatee.  <imeliu.||  in  1 7SS, lolh )wed  the  Linna'an  ai'ianj;»nieut 
of  170(1;  the  Walrus,  as  usual  from  the  time  of  I>ris.son  to 
(rinelin.  standiu;;'  next  to  the  l']le[»hant,  and  as.sociated  yeueric- 
all\  with  the  Siiciuans.  r>lunu'nl)acli.'|  from  17HStillas  late 
even  as  ISi',").  still  arranged  the  Walrus  and  the  Sireniaus  in 
the  ucnus  'rriclii'clnis.  in  other  res|)('cts.  the  Walius  appears 
with  new  associal"s.  the  ji^cnus  1',  IciiccIiks  Iteinji'  uinted  with 
Oniitliiirln/iirlnis  to  form  a  "faniily"(I)  of  his  "(»rder"  I'abiintd. 
The  order  I'dliiiiiia.  as  the  name  implies,  was  composed  of  the 
web-footed  manunals,  and  divided  int(>  three  ••  families,"  namely, 
"A.  (Hires"  (eonsistinjiof  the  yenus  Castor);  -']>.  Fcrw"'  {I'lioco 
and  Liitra);  and  "C.  Jlrnfii"  {OrnHhorlii/iicJiii.s  and  Trichechm). 
Tills  is  essentially  also  the  ariauyvmeid  j»ro]«)S(;d  by  Klein  in 
1751. 

The  lirst  step  toward  disinendteriiij^-  ;.!<?  uunatural  conj^lo- 
Jiieratiou  known  previously  under  the  names  Tiicheclitis  and 
Odoheniis  was  made  by  Het/ius**  in  1704,  wlu>  divided  the 
gcuu-s  Tricluchiis  of  former  autluu-s  into  throe  yenera,  namely. 
ManutKN,  for  the  Manatee;  JIifdioiiKtlis.  for  Steller's  Sea-Cow 
{=  lihi/tiiiH   Illij-er,   ISll);    an<l    Triclieckiis,   ilu-.   last  enibrac- 

'(^ii!i(l.  Kisi..  liivv.  Ilisl.  Niil..  IT.'.I.  |.|..   1(1.  !iy. 

t.S.vst.  N;it,.  I'd.  I-J.  17(i(l.  i>.  lit. 

tSyst.  \li"^.  Aiiiiii..  1T77.  p.  .".!»:!. 

vNSiiiip'di..  ii.  [I77t'..'l.  1..  v'lio. 

II  Sy.';!.  \!i(.,i,  .-.!). 

^Hiindlt.  <1.  Xiiliiriifscli..  I7"<-,  p.  II-.',  and  lalcr  iililimis. 

"Koiigl.  NrinivK.  Acad.  ii,\,i  llaiidliii;;,.  \\.  I7'.M,  iip.  •J-r)-;!0(l. 


10 


lA.Mii.v  (ii»(»r..i;Mii.K. 


I      [ 


\\\ii  Iiotli  llif  \\';iliii>  iiikI  llic  1  )ii,niiii,u.  NVliilc  lliis  \v;is  in 
tilt'  iiiiiiii  a  iiiosi  iiiipdi  taiil  ami  iiro.mc  -^'x  e  iiiiio\ati»iii.  Kc; 
zius  sociiis  t(i  \i;\\{'  laltdi'i'd,  liUt-  >('\('ral  still  carlici-  wiitns. 
iiiidcr  tlic  iiiipicssioM  lliaf  tlic  Walrus,  like  ilic  iMi.^oiiu.  /""/  /"< 
hind  fat.  ( )/.('i('tsK()\  sk_\ .  *  alioiit  a  year  later.  aii<l  |»iol)al>l\' 
iuiKiiaiit  nf  li'ct/ius's  [>a|M'|-.  also  placfd.  as  cuiioiisly  liapiiriird. 
ilic  Walrus  and  the  hii^diiu  to.iActliff  in  tlic  ufims  Triilucliits, 
iMM-ausc  lie  siii)ji(>scd  the  Dw^owj:  lii((l  hliid  Jrct.Wki'  tlif  Walrus  I 
These  euiious  aiit  it  lift  ieal  mistakes  iiitlieate  how  little  was 
known  Ity  systematic  wiiteis  ai»(>ut  tlic  stiiictuic  ol'  these  ani- 
mals as  late  as  the  close  of  the  last  <t'ntuiy. 

The  elder  ('u\ier,  ^  in  17".»S.  while  ictaininji  the  Walrus  and  the 
Sirenians  in  the  jiciius  7V/V7/r(7/».s'.  separated  them  lr(»in  some  ot 
their  former  unnatural  cntanjileineids  byauain  associating;  7V/- 
chechnx  and  Phnvu  in  his  jironp  "^rammitrn's  Amphilues."  which 
he  })laeed  between  the '•Solii)ede.s"and  ••  .Mammiferes  Cetaees," 
He  divided  this  yntup  into'vl.  Les  I'lKMines  {I'hova)"  and  ••II. 
Les  ."Morses  {TrirhccuN,  L.)"<  <^''*^'  latter  inclndinj;'  ••!.  TrirhicKs 
/•<>.s'/M«r«.v";  '•!'.  TricluTiis  <ht(ioii(i'":  ••.».    TrirhmiN  iiKiinttiis." 

As  already  shown,  Ketzius  nearly  disentanuled  the  Wahu- 
from  the  Sirenians,  leaving  of  tlu'  latter  only  th«'  Duuoui:  in 
the  j;'enus  Trichcckns.  (1.  Fischer,  j  in  ISOM,  completed  the  scp 
aration  by  removing  the  Duji(Ui>i  and  the  Manatee,  to  which  he 
gave  the  generic  names  lespeetively  of  Phiti/sfonnis  {  =  ll(ili<-uri . 
niiger,  1811)  and  OxystoiiiKs  {  =  M((nafii,s.  Ifetziiis.  17!»4).  lea\  in;.; 
only  the  Walrus  in  TriclurhKs.  The  genus  TrirlKTlins.  however, 
as  first  instituted  by  Artedi  (IT.'W)  and  Liniic  (ITriS).  as  will  lie 
shown  later,  did  not  rehite  in  any  way  to  the  Walrus,  being 
applied  exelnsively  to  the  ^Fanatee.  It  was  not  till  17«>(i  that 
the  term  was  lirst  made  to  cover  both  the  then  known  Sirenians 
and  the  "Walrus,  althongh  the  iMubroilment  of  the  two  groups 
began  with  Urisson,  ten  years  eailier. 

The  l*innipeds  and  Sirenians,  collectively  considered,  were 
lirst  separated  as  disthict  groups  by  illiger§  inl.Sll,  who  raised 
them  to  the  rank  <»f  orders,  they  forming  respectively  his  orders 
Piiiiiipcdut  and  \(it(iiiti<t.  The  tbrmer  consisted  of  two  geiu'ra. 
Phocd,  embracing  all  the  Seals,  and  Tricliccliiis.  containing  oul\ 
the  Walruses.     They  were  regardCil  as  forming  a  !*ingle  family, 

*  Nova  Act.  .Vciiil.  l'flii>i»..  xiii.  KDti.  jij).  :{:i-:i7ri. 

t'l'illll.    l^I.'IM.Mlt.,    \>.    IT','. 

t  Diifi  Natioiiiii-.Ntiiscmii  (Irr  Xatiirj^i'scjiiciih',  li.  IS(i;!,  [vp.  iMl-lt.'jS. 
V^  riixhiiiiuisSvstciiiatis.Maiimialiuiint  Avium.  l?'lt,iip.  Uri.  V.VJ;  Aliliamll 
tier  Akacl.  Wi'^scnscli.  /ii  Itcrliii.  ISOl-l-'JI.  (IKJ.'.V  i>lt.  :!H   !:">!•.  imsnim. 


CENEUAL    OIJSEHVATIONS. 


11 


(•(iui\  iilfiil  ill  extent  with  the  order  Pinniimlla.  The  i»i'0[niety 
of  the  eliaiiyes  introducetl  by  Illigcr  was  not  speedily  leeognizcd 
by  con  temporary  writers;  (Javier,  and  many  subsequent  syste- 
matists  tor  hall'  a  eentury,  ])lacin,L:  tlie  Pinnipeds  amonn'  the 
(jtinirora  and  tiie  ttirenians  amon.n'  the  CtUicca,  with  the  rank 
respectively  ol"  I'anulics,  the  lanuly  P//oc/(/ft' einbrachiy  all  the 
Pinnipeds.  Dr.  .1. 1'.  Gray,  in  ISL'l,*  and  af:;ain  in  182"),!  widely 
separated  the  Walruses  from  the  Seals  as  a  laniily,  Trichcchida', 
which  he  most  stranjicly  placed  (together  with  the  Sirenians)  in 
the  order  ('<te.  Later,  however,  in  1837, |  lie  reunited  the  AVal- 
ruses  and  the  Seals  into  the  single  family  Phocidw,  which  he 
divided  into  tive  subfamilies,  Trichcchina  being  the  third  and 
central  group,  and  embracing  the  genera  UaHchccrus  and  Triclie- 
c'hii,s.  This  higlily  artiticial  classification  he  retained  till  1860, 
wh'  dlowing  other  systenuitists,  he  again  raised  the  Wal- 
ru&  s    )  the  rank  of  a  distinct  family. 

Latreille,  §  in  1825,  not  only  treated  the  F^innipeds  as  uu 
order  {Aniithihia),  but  separated  the  Walruses  from  the  others 
as  a  distinct  family  {lirom),  the  Seals  forming  his  family  Cyno- 
iitorplia. 

In  182tK  F.  Cuvierll  divided  the  Pinnipeds  into  the  Seals  proper 
(••  Ics  Phoques  proprement  dits"'),  and  theWalruses  ("les  Morses'') . 
liiookes,^!  hi  1S28,  again  recognized  the  Walnises  as  forming 
a  family  {"■  Tricli('rhi<i(v  sen  Canqwdontia^^)  distinct  from  the 
( >t  lier  I 'inniiieds.  Wagler,**  in  18.'{0,  made  the  Walruses  merely 
a  genus  of  his  order  Crsi.  Nilssou,tt  in  1837,  divided  the  Pin- 
nipeds into  two  sections,  the  second  of  which  embracd  not  only 
TriclurliUN,  but  also  JlalichaiKs^  ('!iNto2>hora,  aiul  OtarUt.  Tur- 
ner, |f  in  1848,  from  a  study  of  tiie  skulls,  separated  the  Piiiiii- 
l)eds  into  three  natural  groups,  considered  by  him  to  hold  the 
rank  of  stdifamilies,  namely:  Arctoccphalina.  embra<'ing  Otdria 
and  An'toccphuluN ;  Trichcciua,  consisting  (»f  the  genus  '•  Trivht- 
c«6'";  and  ritovina,  embracing  all  the  other  Seals.    Gill,  §§  in  1800^ 

*  "  London  Mi'd.  JJcpos.,  1821.  p.  :?0'2,"  upiul  (Jniy. 
t  Annals  of  riiilosopliy.  'Jd  sit.,  vol.  x.  ia.'.'>,  p.  niO. 
t  Eoiidoii's  Miifj.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  i.  p.  '>"':!. 
v>  I'ani.  Rt'g.  Anini..  \).  .M. 
!|  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  t.  lix,  p.  307. 

*'.  "t'al.  of  Ills  Anatoni.  and  Zoiil.  Mns..  ]i.  ;{(!."  aiiud  (tint. 
**\aiiiil.  S.\(st.  Ainpli.,  p.  '27. 

ttVrtcnsk.  Akiid.  llandl..  18117,  !i:{i'>;  WiP};mann's  Aiob.  f.  Natnrg.,  1811, 
jt.  :i(lO(transl.) 

ttl'mc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  I.oik:,,  1848,  pp.  85,  88. 
VH^  I'ldc.  I".ssc\  Ins|if!ii('.  \ol.  V,  11.  7. 


rJ  (iKMI.'A     oi       rill.     lA.Mll.V. 

\\;is  tin-  IH\(  :iiillior  \\Im»  r(r();^iii/('(l  I  Ik-  \\  iilriisc.s  iis  loiiiiiii;;  a 
disliiict  lUiiiilN ,  w  iiicli  lie  h  riiicil  lioxnmriihi .  lit  I  liis  step,  lie  \\;i,s 
iiiiiiir(li;itrl\  lulluwcd  l>,\  <ir;i.\,*  iiini  !».\  llic  prcsriil  wiitcii  in 
ISTO.  I  jlljcltMi'^,!  ill  IS7  1,  ;ilso  ;i((ur»lr(l  tljtiii  liiiiiilv  liiiik,  iis 
]i:is  liccii  the  ciLsloiii  (iT  liilc  willi  Siirioiis  otli<-r  writns.  (iill,§ 
in  Is7l',  liiiscM  tliriii  to  I  lie  raiii^  ol'  :i  '•  .sii|M'ir;iiiiil\  "  (It'osnid- 
roulni),  li'fiitiii;;  Llit-iti  :i.s  :i  };r<)ii|>  ro ordiimlc  in  niiik  with  his 
'■  /'Af/r«/Wr«,"  roiisistin;;  of  tlic  I'Iiiu'kUv  :iiiiI  i>l((t'iiil<v. 

'I'hcir  liii:ii  rrstiii;;  plii<-c  in  tiic  n:itur;il  system  hiis  now  prolt 
ul)l.v  been  ill  hist  reaehed,  the.  itiiijoritv  ol'  inodein  systeiiiiilists 
:i;;i'<-eiii;4'  in  aeconlin;;  to  tli<-ni  tlie  position  and  lank  ol' a  laiiiily 
ol'  the  I'liuii/tttlia.  '!"<»  I llij;('r  seems  due,  t lie,  credit  of  lii'st,  dis- 
tiiietl.v  leeo^ni/in^  the  li^al  ai1iii>ties  of  hotli  tiie  I'iiinipeds  aii<l 
Siieiiiaiis  toother  mammals,  and  with  him  ori^^imiied  the  names 
i»,\  which  these  ;;roiips  ;ire  now  c(»minoid.v  recoj^ni/ed,  I  he  chief 
mtidilicidion  of  llli;;er\s  iirran^emeiit  heiii;;  the  rednetioii  of  IIm^ 
riiiiiijHdiii  from  :i  dist  inel  order  to  t  he  r:iiik  of  :i  siihorderol  the 
i'i  in . 

(ii;.M;i:,\. 

'the  fiimil.V  (hlolm  iiiiltr  {'ri'nhtvlihlti'  {\\A\    :ilid   Itrookes--  L'os 
iiHtriihr  (111!)    iiichides,  so    f{ir  ;is  :il    present    known,  onl\    the 
e\is|in<;  jicniis  Oilahaiiiis  (—  'riiihitlms  xA'  \\\;\\\\  ;inlhors,  not  ol 
Arledi  nor  of  i,inm'')  ;md   tin-  two  estinet   Lienerii   '/'rlchi rlioiloii 
iiiid  . I /f»c//(r///*/».  recent l,\  de.scrihcd   from   fossil   remiiiiis  found 
in  ricinium.     .\liiillin-ii(iii,\\  w  idle  e\  identl\  refer;d»le  to  the  Or/o 
haititla\,   dilfers  <|iiite   sirikinjilv    from    tlie   exislin;;    Walruses. 
'I'lie  piirts  known  iiie  the  left  nimnsof  the  lower  jiiw,  the  ;;reji(ei' 
])oi'tioii  of  the  cr:iiiiiim  (the  faciiil  portion  iinil  teeth  onl,\  w;iiil 
iiiji),  several  ceixiciil  \cil<'luie,  ;i  portion  of  the  pehis,  and  \aii 
<»iis  hones  of  the  extremities.     The   niiiii  of  the  lower  jiiw  :ire 
not  anehvlosed  :is  in  the  Wiilriis,  mid  the  dentition  is  <|nite  dif 
fereiit  from  tlnit  of  (hlohnniin,  ttiiit  of  the  l(»wer  j;i\\   hein;^  I.  L' 
r.  I.  .M.  I.     The  symphysis  occupies  iieiiily  hiilf  of  the  len;;tli 
of  the  j;iw.      Van  lleiieden  desciihes  the  sknil   !is  reseiniilili;^  in 
some  chiiracteis  the  skull  of  the  Otiil'ies,  :in<l  in  others  tlioseof 
the  Morses,      'i'lie  moiiir  teeth  he  .s;i\s  could  liol   Ite  c;isii\   distill 
finished  from  I  hose  of  the  .Morse  if  tlic\  were  found  isolated.      No 

•  Ann.  .liid  M.i'j.  N:il.  lli>l.,  :',<!  -ci..  miI.   wiii.  |-;t'..  |i, '.'•."  i. 

t   Itllli.    .Mll>.   ('(Plllp.    /cic'il.,    \ip|.    ji.    |).  '.'1. 

I  I'.'IIIIIM  <i|'<l'  S\  1  ri;;i'S  lull   \ii|M,.s  li'\'.;Mr..   |i.  117  |. 

vN  .\i  l;iiii;ciinnl  nl    1 '.iijiilli'- nl    M;iiniii:iU.   \*'7.'.  |>.  •>'.•. 

||\:iii  I'lrmijiii,  Ami.  Mm-,  illli^l.  NmI  .  ili    iii'lt;ii|iic.  i,   I-T7,  |p.  Till. 


J. 


(iKNKIUI,    OUSKUVATIONS. 


caiiiiH's  were  roiiiiil  :it  . \ii\  ns,  l»iit   \';iii  Knu'dcii   i.s  .s|i(»ii;;l,\  (»!' 
the  ii|iiiiioii  tliiit  IIh'  It'clli  (l(',s(  rilx-d   l»\    l{ii.\   liiiiikcslcr,*  Irmn 
the  Ii'rd  < 'ni;;  <»("  I'lii^iliiiid,  ill  IHJJ."*^  iiiid  iiiiiiwd  Triclircliothm  li".r 
//■///,  ;ir<' I  hose  of  his  ,\li((lli<riiiiii  <'nisii.     'I'lic  (dlici'  Imhm-s  w 
I'ciiM'd  t<t  Aliicllinlinii  Ikmi' ;i  ;;('iM'i;d  rrsciiilthiiicc  to  llic  cone 
,s|H)iidiii;4  Imiih-s  of  tin-  cxisliii;;  Widnis,  but  iiidir;it<-  :iii  iiiiiiiiid  of 
iiiiirli  hirj^cr  si/c.     'I'lic  rciimr  and  soiiic  «»r  I  lie  nllicr  hones  hoar 
also  a  n-scnihlan<'<-  to  corresponding  parts  id'  the  <  )tarics.     A  tast. 
of  Ihc  ii-rrltral  easily  sliows  Ihat  the  Itrain  was  not  nineli  nnhUe, 
that  ul' the  e\istin;f  Walruses  and  Otaries,  hut  witli  the  eerehel 
liini  sniaHer.     Alaitli<rii(iu  thns  pi'oves  to  have  h(;en  a  Pinniped 
or;;r«'at  size,  closely  ichited  in  ;;eneral  featnies  totlie  Wjdrnses 
otto(hi.v,  hnt  presentinj;'  features  also  eliaiaeteri/in;;  the  I'lared 
Seals  as  well  as  ot  hers  common  t<t  no  other  i'innipetl.     'I'he  ;^fenus 
'I'riiliicliinloii    of    \'an    Mene<len   (pnthahl.x   not  =  'rticlicclKHlou, 
i.ankester,  IS«;r»)  is  nnieh   h'ss  well  known,  the  only  portion  of 
Ihe  sknil  I'eferi'ed  to  it  hein;;'  pait  of  a  ri;>iit  ramus.     The  other 
hones  hi'lieved  to  represent  it  are  nine  \erlehra',  |»art  of  a   pel 
\  is,  a   hinnerus,  a  femur,  several   metatarsal,  meta<-ai'pal,  and 
phalangeal  hones,  etc.,  ainl  part  of  a  tusk.     Says  Van  Meneden: 
'•  I   lie  lnanchede  max  ilia  ire  est  tout  ce  <  pie  in  ills  possedoiis  de  la 
tele.      liCS    dents    maiiipieiit,    liiais    le    h(»id    esl    asse/   coiiijdel, 
pour  tpi'oii  piiisse  hieii  iii;.;er  de  leiirs  caracleies  par  les  ah  i-oles. 
Nous  poiiMins,  (111  reste,  fori    hieii  aiissi  apprt'cier  la   forme  dt; 
cet  OS,  dislinj^iier  sa  symphyse  et  sa  hrievcte. 

•' l/os  est  luise  a  son  c\tn''iiiile  anti'-iieiire,  la  syin|(liyse  est, 
fori  cniirteet  Tos  ii'a  pas  plus  dV-paisseiir  siir  la,  li;;ne  mediaiie 
que siir  le coh'-.  Lesalveolessoiil  compaiat i\ emeiit  (hit  ;;randes: 
h's  trois  dernieres  sont.  a  pen  ]>re  semlilahles,  ranti'-iieiire  est,  la 
plus  petite.  (  "est  Till  virse  dans  Ic  Morse,  liaca  nine  (leva  if  «'tre 
tort  ;;raiide.  II  iTs  a  ipi'iiiie  settle  alvi'ole  |iiiiir  ane  dent  iiiei 
si\e. 

'*  \a'  i(ii]>s  (111  maxillaire  esl  remai<|iiahle  jioiir  sa  coiirhiire. 
Toui(!la  ]iarlie  jiost(''rieiire,  (pii  const  Hue,  la  hranrhcdn  maxillairi^ 
maiKpie.     On  xoil  siir  la  face  e\tern(;  trois  Irons  mentonniers. 

->  Mil  coiiiparanl  ce  masillaire  a  celiii  dii  M(M'se  vivaiit,  (Ui  Noif 
((Ue  la  SMiiphyse  est  loiite  ditferelile,  (jii'il  e\ist(^  line  ;;ran(le 
ahcole  pour  la  dent  caniiie  el  (les  traces  d'line  petite  al\(''oUi 
pour  line  iiicisi\c  ipii  restait  prohahleineiit  (•a(!li(''(!  sous  les  j;(,'U- 
civcs.  Dans  le.  iMors(^  vivaiit,  il  try  a  pas  de  place  jioiir  line 
canine  |yraiide|  an  maxillaire,  infc'iriciir." 

•  Sec  hiVDlid.  p.  <i'.'. 


14  THK    OKNUS    ODOILENTS. 

Tlie  otiit'i'  IxMit'.s  arc  (IcsciilK'd  a.s  unnv  or  Irst;  resembliny 
those  of  the  Walrus,  and  do  not  much  j'xcccd  them  in  size. 
Some  of  tliem  arc  also  saiil  to  closely  icsemltlc  correspond inji 
l>arts  of  AUuthcfiuui. 

Van  Hencden's  descriptions  and  liyuri's  of  the  lower  Jaw 
Iraguu'ut  indicate  features  widely  ditferent  from  those  of  the 
coiTespondiny  part  in  the  Walrus,  especially  in  the  shortness  ol 
the  symphysis  and  in  the  curvature  of  the  i)art  represented,  but 
above  all  in  the  nuMd)er,  rcLitiv*'  size,  and  foriu  of  the  alveoli, 
and  particularly  in  the  larjjic  size  of  that  of  the  canine,  which 
must  have  been  almost  as  hiyhly  specialized  as  in  the  Sea  Lions. 
That  the  tusks  referred  to  it  by  Van  IJencden  (those  described 
by  Lankester  especially,  as  well  as  the  frajiuient  he  himself  fig- 
ures) beloiiji'  here,  there  seems  to  be  at  leasi  ro(»m  for  reason- 
able doubt.*  The  dilfcrences  presented  by  the  Jaw  fragment 
of  Trichechotlou  as  compannl  with  the  <'orrcs])onding  part  ol 
Aladheriitm  arc  c\cn  still  Juorc  marked. 

The  more  obvious  characters  distincti\c  tif  the  three  genera 
oi \\vii  OiUthanidn .  a^aX  picscnt  Iciiowii,  may  Ite  luietly  indicated 
as  follows : 

Slliiiijiniy  (if  //((     <ii  livitl.} 

1.  <  U)Oii.i;Ni:s. — liiiiiii  of  IciwiT  J;i\\  lliiiilv  iiiicliylDstd.  cxeu  in  oiiily  lite: 
^vnipliysis  t-hoit.  IirLsoi-.s  (in  adiiK)  0;  cimim's  1  —  1;  niohiis  :'  — :!.  tlio 
last  miuh  smaller  thau tbo  others. 

'*'.  ALACTinaut'M. — Raiuinf  lower  jaw  not  anclivlostHl ;  ^ylll]tll,v^^is  very  long. 
Ineisors  (ill  adult)  2  —  'J;  canines  1  —  1;  molars  1 — 1,  the  last  smaller 
thau  the  preceding  ones. 

3.  ••Triciieciiodox''  (Van  IJeneden).— Kami  of  lower  jaw  (aiii)arently) 
unuiiehylosed.  Incisors  1  —  1?,  very  small;  canines  1  —  1,  highly  spe- 
cialized; mol.ars  4 — t,  the  tirst  small,  the  Inst  three  much  larger  and 
suheqnal. 

GENU8  ODOILENUS,  Llnni. 

Odobcnus.  J.inni';.  Sysi.  \al..  i.  ITIi.')  (cil.  I'cc).  .V.)  liiiiplicd  c\ciii>ivi'ly  to  the 
Walrus  in  a  generic  sense). — IJr.issON,  Kegnc  Anim..  17.">*i,  43  (used 
strictly  in  a  generic  sense,  hut  emhracing  ■•!.  t.a  \'aelie  marine — 
OiloheHHn"  =  \\;i\v\\s:  "•,'.  Le  Lamaulinc — Mdinilii"."  The  characters 
given  apply  almost  exclusively  to  the  Walrus). 

*Van  Beneden  himself  says:  --M,  U'ay  I.ankaster  avait  vu  en  Angleterre 
diffdrcutes  grandes  dents,  i)rovenaul  du<rag  et  qui  dilleraieut  surtout  eutro 
clles  parlenrs  dimensions.  Xous  eroyims  deM<ir  rapjiortev  ces  dents  an  genre 
Alacthcriinii ."  Yet  he  cites  ••  D'nlio  lio<l(>ii  Inu'hiii  h'ay  I.ankaster"  as  a  syno- 
nym of  Trkliiihodoii  liOiiiitncliii.  dc.scrilpcil  l.y  himself  much  later!  In  view 
of  the  iiueertaiuties  of  (he  ease,  it  is  to  he  regretted  that  Ik;  did  not  ])ropo5e 
il  new  generic  as  well  as  specific  name  lor  his  'iv'uhivhiuhtii  hnnihirlii. 

♦  With  refereiKe  only  Jo  the  lower  Jaw,  tlw  only  ktiown  )iart,  in  case  of 
the  extinct  tyjies,  readily  susceptilile  ol'  eomiiaiison. 


SYNONYMY    AND    N<  )Mi:NCI,ATri{K. 


1; 


;> 


Diluhiiiiiis.  MAi.M(ii;i;N,<"»rv(rs.  K.  N'.t.  AU;iil.  Forli.  IHti:i,  (iHlUj.  i;!ii. 
]:,>s,iiitni.-<.  Ki.i:i\,(^ii;nl.  Dis-i.  I{icv.  Hist.  Niil.,  IT.M,  M\'M  (;iii]>lir(l  in  a  ;;cii- 

fiic   sense  exeiiisivcly   to  llie   \Yiilnis), — "S   ui'oi.i,    IntiKil.    llisl. 

Nat.,  1777.  —." — (iii.i,  ("ex  Stdpoli  "),  I'loe.   Kssex  Inst.,  v.   If^titl.  7. 
I'lioni.  I.inm';,  ."^vst.  Nat.,i.  17.>  (in  pail  uniy). 
Trichi 'litis,  I.iNNi';,  .^yst.  Nat.,  170li,  4i>(iniiarl  (ini\  ;  ni(|  of  Linne,  17riH,  nm 

Artedi,  I7rw ;  liaso<l  exclusively  in  both  eases  on  .Sirenians). 
'JViilii rini.i  (in    iiaii    only),   KiiXM'.iiKN,  Scirui-.r.i:i:.  (iMi:i.i\.  lU.fMiCNlUCH. 

K'i'.iziis,  and  other  early  wiiteis. 
TrirliKliHu.  (i.   ris(  iii:ir.  Nat.  .Mns.  Natinjiescii.  zu   Paris.    lHO;t,  344.— li.i.i 

GKU,  Syst.  Mam.  el  Av..  Hll.  ll!'.!.— Also  of  ( !i!.\  v.  and  most  \vriter> 

of  the  )iresent  eentiiry. 
(idiihiimlhiriinii.   (in.vTiOLlCT,   Ihill.  Soe.  (ieol.   (h>   I'ranee.  •,"   ser..   xv,   18")?. 

(I'J4  (  =  ■■  Tiirliirlnin  ri>siiiiirnx''  anet. — fonnded  on  a  supposed  fossilV 
Oilmitobinins,  Sfxi»i;\  ai.i„  Ofvers.  K.  Vet.  Akad.  Forh.,  1-.V.»,  441. 
.'  I'll  ell  I'll  oilim,  l..v\Ki;.srKU,  (Quarter.  .loiuu.  Cicol.  .'^oe.  Loud.,  xxi,  Ifftio, 'J-iti, 

pi.  X.  xi  (hased  on  I'ossil  tusks  from  tlie  K'ed  Crajj-,  i'.n^iland). 

Tlic  iiiiiiH-  'rriclin-liiis,  lur  so  Imiii'  :i  tiiiu-  in  m  ficnil  use  loi 
tlif  \V;iIiiiscs.  ]»>ov<'.s  iMd,  iis  loiij;  ;|o(>  sliuwii  l>v  \Vi»'o||i;uiii,*  von 
liiicr.  .Miillcr.  Stiiiiiiiiis.  ;m«l  liitcf  lt\  idlu  r  "viiti'is.  to  Itt'loiij^'  at 
.ill  to  llicsc  iiiiiiimls.  lull  to  tilt'  .M;iiiiit<'('.  The  iiiiiiic  Trli'ltirlnix 
oi'i;.;iii;itiMl  with  .\rtt'tli  in  IT^IS.  insi  posilniiuoiis  worl^  t  clitcd 
ii\  l<itiiK'.  'I'lif  cliiiractds  ,ui\cii  wcic  ••  Ihniis  \A\\\\\  in  iiti'a<|ni' 
iiiiixillii.  Ih>i:siiiii  iiniM'iinc.  Fistiihi  .  .  .  .  "  'I'lic  cita 
lions  nntlcr  TriilurliKs  fiiilnacf  no  allusion  to  the  W'aliiis.  luii 
i«'Iatt'  wholly  to  Siicnians,  of  to  tln'  .Maiiatcf.  a.s  the  latr«'i'  was 
tlnii  Uiiown.T  Artt'<li*s  (Ifsciii)tion  of  tin-  Manalcf  is  (|iiit<'  lull 
and  explicit,  luit  iiM-ludcs  also  characters  ;ui(l  retefeiices  belong; 
iiiu  lo  the  Diijioii;;'.  ^  'J'riilitrlui.s  loiiiis  Aitedi's  ••oeims  LI." 
and  is  placed  in  his  "oi'dei'  \',  I'laijiur't"  (emlnacin^'  the  Ceta- 
».rans  and  Siicnians.  the  ol her  ;;eneia  of  this  onlei'  heiny-  Vlnj- 
neier,  IklphinuN,  BaUvna,  Moiioiloii,  and  (\itodon),  and  is  hence 

'"  liespeetin^  the  ]uoper  ji«'iitrie  name  of  the  \Valruses.  \Vie<iiuaun.  in  1831*. 
thus  forcibly  expressed  hi.s  views;  ••Die  Gattuue;  OrfofttHW*  [\  on  Ihis.son,175G] 
hiitte  beibelialleii  werdeii  miisseii.  da  tier  ;;an/.  al)j;esehmaikte  Xauit^  Trichi- 
t/iKvyar  niehl  tleni  Waliosse,  st)iidern  ursi)riiiiglich  deiii  Manali  angehiirt,  uud 
voii  Artedi  flir  diescu  gebildet  war,  unt  die  bei  eiucm  Fische  otler  vielinehr 
AYalltis<lie  .■uitl'alleiule  liohaarunji  /u  bi'/eieliueu." — .tnhir  fiir  \ali»-iir- 
schiihlr,  V.  .lahrg..  Hand  i.  ISiS.  ]>.  llC. 

tlehthyolo-ria,  1738,  pars  i,  ]).  74;  pars  iii,  \>.  71>:  pars  i\,  ]>.  Itlil.  In  Arie- 
di's  work  tile  name  is  twice  written  Trkhrcliiis  ami  twii'c  Tliricliirlimt,  On  p. 
71  iif  pars  i.  wliere  it  lirst  occurs,  its  deri\alioii  is  given,  namely  :  ••  Trhln- 
r'nin  ;i  \^iti^  rriiiii  .J''  i \;fl<)c piicis  ipda  solus  inter  pisces  fere  hirsulus  sit." 

:  The  references  in  a  eenerid  way  ajipcarto  include  .'ill  the  ."sircnians  then 
known. 

v^'].  g..  "Deniiuin  duo  utrini|iie  I'mimiil.  louuit  udine  :>pii  liani;e  crassii  u 
poUicis." 


m 


u; 


'llll.    (il.M  S    Mixili.lAI  S. 


<<(iii\iil(iil  lu  I  he  T/Vr  ul  Linin- (S\.s|.  N;il .,  •il.  \,  I  7.">Sj.  I.iiiiif, 
ill  I7.")H.  liisl  iiitindiirt-il  AltcdiVs  ;;fiiiis  Tritli)flnis,  ;il  wliicli 
lime  Ik-  plmc*!  in  il  uiilvtiic  Miiiuitcf,  I  Mi;;()iiu,  iiikI  Slflh-i's 
Sea  ('(»\\,  I<-:i\  in;;  t  III'  Waliiiscs  still  in  /'linen.  Mi,,  (lia^iimsis 
of  till'  ;;ciilis*  ciiiliiactMl  mtiic  ul'  the  ilisi  ilirt  i\  c  rliaiarti)  >  nj 
llic  Waliiis.  Ill  I7«I«;  (iLMli  «■<!.,  S,\.s(.  Nat.),  lit-  liaiisrni.Ml  lli«- 
Walrus  l'i<»iii  I'lmra  to  'f'rirlirrliiis,  inakiii;;  it  llir  first  s|ttii(S 
ul'  till-  ;^«iiiis.  Tin-  (lia;;liosi,s,  llinii;;li  sli;;lill\  (•Iiaii;;i'<l  mm 
iiiiilv,  lias  still  liltif,  if  aii.\,  rclrri'iifc  t»»  tin-  cliaiactcis  of  llic 
Walruses,  iinlcss  it  Im-  IIh'  plnasc  ••  haiiiarii  sii|M'ii(tr»'ssolit.ii  ii,"' 
wliicli  is  fitiiallv  applii-aUh-  to  tin-  Dii^^oii;;:,  anil  is  not  at  all  lli<- 
•Mpiixali'iit  (d'-'IMiora  ilciitilms  raniiM-s  t-vscrtis."  pn\ioii>l\ 
aMcrilii'd  to  tlic  Walrus  in  loiiiH-r  fditifuis,  when  I  In-  Walinst  ; 
wi'ii-  plan-il  iiniii'i'  I'linm.  Ilnicc,  to  uliatcvei  tli<-  ;;fii(iic 
naiiif  I'lichvclms  iiia\  he  ic|'rral>l<',  it  r»itaiiil,\  is  not  prrtimnt 
to  tlic  Walrus.  'I'liis  liciii;^  scltltMl,  tin- ipn-stion  arises.  What 
jfi'iH'i'ic  iiaiiic  is  oCiiiHpiestioiiaMc  appliraiiilit.N  to  the  Walruses  .' 
Here  the  real  iliMienlt.N  in  the  tase  he^^ins,  tor  aiilhors  who 
ailiiiil  the  inapplii-ahilitN  ot'  'I'rifli  clnis  to  this  ;,iioiip  are  not 
agreed  as  to  what  shall  lie  snitst  it  iite<|  lor  it.  .Seandinav  ian 
Avriters,  as  .Maliii,i;ren  (Isiilj  and  lalljehorj,^  (|s7l;,  ;iiid  I'eitrs 
( JSOI  j  aiiionj;(Ierman  ant  horil  ies.  Iia\  e  lor  some  \  ears  eiM|iIo,\  ed 
(hlolxniiis,  a  name  apparent l\  ori;:inat  in;^  with  l-inne  (as  Oiluht 
iiiis)  in  17."!.'»,  and  adopl<'d  in  a  j^eiieiie  sense  li\  Itiisson  in  I7.'i(i. 
A  iiKdlilied  I'orm  ol"  it  ((hhnihihitniis)  w  as  als(»  emplox  ed  li\  Sun 
de\aliin  I.S,"i't.  (lill,in  isiKi,  and  other  recent  Aineiiean  wrileis. 
have  l»roii;ih(  into  some  pidiniiieiiee  t  he  name  1,'iisiiiiirii.s.  \\\si 
ii.sed  in  a  ;4eneiie  isense  li\  Klein  in  I7."»|,  li\  Seo|M»l:  in  1777,  h.N 
l*allas|  in  I.S.'JI,  and  In  liamont  i  in  Isilj  ;  while  the  ;:;reat  mass 
of  Mn^iiish  and  ('onlineiital  w  riti-rs  still  elin;.;  to  '/'riclicilnis. 

'Ilie  ;;eiiera  (hl(tl)iiH)lli(  rlinii  and  'I'riclicrliixluH,  based  on  fossil 
ri^iiiaiiis  of  file  Walrus,  iiavealso  heeii  reeeiillv  introduced  into 
1  lie  literal  lire  of  the  sill ijecl,  the  former  li\  (Iratiolet  in  ls."»,s.  and 
the.  lafter  li.\   l,aiilvesler  in  ISIm;   Iml  these  (espe<iall>  tlielirst) 

*"l)riil<N  |iriiiii)irs  iiiillii,  l.-ii]i:iiii  Mi|ii  liur i-^  M>lil:iiii.  nmlaii-s  r\  o-^c 
lii;ji;iiM>  III  riii(|iii'  iiilriiiiN  (Inn.  l.iiliJM  ^iiiiiiil.'i.  I'cilis  ikoIci  inns  ((lailiiniil  i 
ill  |iiiiii:iiii."      \(/«/.  .V((/.,  1(1.  \.  i,  17.".'',  p.  lit. 

t 'I'lic.  sec  I  III  (I  (liM^iinsis  dl'  I'rii  llll  liiiK  is,  in  In  II,  :is  IfilldU  >  :  ••  ilcnii  s  |ii  lino 
rcH  niilli    nljiiii|ni  .      I.aniiiiii  .sn|ii  rinics  snlil.irii.     .Mnlaics  i  \   ns.sc  iii^nsn 
lilliminc  :   iiili  rins  duo.      I.iiliia   ^cniiiiala.      i'lilis  |in.sl(  rinics  (:niii|i('ii(  .s  cn- 
iidiiiiali  ill  piiiiiaiii.'"  — Ai/f/.  .\V(^,  ed.    sii.  ITiK'i.  i,  |i.   If". 

;y,(«il.  l{:iNS()-.\hial.,   \nl.  i.  •Jfi'.l. 

ii\S('ilsn!i.s  willi  llic  Scjl  linrscs.  |i|i.   Id.  IIm. 


■«! 


'nil;  si'KciKs  OF  tiik  gknijm. 


17 


ii]t|M-iii'  to  Im*  ictnTiil)!*'  lo  the  «-\istiii;;  \V:ili'iis<-s,  and  of  ciiiiisc, 

IXTOIIM'    lllcr«>l,V   HVIIOII.VIIIM  of  (Ml'licl-    IIIIIIICS.       ( 'oll.SC(|IM'llt  l,V    t  Im) 

clKticc,  rvidciilly  lies  Ih'Iwccii  (hli)h(viiits:\\\\\  h'nsitianis.  ihhha:- 
viis  liiis  sixlrcii  \<'iirs'  piiorilv  over  liosiinttiis,  if  we  ^o  Itjirk  to 
till'  riii'lifst,  iiitrodiictioii  of  IIk-sc  iiaiii<-s  into  svstfniiitic  nonicn- 
flii.lMi'f.*  It  is  tin*-  tliiil  liiisiiiiirii.s  \\i\s{\u'  *':ii\U's\  liiilin  nanio 
a|i|)li<-<l  to  tin*  Walrus,  its  nsr  <l!ilin<;' Itiirk  to  tin- niidilN- of  tlio 
sixtrrnlli  i-cntni'N,  wlirn  it.  was  cniplo.vrd  int<>i'(;lian;;cal)l,v  witit 
Mots  and  Mnrnii.s  l»y  Olans  Ma^^nns,  (h'simt,  Ih-ilMTstain,  anil 
{){\\v\n^  hill  onlji  ill  (I  rcniitvnlar  sciisr.  Altlion;;li  used  l»\  Kh^in 
systrniatiraliy  in  ITr*!,  <lill  adopted  it  IVoni  Sropoli,  1777,  prohii- 
hly  hccansc  Klein  was  not  a,  "  hinoniialist."  liinneMscd  (PilnhiiiiUH 
j;<'nciically  in  I7.'5r>,  as  did  also  i>riss(»n  in  I7ri(j.  'I'lie.  wliolo 
«pU'stion  tnrns  on  what  siiall  Im-  considerrd  as  the  proper  start- 
in;4  |ioint  lor  ;;enerii-  nonienejatnre,  ahoni  which  opinion  is  still 
dixidrd.  ir  the  early  ;^i-iieric  names  of  Artedi,  Klein,  llrissori, 
ami  liinne  (prior  to  J7r)<Sj  are  admissible,  as  many  hi;;li  aidhor- 
ilies  helieve,  then  Oihilxiiiii.s  is  nnipiesi  ional»ly  tl.e  only  tenahlo 
^enerie,  name  for  the  ;;roiip  in  <|nestion,  of  whieh  iiosninriis  is  a 

synonym,  t 

si'i;(.'ii;s. 


'i'iie  exislin;;  Walruses  have  heen  eonnnoniv  eon^idered  as 
l)elon;;in;4'  lo  a  sinj;le  eii<'nmpolar  species,  A  lew  ani  hors  have. 
reco;;ni/ed  t  wo,  <ir  deemed  llie  existence,  ol'  I  wo  prol»al»le,  while 
on<'  appears  to  liaxc  admilh-d  threi'.  Alt(i;;ether,  Jiowexer,  not, 
less  liian  six  or  seven  specilic  names  have,  been  ^iven  let  the.  e.v- 
istin;;  species,  besides  several  based  on  I'ossil  I'cmains  of  the, 
Allanlic  W'alrns.  In  tin-  preseiif  paper,  the.  attempt  will  bo 
made  |(»  establish  tln^  existence,  of  two;  but.  before,  enterin;^ 
further  upon  the  discussion,  if  may  nof  be.  out  of  place,  fo 
j^lanci'  brielly  af  the.  views  ju-evious  authors  have  \nM  resp(!(5t- 
in;;'  Hie  point,  in  <|uestion. 

reiiiiant  appears  to  have,  been  the.  lirst.  to  cali  atlenlion  to 
llie  probable fxislence  ol"  more  than  a  siii;4le  species  of  Walrus, 
who,  in  l7!tL',  in  speakiii;;'  of  (he  Wulru.ses  of  the  Alaskan  (M)ust, 
sa\  s:  "1  entertain  doubts  wlie.fhe.r  fhcsc. animals f of  "  IJnalascha, 
Sandwich  Sound,  and  'rurnaj^ain  Itivca'"]  uioor  the.  saiiH;Hi>(',cics 

Oiliiliiiiniit,  Liiiiic,  "l)i;;ili  ;iiil.,  |Mist.  .'>,  )i;iliili|M'S.  \iiis>i  Mormin,  Di'iitOS 
iiilciiiicilii  Hii|)rriiiiiH  Iminissiitii.''— .s'//«/.  AVt/.,  \7'.i7)  (cd.  fir),  f/.t. — Jiosmarua, 
Kli  ill,  (^iiii.l.  I)i:.ii.  r.ri\.  Ilisl.  Nat.,  17r>l,  40,  1)'^'. 

till  :icr(inl;iii(  T  willi  (ii.sldiii  ill  Kiiiiiliir  riisi'H,  llin  iiiiiiD'.  i>l'  I  In-,  riiiiiily  1)0- 
coiiii's  thlohii  iiiild', — Ml  illur  HiiHiiiariiUv,  nor  Trlchcchiilw  lining  tciiiiltio. 
Misc.  Tub.  No.  IL' li 


18 


Tin;    OKM'S    (>IK)H/KMS. 


I       ,.1 


with  those  ol'  th(!  (iiilph  ol' St.  Lmiirmr.  The  tusks  (if  those 
of  the  I'l'o/eii  iSea  arc  iiiuch  loii^^ci'.  uhmc  sh'ii(h'r.  iiikI  liavc  a. 
twist  and  inward  curvatiiiv.  '*  iShaw,  a  few  years  later,  tlioii^iht 
that  tlie  W'ahiis  (h'seiihed  ami  liuiiied  in  the  aeeonnt  of  Cap- 
tain Cooli's  last  \(»ya;;(',  Ihonnh  perhaps  n(»l  speeilieallv  distinct. 
I'loni  lh(»se  of  tlie  Arctie  shores  of  llnrojie,  slmuld  he  regarded 
as  l)eh)nj;in;;'  to  a  dilferent  \aiiet,\.t  lie  appears,  li(»wever.  to 
Lave  based  his  opinion  wholly  on  li^^uresof  the  animals,  and  par- 
tienlarly  on  those  j^iv-en  l»y  ("ook  and  .lonston  (the  latter  a  copy 
of  lierrard's,  at  second-hand  fi'oia  I)e  l.ai't).  Illiucr,  in  isll, 
formally  reco;inized  two  s]»ecies  in  his  '•  rehcrltliek  der  Siin;;;- 
thiorc  iiach  ihrer  \'ertheihiii,i;-  iiher  die  \\'elttheih>,"|  namely, 
Tnvhcchux  >v>,s;/ho'».s',  occurring' on  the  northein  shoresof  (West- 
'.ni ;')  Asia,  Europe,  and  North  Ameiiea,  and  7'.  o/>r.s7/,v,  occur- 
riufi'  on  the  northwestern  shores  of  North  America  anil  the  ad- 
joinin*;'  iiortheasteru  sbor<'s  of  .Vsia.  While  I  do  n()t  lind  that 
he  bus  anywhere  j'iven  the  distinctive  eliaraet<'rs  of  those  two 
species,  he,  in  the  abov»'-cited  ]»aper,  also  nauu'd  the  ainnial 
described  and  li<;iired  by  Cook,  T.  (livvtujiUN.  V.  Cuvier,  in  ISiT), 
ill  describinji' the  dent  it  ion  of  the ''Morses,"  says:  "Ces  dents  out 
ete  decrites  d'apres  plusieurs  tetes  qui  senddent  avoir  ai)i)artenu 
11  deux  especes,  a  en  Juj;er  du  nioius  par  les  proportions  de  cpiel- 
ques  uues  de  lours  parties,  et  noii  seulenient  par  lY'tendue  de 
lours  defenses,  caraetore  (pi:  iiv.dt  d(^ji\  fait  soup^ouuor  a  SUaw 

*  Arctic  Zoology,  vol.  i,  1792,  pp.  170,  171. 

nF<>  says:  "An  excellent  represeutalioii  is  also  given  in  pi.  52  of  the 
Inst  voyage  of  our  illnstrions  navigator,  Captain  Cook.  It  is  easy  to  sec, 
liowtjvcr,  a  reinarkalile  ditlerence  lietween  the  tusks  of  this  last,  and  those 
of  the  former  kind  Hgured  in  Jonston,  and  it  clearly  appears,  thiit  though 
this  (lilTorenco  is  not  such  as  to  justify  our  considering  them  as  two  distinct 
species,  yet  it  ohliges  us  to  remark  them  as  v.arieties;  and  it  should  seem, 
that,  in  the  regions  tlien  visited  liy  Captain  Cool<,  viz.  tlie  iey  coasts  of  the 
American  ctrntinent,  in  lat.  7(»,  the  Walrus  is  found  with  tusks  nnicli  Icuigcr, 
thinner,  and  iar  more  sharp-jiointed,  in  proportion,  tlian  the  e<mnnon  Wal- 
rus ;  and  they  h.ive  a  slight  inclination  to  a  subspiraT  twist :  there  is  also 
a  ditlerence  in  the  position  of  tlio  tusks  in  the  two  animals;  those  of  the 
variety  figured  in  Captain  Cook's  voyagi;  cin-ving  inwards  in  such  a  nnnuer 
as  nearly  to  meet  at  the  points,  while  those  of  the  former  divaricate.  These 
differences  apjiear  very  striking  on  collating  different  heads  of  lliesc  ani- 
mals. Something  may,  however,  be  allowed  to  the  dilferent  stages  of  growth 
as  well  as  to  the  difl'erencc  of  sex.  In  order  that  these  differences  may  bo 
the  more  clearly  understood,  we  have  figured  both  varieties  on  the  annexed 
plates "—General  Zoology,  vol.  i,  1800,  pp.  236,  237,  pis.  68,  G8*. 

tAbhandl.  der  Akad.  dcr  Wissensch.  zu  Berlin,  1804-1811,  p.  M.  Read 
bcfor*^  the  Academy  Feb.  28,  1811,  but  apparently  not  published  till  1815. 


[V,i  •, 


THE  spKfiHs  <»i'  Tin;  (;i;ms. 


If) 


I'rxistciicc  <lt'  (Iciix  cspcrt's  dc  morses."*  I'rciiK'iy,  in  is.U, 
liii\  in;;  lu'loir  liini  n  scries  <tl' eleven  skulls,  distin^iiislied  tiiree 
species,  namely,  Trlvhcchux  rosmanis,  T.  I  >iiiii(!i'iiK,  and  7'.  cndh-i. 
Tile  llrst  (V.  roKinarus)  was  juineipally  eliMi'acteiized  l>y  lia\  inj,' 
di\ cijiini;'  tnsks,  idtont  as  !un,u'  as  the  lenu'lli  tit'tlie  whole  he;id, 
tiiiMll\  grooved  on  the  outside,  and  with  two  distinct  ^iroovcs  on 
the  inside:  by  the  ])()ssession  of  live  Itat'k  teeth,  the  last  iwo 
very  small;  l»y  t lie  lower  ed^c  of  the  uasal  openin;;'  lieinn  but 
little  produced  ;  lt,\  the  occipital  crest  heinn'  stionyiy  developed ; 
and  iiy  the  yicat  specilic  i^ravity  of  the  Itoiiesof  the  skull.  The 
second  ( '/'.  UtnijUhnx)  was  piiucii)ally  characterized  hy  the  tusks 
equallinii'or  ex('eo<lin.u'  in  len^tth  two-thirds  of  the  len;;th  of  tlie 
.skull,  with  a  sin^ile  deej*  ^loove  on  the  inner  side;  hy  haviun' 
only  four  liaek  teeth,  the  last  one  small;  a  smaller  develop- 
ment of  I  he  occipital  crest  {vxccpt  iitohl  animals!);  and  a  lighter 
sj)ecilU'  .uravity  of  the  bones.  The  third  ('/'.  mnld),  considered 
as  a  doul)tful  sih'cu.'S,  was  based  Avholly  on  Shaw's  plate  (IS  (from 
Cook),  already  noticed,  and  hence  is  the  same  as  Illi<;ei's  7'. 
(lirenn'iis.  Wieyrnaiui.  von  Uaer,  8tanuius,au(l  most  subse(|ueut 
writers,  have  )U()i)erly  re<;arded  Fremery's  characters  of  his  T, 
roftinaritN  and  7'.  Unaftilvux  as  based  merely  on  ordinary  indi- 
vi<lual  or  sexual  dilVerences.  Wieymann,  and  also  Tcnuninck, 
acc(»rdinj;  to  Fremery,  helieved  tlie  female  to  be  distinf^ruishable 
from  the  male  by  its  longer  and  thinner  tusks,  with  the  crests 
and  ridges  of  the  skull  less  developed,  while  other  dift'ereuces, 
as  the  relative  i)rominence  of  the  bony  lower  edge  of  the  nasal 
opening,  were  difl'erences  characteristic  merely  of  different  iudi- 
viduals.t    Stannius,  however,  in  1842,  after  passing  in  review 

*Di'Uts  (U's  Mauiinifi>res,  p.  23.">. 

tWicf^mann,  in  coiniuonting  upon  Fremcry'.s  supposed  spccifu'  tlitlcvonces, 
observes  as  follows  respecting  probal>l(»  sexual  and  individual  ditl'erenceft 
in  the  tusks  an<l  skulls  of  Walruses:  "Ilr.  Fremery  fillirt  an,  dass  Hr. 
Tennuinck  eiuou  (nacU  Dentlicbkeit  dcr  Niihte)  noeh  juugen  Sebiidel  dea 
Keiebsnnisennis  mit  ausgezciebuet  langen  diinncn  StosszUbneu  fiir  den 
eines  Weiljcbens  gelialten  liabe.  Icb  erinnere  mieb  aueh  von  (iriinlands- 
fabrern  gehiirt  zu  liaben,  dass  sich  das  Weibcben  dnrcb  Lingere,  diinnere, 
dassMiinncbendurebkiirzere,  abervieldickereStosszUbnoauszeiehne."  The 
alleged  dift'erence  in  tlie  speeilie  gravity  of  the  bones  of  tbo  skull  be  be- 
lieves also  to  bo  a  sexual  feature,  as  possibly  also  tbe  dilFerence  in  the  num- 
ber of  molar  teetb.  Respecting  tbe  prominence  of  tbo  lower  border  of  tbo 
nasal  opening  bo  says:  "Die  mehr  oder  minder  starko  Hervorragung  des 
unteren  Kandes  der  NJisenoftiumg  kann  icb  dagegen  nur  fiir  eine  individuello 
Vcrscbiedenbeit  balten,  da  icb  sio  bei  einem  Sebiidel  mit  kurzen  Stoss- 
zUbneu, der  die  iibrigen  vom  Verf.  bervorgebobenen  Merkmalc  besitzt,  sebr 
stark,  und  umgekebrt  bei  einem  alten  Sebiidel  mit  langen  Stossziibnen  kaum 
morklicb  tinde."— .Irc/iic/iVr  X((fHr(/e8C?i.,  1838,  pp.  128,  129. 


i  31 


20 


THE   GENUS   ODOD^NUS. 


the  cliaiacters  assiffiiod  l>y  Fn'iiiciy  as  distinctive  of  several 
species,  iiiid  alter  nieiitioiiiiif;'  at  leiinth  otlar  features  of  varia- 
tion observed  by  biin  in  a  eonsiderable  series  of  skidls,  describ- 
inn  several  of  Ids  sj>ecirnens  in  detail,  and  arriving;'  at<  the  con- 
clusion that  up  to  that  time  all  th(^  supposed  sjiecies  of  Walrus 
constituted  really  l)ut  a  sinjile  sjiecies,  a(hled  another,  under 
the  ajtpropriate  uaine  TrichechuH  lUibim.  This  with  sid)se(|uent 
autintrs  has  shared  the  fate  of  Freniery's  si)eeies,*  beinj;-  (fonsid- 
ered  as  based  merely  on  individual  variation. 

As  will  be  more  fully  noticed  later,  two  nonunal  species  have 
been  foiuuled  on  the  fossil  remains  of  the  NN'alrus,  namely,  Tri- 
chirhiiH  viniiniduits,  DeKay,  ISlli,  and  Ihlobvnoihn'ium  larte- 
tiaiiiii..  of  Gratiolet,  the  former  based  on  remains  from  Accomac 
County,  Virginia,  and  the  latter  on  n^mains  from  near  Paris, 
France.  LanUester,  in  180"),  added  still  another,  based  on 
tusivs  I'rom  the.  lied  Cray  of  Knyland,  under  the  na/ne  Trichc- 
chodon  hnxhj/i. 

Dr.  Leidy,  in  ISOO,  in  a  pajx-r  on  fossil  remains  of  the  Wal- 
nis  from  the,  eastern  coast  of  the  United  tStates,  a<;ain  noticed 
the  dill'erences  in  the  s'v/.v,  leuj^th,  and  curvature  of  the  tusks 
in  specimens  fronx  the  northwest  coast  of  Xorlh  .Vuu'rica  and 
the  ((unmon  Walrus  of  the  ZS'orth  Atlantic,  lie  says :  ''In  the 
course  of  the  precedin;;'  iuvestiji'atious  |referiin,t>'  to  previous 
portions  of  his  i)aper],  I  was  led  to  examine  ;•  specimen,  in  the 
cabinet  of  tile  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  [of  IMiiladelpliia], 
consisting;' of  llie  sluifed  skin  of  a  j)ortion  of  the  head  envelop- 
ing' the  Jaws  of  a  species  of  Walrus  apparently  ditferiu";'  from 
tl'e  true  'I'rIclHTKN  ro.siiianis.  of  whii  "i,  as  characteristic,  1  have 
viesved  tin-  ti;;'ures  of  the  skull  and  skeletons  as  ^iven  by  Dau- 
benton,  Cuvier,  and  De  Blainville.  The  specimen  was  pre- 
sented by  Sandwith  Drinker,  Esq.,  of  Canton,  China,  and  was 
I)robably  derived  from  the  Asiatic  shore  of  the  Arctic  Ocean. 
From  the  worn  condition  of  the  upper  incisor  and  molars,  it 
appears  to  have  l)elon!;'ed  to  an  old  individual ;  and  in  the  case 
of  tlie  lower  jaw,  the  teeth  appear  to  have  been  entirely  worn 
out.    The  tusks  are  verv  nuu-li  larger  and  arc  narrower  tlKin  in 


11- 


*^Giubcl,  ill  ld55,  refcirctl  to  I  remoiy's  and  St.iimius'.s  species  as  still  need- 
ing cf)niirniati()u:  "Die  von  ri/iiicrv  nacli  (lev  licsclial't'ciilieit  dcr  Ziilme 
uuterscLiedenen  Ai'teii,  'Ti:  longidcim  mid  Tr.  Cooli;  siiid  liingst  als  unlialtbar 
erkanut  wovdeii  luul  audi  die  von  Staiiuius  uiil"  SuliiideldiD'crenzen  begriiu- 
detc  Art,  2V.  dubiiiH,  entbelirt  noch  der  wcitoru  Bestiitigung." — Siiugcthicrc, 
p.  ViS,  footnote. 


t-.'l 


Tin:  si'Kf'irs  nv  the  oenus. 


21 


the  7'.  ro.siiKirii.s,  niid  llicy  ciu-vc  dowiiwiird,  outward,  and  in- 
wiinl,  instead  of  contiiiiially  divi'i'j;iii<;'  as  in  this  species.    At 
tlieir  eMiei'.ncnce  tVoiii '.lie  aheoli  the  tusks  are  Iwo  and  threo- 
«|U;utei'  inelies  ajtart,  near  (lie  middle  livc^  and  ii  (juarter  ini'hos, 
and  at  their  tips  only  one  inch.    Their  len;Lith  is  twenty-two 
inelies  and  their  diameter  at  the  alveolar  hord.  r  autero-posteri- 
orly  \\\o  and  a  (piarter  inches,  and  transversel\  one  and  a  half 
inches.     Towards  their  lower  part  tliey  are  twisted  from  within, 
forwards  and  outwardly."     After  (piotiny  Pennant's  remark 
(already  ju'iven,  see  [i.  17)  about  siuular  ditlerencos  noted  by  him, 
he  adds  that  "the  superior  incisor  and  molar  teeth  are  also  very 
nuieh  smaller  than  in  the  fossils  of  T.  ronmarKs,''^  and  he  i^ives 
measurement  sshowinjit  his  diU'erence.   He  then  says:  "The  hairs 
of  tlu?  upper  lip  of  the  T.  romiKintti  are  stated  by  Shaw,  to  be  about 
three  inches  lonj^',  and  almost  ecpud  to  a  straw  in  diameter.*     lu 
tlio  specimen  innler  consideration,  the  hairs  of  the  moustache 
are  stiff-pointed  spines,  not  more  than  one  line  long-  at  the  upi)er 
l)art  of  the  li[>,  and  they  j;radually  increase  in  size  until  at  the 
lower  and  outer  part  of  the  lip  they  are  about  one  inch  in  lengtli." 
lie  further  achls,  in  the  same  connection :  "  Since  presenting  tlie 
above  comnnniication  to  the  Society,  the  Academy  has  received 
from  ]\Ir.  Drhdcer,  of  Canton,  an  entire  specimen  of  the  AVah'us 
from  Xorthern  Asia.    In  this  individual,  Avliicli  measures  in  a 
straight  line  eight  feet  from  the  noso  to  the  tail,  the  tusks  aro 
ten  inches  long,  and  diverge  from  their  alveoli  to  the  tips,  where 
tliey  are  five  and  a  half  inches  apart,  but  they  are  slender,  as  in 
the  stuflfedhead  above  mentioned,  and  appear  as  if  they  would 
ultimately  have  obtained  the  same  length  and  direction.    Per- 
haps the  pecuharities  noticed  may  prove  to  be  of  a  sexual  ehar- 
acter."t 

As  will  be  shown  later,  we  have  hero  the  more  prominent  ex- 
ternal differences  characterizing  the  two  species  of  AValrus  for 
the  first  time  expUcitly  stated  from  direct  observation  of  speci- 
mens. If  Dr.  Leidy  had  had  at  that  time  good  skulls  of  the 
two  species  for  comparison,  the  other  important  cranial  ditfer- 
euces  (noted  beyond)  could  not  have  escaped  him,  and  he  per- 
haps would  have  been  led  to  formally  recognize  the  Pacific  Wal- 
rus as  a  species  distinct  from  the  Atlantic  Walrus. 

I  have  met  with  nothing  further  tonching  this  subje(;t  prior 
to  Mr.  U.  W.  EUiott's  report  on  the  Seal  Islands  of  Alaska, 

*  "Shaw's  Zoology,  vol.  i,  pt.  i,  p.  2'M." 

tTraiis.  Amer.  Phil.  Soc.  Phila.,  vol.  x.i;  i)p.  d"),  8G. 


90 


THE    GKNUS    ODOli.EXrS. 


piildislied  in  l.STo,  in  Miiicli,  iiiidcr  the  li('ii(lin,n' "The  Walrus 
of  IJcriii*;'  8('a,  (liosiniirns  Jircticus)"  lie  says: — "I  write  Mlio 
Walrus  of  IkriiKj  >Sva\  bewuisc;  (liis  auiiaal  is  (jaitc  distinct 
from  the  AValrus  oi'llie  North  Atlantic  and  (Irccnland,  dilTciiny 
from  it  specilieall.v  in  a  very  .strilduj;- manner,  l»y  lis  <4r('alcr  size 
and  semi-liairlcss  skin."*  Tliis  is  all  lie  says,  lio\v(i\ cr,  icsjx'ct- 
mtX  tlieir  dilTcroiiCL'S,  no  reference  Ix'in;^'  made  to  the  I'eally  dis- 
tinctive features.  Tluis  (he  matter  rested  lill,  in  J.S7(),  (lili  Ibr- 
mally  lecoji'uized  two  si)ecic.s  in  his  "List  of  the  I'rincipal  Use- 
ful or  Injurious  .Mamnuds,"t  in  a  eatalo,i;ue  of  a  "CoHei-tion  to 
Illustrate  th(;  Animal  Resources  o''lhe  Uidted  States"  in  tli«'  ex- 
hibit of  the  National  ^Museum  at  tiie  International  l']xhibi!ion 
of  187(5,  hohl  in  Piiiladelphia.  This  is  inerely  a  Jiominal  list,  in 
which  ap])ears,  under  ^•Eofimarlda',"  the  foUowinj^,  which  I  hero 
fully  and  literally  transcribe : 

KasMAitcs  (iiiKSis,  (Illijrcr,)  Gill. 
TIic  [Atl;iii(ic]  Wiilnis. 
Athnif ic  (.'nasi. 


i 


]i()S.MAia;.s  CooKii,  (I'lvnicry,)  Cij!. 
Till'  [Piicific]  V'alrii.s. 

I'aciilr  ( 'i:|isi . 

Here  is  simply  a  no.uinal  recognition  of  two  species  without 
ex])ressed  I'easons  tlierefoi'.  in  an  article  on  the  UoHinnridiC, 
published  in  1877,  Dr.  (lill  a.^aiu  says:  "Two  siK'cies  ii]>])earto 
exist — one  {It.  ohesiin)  inliabiliuin'  the  northern  Atlantic,  and  the 
other  (/i.  t'ooldi)  the  n(n'tlieru  l'acilie."| 

Van  !>ene(h'n,  on  the  other  hand,  in  1877,  distinctly  afUrms 
his  disbelief  in  tin;  existence  of  two  spe(;ies.  In  referring  to  the 
subject  he  says :  "Xous  ne  croyons  jtas  (|ue  h.'S  IMorses  du  d6- 
troit  de  Lehrinj;'  diil'erent  specih(|uement  de  eeux  de  la  mer  de 
Batiiii  ou  de  la  Nouvelle-Zendde,  et  c'est  a  tout,  a  notre  avis, 
que  Fremery  a  essaye  de  les  repartir  en  especes  distinctcs 
d'a])res  les  modifications  de  leurs  dents."  He  further  adds  the 
festinuniy  of  von  liaer  as  follows:  "Von  ]>aer  s'est  occnp6  en 
lS;ir>  de  cett(!  qnestion  s\  FAcademitj  de  St.  r(5tersbourg  ct  I'il- 
lustre  naturaliste  m'eerivait,  ])eu  de  temps  avant  sa  uiort,  an 
sujet  de  la  difference  legere  des  Morses,  a  I'Est  et  a  I'Ouest  de 

*lii']iortoii  the  Pry'iilov  Groin)  or  Seal  iMlandH').' Alaska,  187:5  (not  paged). 
Also,  Keport  on  Ihe  Condition  of  Ad'airs  in  Alaska,  187.'),  p.  lO). 

tTliis  "List"  is  aiioiiyuions,  and  is  licnce,  perhaps,  not  properly  qnotablo 
in  tins  eomieclion,  althonyh  its  anthorsliip  Is  known  to  tlio  present  Awiter. 

tJcdnison'sNew  Universal  Cyclopsedia,  vol.  iii,  1877,  p.  1725. 


1:^ 


SYNONYMY. 


23 


lamer  (llMciiilc,  (|ii"il  ••c^iinliiit  Ics  (lil'liTcnccs  coiimic  (U's  iiio- 
(liliciitioiis  loc'iik's*.  ('"  ii'csl  piis  r;i\  is  dc  Henry  \V.  IClliot,  qui 
coiisi(lei'(!  ]<'  ^lorsc  dii  iini<l  <lii  r;icili(|ii('  coiiiiiie  iiii  iiiiiiiiiil 
(listinct."-'  Ill  aiiollier  (•(Uiurclioii  lie  irlci'S  lo  Uw  .silhjeet  as 
lollows;  '•  II  V  ii  <les  aiUeuis  qui  iKiisciit  (jiic  Ic  .Alorsc  (111  Nonl 
Piicili<|iie  est  iisscz  (lillr-iciit  i\v  eclui  dii  (iroi'iiliiiid,  im)IU'  cu 
fa'vv  line  ('.s|)e'('('  disliiictc  Mous  Jw  iKiitii^eoiis  pas  eet  avis. 
Los  iiiodincatioiis  sont;  assez  pen  ini]»ortantes  et  nous  eroyons 
jiouvoir  le  met  tic  sur  le  e()iii])t(;  de  variations  l()(,'ales."| 

ODOJLENIJS  KOHMAltlJS,  Midmyrcn. 
Atlantic  Walrus. 

"Hosmarus,  mic  Moi-xkh  Xonro'iciin,  Olaus  MaGXUS,  Hist,  do  Gent.  Sept. 
I.J."),  7iu  (li;;uic)  "  ;  also  luti'V  cdil  ioiiw. 

llosmariia,  (jIksxkh,  Hist.  Aiiiiii.  A((ii!it.,  I.'m^,  241);  Jilso  Jnlcr  cdilions. 

JRosinuruH,  ll'dllroxx,  .Ionstox,  Jlisl.  \a).  dr  I'iscilm.s  el  (Jctis,  Kii;),  /"JT,  pi. 
xliv  (Iwo  lowrr  li;:,iiirs ;  iii)])ci' (nic  iViiiii  (irsiici',  tlic  lower  Irom  ]3(' 
I.ai'l):  alMi  ialcr  edit  imis.— •' Ki.i:i\,  Ufj;.  Aiiiiii.,  ITiVl,  (i7.'' — ''Sco- 
roi.i.  llisi.  Nai.,  1777,  — ." — Zimmi;i;manx.  Siiir.  Zdol.  (;(()j>ia]ili. 
(,)iiad.  lie.  1777.  :i:!0. 

jyjuiiK  )iii(riinis  (I    nippiijtohimiiK  J'lilso  diihin,  Mornc  or  S< a  Jlornf.  1>av,  Syii.. 

hvx,,  iin. 

7r(T//co.w,  JMauti.xs,  Sjiii/li,,  1(J7.'),  7'-^,  jd.  J*,  tij;-.  I). — V.c.r.in:,  licsilir.  mid  Xatiir- 
(jlcs(  li.  (J  Win  la  lid,  171^,  ijl;  17(>;>,  lOli;  ]Jc.sorip.  el:  J  list.  Nat.  dii  Gio'iil., 
17()."),  <!l  (with  a  ti;;ur('). — C'liAXTZ,  Hist,  von  Groid..  17(i5,  1(>5; 
En<rlisli.(l.,  ntW,  l-j:>.— Goi-niK,  ".Moi-jdioL,  1, 1817,  ^11";  Act.  Acad. 
Cius.  Lcoi>.  (Jarol.,  xv,  i,  1"^:'>1,  H,  pi.  iv  (dentition,  etc.).— Vox  Baku, 
M(;ni.  Acad.  «t.  Petersb.  Math,  etc.,  vi'=  Kcr.,  ii,  lH:ir»,  199  (blood- 
vessels of  limbs).— Jakgkr,  Miiller's  Aieh.  llir  An.'it.,  1844,  70  (den- 
til ion — Labrador  Hi)ecinien;    . 

Walross,  Mauticx.s,  Zocdogischc  Garten,  xi,  1870,  283  (etymology). 

Wallrun  sen  Mors,  RUYSCU,  Theatr.  Animal.,  1718,  159,  pi.  xliv  (liguro  same 
as  .lonstou'i)). 

Walrus,  WuUM,  Mus.  Worm.,  1G55,  289  (fig.  from  Do  Lact).— Wymax,  Proc. 
IJost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  iii,  1850,  242  (relation  to  l*acliyderma). — Lea, 
Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Pliila.,  1854,  2C5  (nsc  of  the  skin). — Wheat- 
LAXi>,  Proc.  Essex  Institute,  1,  1854,  G2  (remarks  on  a  sknll). — 
SoxxTAG,  Nar.  GrinncU  Exj)!.  Exp.  1857,  113  (woodcnt — group  of 
Walruses). — Murray,  Geogr.  Distr.  Mam.,  180(5,  128,  map,  xxviii* 
(distribution;  in  part).— Hayes,  Open  Polar  Sea,  186t,  404  (hunt- 
ing).—Packard,  Lull.  Essex  Institute,  i,  18G9,  137  (fm-mer  exist- 
ence in  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence). — Atwood,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat. 

*  "  Lcs  Morses  des  cOtos  d(^  Sibdrio  ou  do  I'est  do  I'AhIo  out  les  dents  cani- 
nes phis  lortes  quo  les  Morses  do  Spitssbcrg  ot  do  GroDuland,  nics  tlisait-il 
dans  une,  lettro " 

t  Ann.  du  Mus.  Roy.  d'llist.  Nat.  Bclgique,  pt.  1, 1877,  45. 

tibid.,  p.  17. 


I 


A 


24 


OD015ii:\i:S    UOSMAIM'S — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


H 


Hist.,  xiii,  L~7(l,  ii'JO  (icnuaks  on  a  wkiill  IVuiii  IIk;  (iiill'  of  St.  Law- 
rence).— TuiiNEK,  .Toiini.  Aiiat.  iiihI  I'liys.,  v,  1^70,  lir)(rcliifions  of 
luTicardiiim). — L'ink'.  l»inii'.li  (ircciiland,  Ij-T",  1'.'()  ((listiil)nliun), 
!J1>',  -'.V,',  -.;:•,'  (fliiisc). 

Arctic  Wtilnix,  I'kxxant,  .'^yimii.  (^'ikkI.,  IT"!,  :s;i,">;  Aiftic  /in".].,  v,'(l  cil.,  i, 
ITU--',  1(W  (ill  jiart). 

Fossil  It'iilnix,  I'.AiM'dN,  Lfiiicloii  I'hil.  Mil;;.,  wxii,  1-(C>,  '.)>  (iii>  locality). — 
MnciiKi.i,,  .Smith,  iV  (.'(h)1m;i!,  Ann.  Now  York  L.vc  Nat.  Hist.,  ii, 
li^'i^,  'J71  (Ibssil,  Ac<i>iiiac  (-'o.,  \'a. — doiibf  I'iiIIn' ict'rircil  to  tlu'  cxist- 
iiij;  species) ;  IMinli.  New  I'liil.  .Jiiiiiii.,  y,  1~'J~.  :!-.")  (alisiiact  of  tlio 
last).  — ![a!;i,.\\,  Kdiiil).  New  I'iiil.  .loiirn.,  xvii,  ISM,  ;>ti(l;  Tiaiis. 
(Jeol.  Soe.  reini.,  i,  l-^li.")  7.">;  Med.  and  I'livs.  Ke.caiclics,  Itfll.i,  277 
(same  si»eeinieli). — Lyki.F,  iV  OWI'.N,  I'loe.  Lond.  (ieid.  Soe.,  iv,  I'ri;], 
;W  (fossil.  Mavtiia'a  ^'illeya^d,  Mass.):  Aiiur.  .loiiiii.  Sci.  and  Arts, 
xlvi.  If};'.,  :U'.»  (same). 

La  Viichc  nuiritic.  IJiiis.sox,  lliii.  Anini..  17.">(i,  i^. 

"Morscli,  (i.mi:m\.  L'eisc  dureli  liusslaiid,  iii,  17;')!.  It!.'). 

Morse  ml  \  (tvlic  iiiuniK.  lU  rrox.  Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  ]7t).'),  :C)f',  pi.  liv  (animal). — 
l>Ai:iii:xr(»x,  Million's  Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  I7(i.">,  tl.'i.  i>l.  Iv  (sknll). — HoL- 
i.AXKiii;.  Alire^ed'llist.  Nat.  des  Quail.  Vivip..  i,  17'.l(l,  pi.  xii,  ti;;-. :!. — 
1'.  C'rviKi;,  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxiii,  Ir^K!,  '..'7;  Dents  des  .Mam.. 
lft>5,  )i^:i,  1)1.  xcv. 

Morse,  HUET,  Coll.  de  Mam.  dii  Mus.  dllist.  Nat.,  l^Ot*,  .V.),  pi.  liii  (ti^-.  from 
IJullou). 

Sea  Cow,  Siiuldhasi,  Phil.  Trans.,  Ixv,  1775,  249. 

PAoca,  IJoxXAXio,  KenimNat.  Hist.,  i,  (no  date),  !.'>'.),  ]d.  xxxix,  tii;.  •i7  {a  i)oor 
veiji'esentiition  of  J)e  Laefs  ii;;ine,  witli  the  yonn;;  one  omitted). 

P/joca  rosmaritx,  LlNXl5,  Sy.st.  Nat.,  i,  l?")!^,  38. 

2Vich<:chHs  rosmariis,  LiXiXi':,  Syst.  Nat.,  i,  17110,  411. — M(r,t,i;i{,  I'l'od.  Zool. 
Dan.,  i.  177ti,  1.— Sciii!i:iJi:i!,  Sihii;etli.,  ii,  177.").  -'(W,  j)!.  Ixxix  (from 
Ballon). — Zl.MMKUMAXX,  Geogr.  (Jesehielite,  i,  1778,  iiDD;  ii.  17H), 
4t>l.— FAitiMcns.  Taiina  (inenl.,  l7Kt,  4.— Li{Xi.i;iii;x,  Syst.  He;,'. 
Aniin.,  17."'7,  .">'.»:{.— (;.mi:i.ix,  Syst.  Nat.,  i,  17."'-*,  :")'.•. — SllAW.  Nat. 
Miscel,,  171)1,  pi.  e(  Ixxvi ;  (Jen.  Zoill.,  i,  lH(t(»,  '2:U  (in  part),  lig.  (W, 
(from  Jonston). — nu:Mi;xitA<'i[,  Handh. derNatnrjjeseli.,  178s.  ij-^; 
18-Jl,  l:S();  It^-J.').  11-J;  Abl.ild.  natnr.  (;e<rensl.,  17it'"^-lr^I(),  No.  1,^,  text 
ami  plate  (from  Jonston). — Doxxdokki',  Zool.  l}eytrii;fe,  171I"J,  r,M. — 
Kirrziis,  Kon^.  Vet.  Akad.  Nya  llandl.,  xv.  171)4,  ;!1»1 ;  Tamia  Sue- 
cica!,  IHOO,  '\f^. — OziUti'.r.sivovsKY,  Nov.  Act.  .\ead.  Sei.  Imp.  Petrop., 
xiii,  (17t)()),  180',>,  U71.— I?AUT()X,  I'liil.  Ma^^,  xxxii,  180.-.,  98  (fos- 
sil; locality  not  stated),— (i.  Cuvji:i!,  Tableau  el<'!menl.,  171)8,  17'i; 

Lemons  <l'Anat.  Comp.,  1800-18(1."),  _;  2"  oA-, ,  — ;  'i"  ^A.,  1«{7, 

207,  'J.".7,  29:!,  :i21),  :i98,  472;  Kt^.  Anim,,  i,  1^17,  108;  i,  1829.  171; 
Osscm,  Foss,,  iv,  280;  W  dd.,  v,  1"  i)tie.,  182.'),  2:!1;  v,  2"  ptie,.  .")21, 
pi.  xxxiii  (o,steolo;;y).— Ii.i.iGicit,  I'rod,  Sy.st.  JIam. ct  Av.,  1811,  139; 
Abhandl.der  lierliner  Akail.  ( 1804-1-^1 1).  1>1."),  .''.0,  01,  04,  0"^,  7.")  (dis- 
tribution).—  l)i:.sMAi!i:sT,  Noiiv.  Diet,  d'llist.  Nat.,  xxi,  l-^l>,  ;!90; 
Mam.,  1820, 2.'j:{,— ScouicsDY,  Account  Ant .  Kcfxions,  i,  1820, 002  (K«^n- 
oral  history). — •'  Ki:i;sri;i!\.  CapitisTrielieelii  IJosmari  Descrip.Ost,, 
1821,— ."■— ScAinii,  Kdinb.  I'liil,  .Jonrn.,  ii,  182."),  28',!  (Orkney):  .»ar- 
diuc'.sNat.   l.ilirary,  .Mam.,  vii,    1838,  219,  pi,   .xx  (orij,'inal   li,u;uro 


ifa 


SYNONYMY. 


25 


of  animal).— Harlan,  I'auii.  Anier.,  1^'2'i,  111 ;  Ediul).  Now  Pliil. 
Jouni.,  xvii,  WM,  ;?G0  (fossil);  T.van.s.  (ieol.  Soc.  renii.,  i,  lf*\'>:>,  72 
(eaiiic);  M('*l.  and  Pliys.  IJcpos.,  1835,  L'77  (same).— GoDJLVN,  Anicr. 
Nat.  Hist.,  i,  18-^0,  a.Vt.— Sciiix/,  Nairn-.  il.-r.Siiii-.-tli.,  1>'-J7,  1(;'.>,  pi. 
Ixv  (two  liyiiics — "  AbbilduM!^  nacli  BliiiUL'ubaLli  imd  .SL'lniiid'"). — 
Lkssox,  Man.  do  Mam.,  1827, 'J08.— Ross,  App.  Puitv'.s  Fourth  Voj-., 
1828,  ID'2;  Api>.  Koss'.s Second  Voy.,  I8l!5,xxi.— Fi.kminc,  I'.iit.Anini., 
1828,  18.— liAi  I",  Natuiw.  Aldiandl.  Wiirtonib.,  ii,  l-^2-\  lii7  (denti- 
tion) ;  "Bull.  Sei.Nat.,  xvii,  1821),  280"  (abstract).- Fisciiicit,  Synop. 
Mam.,  1821),  213. — GuicKiN-Mi'iNT.vn.i.K,  Icon,  du  I'ei^ne  Auim.  do 
(i.Cuvi-r.  ilani.,  18211-18:58,  It),  pi.  xix,  li^'.  .")  (animal).— FuKMr.iiV, 
lji,jdra;;t()t  de  natuurk.  Wctcnscii.,  vii,  18:?1,  384.— Dkloxgciiami'S, 
Mom.    Soc.    I>inn.    do   Norm.'iudio,  v,  131.      101  (doutitiou). — WlL- 
SOX,   Nat.  llisl.  Quad,  and  AVIiales,  1837,   14.",  pi.  cccxxxiv,   lig.2 
(iininuil);   Kncycl.    Brit.,   7th  ed.,   xiv,   12"). — BKr.r.,  Brit.  Quad., 
1837,  2r)8  (animal  and  skull;  original  ligures). — Vox  Baku,  Mem. 
Acad.  .St.  I'etersb.  Math.,  etc.,  (5"  s('V.,  iv,  1838,  it7,  pi.  xlvii  (distribn- 
tion). — WllXi.MAXX,  Arch,  llir  Natingesch..  1838,  11:5  (dentition). — 
IIamii.tun,  Jaid.  Nat.  Libr.,  Mam.,  viii,  1831),  103,  pi.  i  (animal,  and 
woodcut  of  skull, — original  ligure). — IJiCltAUD.SOX,  Zool.  Boeciiey's 
Voy.,  1831),  ().— Br.Aixvir.r.i;,  Ostoojiraphie,  I)esl'ho«|ues,  1840-.'>1, 19, 
pi.    i   (skeleton),    pi.    iv  (skull).— Dkaay,  Nat.   Hist.  Now  York, 
ZoiJl.,  i,    1842,  50.- ZiMMKKMANX,  Jahrb.  fiir  Mineral.,  1845,  73. — 
WA(iNr,i{,  Schrcber's  S,'iuy.(tli.,  vii,   l<|i;.   <t,   pi.   Ixxix.— OiKMTCL, 
I'aunader  V<irweil,  1-47,  222 (fossil);  Siiugeih.,  !■-'.").">,  V'!^;  Odoutog., 
1855,(^2,  pi.  xxxvi,  fig.  5  (dentition). — Nii.ssox,  Skand.  Faini.,  1847, 
318.— (iKKVAis,  Zool.  et  I'al.  Fraiicais,  i,  1^4-'-.'>2,  14(1.— Uuay.  Cat. 
Seals  in  Brit.  Mus.,  l.-.'.O,  :;2;   I'roe.  Zo.il.  .^oc.  Loud.,  1S53,  112  (ou 
iittitiules.'ind  ligures):  fat.  .S'alsand  AVluiles.  1K!1!,  3(>,  307.— OWKX, 
Proc.  Zool.  Soe.  Loud.,  1>'.")3.  I(i3(anat.  and  dentition) ;  Ann.  ami 
Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  xv,  185.'>,  22ti  (from  th  •  foregoing);  Cat.  Osteol. 
Coll.  Mus.  Collego  Surg.,  1853,  031  (skeleton);  Fucycl.  Brit.,  xvi, 
1854,  403,  iig.  112  (.skull);  Odontography,  1'^.>I.  510,  pl.exxxii.  tig. 8 
(dentition);  Orr's  Circhuif  the  Sciences,  Zoiil.,  i,  li-54,  230,  tig.  27 
(skeleton);  Comp.  Anat.  an<l  Phys.  Vertebrates,  ii,  180(>,  4".t(».  498, 
507  ;  iii,  1808,  338,  524,  780.— Blasiu.S,  Faun.  Wirb.  Deutschl..  i,  l-i57, 
202,  ligs.  148-150  (skull).— Van  dkij  Hokvicx,  Ilandb.  Zo,.|.  Kugl. 
Ed.  ii,  18,">8,  007.— Vo\  SciiUKNCK,  h'eiseu  im  Aiuur-Lande,  i,  1-59, 
179  (in  part  only).— Lkidy,  Trans.  Amer.  Phil.  Soe.  Phila.,  xi,  I'OO, 
pis.  iv,  v  (in  part);  .lourn.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  2d  ser.,  vii,  l-ti9, 
410.— Woi.i'  A-  Sc[.ATi:i!.  Zool.  Sketches,  i,  1801,  No.  10.— Gkijuai'.d, 
Cut.   Bones  .M;iui.  Brit.  .Mus.,  1^02,  14."). — Nkwtox,  Proc.  Zo.ll.  .8oc. 
Loiul.,   IftU,  499.— .<<  i.ATiMt  &  Bautu-.TT,  Proc.  Zool.  Soe.  Lond., 
1HI')7,  Hl-i,  ^^p.t.— Vox  .MiDDr.NDOitri',  SiliirisehoReise,  iv,  1S(;7,  934  (in 
l)art  only).— Buown.  I'roe.  Zoiil,  Soe-.  Loud.,  L-*lH,  ;!35,  427   (liaMts 
and  disiribulion) ;   Man.  Nat.    llisl.   (Jreeuland,    1-T."),  :!,'>.— .Mii;ii;, 
Proc.  Zoid.  Soe.  I, Olid..  I-'(W,  t;7  (rejiori   on  cause  of  death  of  sprci- 
meu  in  Zoiil.  (laid.,  I.oiid.);  H70,  5"'l  ;  Trans.  ZoiU.  Soe.  I.nud.,  \ii, 
pt.  vi,  1H71,411.  pis,  li-lv  (anatomy), — (Jii.ri.v.  I'roe.  and  Trans,  Nova 
Scotia  Inst.  "at.. Sci..  ii.  p(.3.  l.-'70, 123(witli  ,i  plate).- I.'ki;;;'  .  /j  id- 


20 


ODOILKNUS    :.>lSMAUrS ATLANTIC    WALlfUS. 


<i;;isl,  1~T1,  •,'ri."i(i(St.  (ir(irj;(".s  l>ay,  XcwtiiuiiillMiid). — lli:c<;i.iv,  Rei- 
MMi  iiacli  (IriiiXoiditdliiiiiiccr,  iii,  1>74,  ■11!  (I  ml  "its  anil  <listiil)iitit)ii). — 
|)i:ii!.\Nn:,  ISiill.  Sue.  (;<■(>].,  :!'•  stT.,  ii,  1^74,  1G4  (IoksII.  Fraiici.').— 
(Iri.i,i\i;i;,  I'loc.  '/.oiW.  Sue.  Loiiil..  1-74,  ">"^!l  (size  1)1' liliMiil-coi'jiii.s- 
ck's). — 1'i:ii.1)i:n,  Zuiild^iisi,  ;!(!  scr.,  i.  l-^TT,  ;!(!(>  ((lisiriliiiiinii  and 
t'lKHl).— ^'A^■  lirNKDiix.  Ann.  Mns.  l.'oy.  <rili.s(.  Nal.  ricl;.;i(iuc,  i, 
1^77,  ;!;•  ((li->li  ibnlion,  ^rncral  lialiits.  and  liissil  remains). — IviXK, 
Hanisli  (iifinland.  its  l'c(i|)l('  and  its  I'lodncts,  1~77,  VHi. 

Trichicluin  loiKjitli  iin.  l'i:i:Mi;i!Y.  l>ijdra;j;  lot  dc  Xalunil;.  Wchnsidi.,  \  i,  l^'M, 
:W4. 

Trirluclnix  vlr<jiiii(uuix,  J)i:K.\Y.  Nat.  Jli.st.  Xcw  lork,  Zdtil.,  i,  ■..-'(•J,  .')(>,  j)l. 
\ix,  lijjs.  I,  a,  h  (I'ds.sil.  Acconiai'  C'i>.,  Va.). 

t  Tricliivliiis  (Inhius,  8i.\N'Nirs.  MiiUcr's  Aicli.  iur  Aunt.,  l.';4"J,  4(t7  (witliout 
locality). 

lioxiiittfUfi  (ircliciiK,  LiLLlKiic )!!(;.  Fanna  rd'vcr.s  Svcrij^rs  ocli  Xorgos  Uyj^gr., 
1874,  »i74. 

Eobiiitiniii  iriclicdnix,  T..\.M()NT,  Seasons  w if  litho  Sea-borHes,  1801,  141,  1(57  (two 
]ilatcs). — (in. I.,  Johnson's  Xcw  Univ.  Cycio]).,  iii.  1^77.  (i:!li. 

liOgniurus  ohcmis,  GiLi.,  I'roc.  llsscx  Inst.,  v,  ISGd,  11!  (in  i)ait  only);  Interna- 
tional Exliil).  1871),  Anini.  Resources  U.  S.,  No.  x!,  l'^7(),  4  (Aflantic 
Waliiis;  no  deseiii)tion) ;  JoImisou'.h  X^(^w  Univ.  C'ycl..  iii,  1877, 
17-,'.">.— r.\cK,\i:i),  I'loc.  Host.  Soe.  Xal.  Hist.,  \.  \>i\i'<.  v!71  :  .Mem. 
Dost.  Soe.  Xal.  llisl..  i,  18()7,'J4(i  (Ib.ssil).— Lkidv.  .louni.  Aead.  X'at. 
.Sei.  Pliila.,  viii,  1-77,  "JU,  ]il.  xxx,  fig.  (i  (I'o.ssil.  .Sontli  ('ar(din;i). 

Odohiiiotlivriiiiii  hirtiliiuiinn,  (.ii;ATiiH.i;T,  Hull.  Sue.  (li'ol.  de  I' ranee,  •."'  si'r.. 
XV,  l.-3."^.  I'l'.'  1,  111.  V  (fossil,  near  I'aris,  Trance). 

OdoHldbiniiix  ro.s/, -f//(s,  SrXDKVALl.,  (il'ver.  K.  Vet.  Akad.  I'orli..  1>.V.».  441 ; 
Zcit.x  li.  (Ji'sammt.  Xatnrw.  Hallo,  xv,  18()0,  '2711. 

Odobainix  ronmanix,  Mai,mi;iii:x,  (JlVer.  K.  Yet.  Akad.  I'orli,  18il;!.  (18(14),  1"0 
(food  and  liabi(s),  5(1."),  ]il.  vii  (dentition) ;  AViegniann's  .Arcliiv  f. 
Xatnrgcschichte,  ]8i)4.  Cw  (tran.slated  from  (UVers.  K.  Vet.  Akad. 
Forli.,  l-r,;!.  i:iOet  sell.). — I'KiT.Hs,  Monatsli.  Akad.  Wiss.  Jicrlin,  18(;4, 
ti8,"),  jd.  (tlcntition) ;  Ann.  and  JIag.  Xat.  llisl.,  (;J),  xv,  lS()o,  3u5 
(abstract).— Rink,  Danish  lireeulaud,  1877,  4;>0. 

t  Tr'nhicodon  huxli\j\,  Laxkicstkh,  Quarter.  Journ.  Gcol.  ,Soc.  Loud.,  xxi, 
18(ir),  yjC),  ids.  X,  xi  (fossil;  Rc<l  Crag,  England). 

f  Ti-lihrchm  manalm,  Fabuicius,  Fauna  GrcDul.,  not  lihyiina  gigaa;  sec 
HnowN,  Froo.  ZoiJl.  Soc.  Loud.,  18(J8,  357,  3.'>8. 

trhixii  iiraitia,  Fahricius,  Fauna Grusnl., not  Callorhinus uraintta ;  seeBKOWN, 
Proc.  ZoiJl.  Soc.  Lend.,  18G8,  357,  348. 

Morse;  Vuvhc  marine ;  Chvral  marine ;  B6ic  d,  la  grande  dent  (French). 

Bon  hiitriniis,  RuY.scil,  1.  e. 

Hvalroxs  (Swedish  and  Danish). 

Harhcst;  Ilrahuns  (Norwegian). 

Morsk  (Lapp). 

Wallroiis;  MtrrjiJ'rrd  (Gennan). 
Walrus;  Sea  Cow;  Sea  Home  (Fnglisli). 

External  Char  acters.— As  regards  general  form,  the  head, 
ill  conipiirison  witli  the  size  of  tlie  body,  is  rather  small,  squar- 


EXTKUNAF-    CIIAHAfTKlIS. 


'21 


isli  ill  (Hitliiif,  Itiil  iiiiicli  l()U,u('r  lliiin  lii'(i;i(l.  witii  llic  iiiii/.zle 
iihiiipllv  iniiiciilcd  :iiul  •soiiicwliiii  l)i!oltc(l  i>y  llic  <U'|H'rs.siuii 
siin(iiiinliii.^'  tlic  iiiisiil  ojH'iiiii^'.  Tlir  lowci'  jiiw  is  pdiiitcd  and 
ii;ii;m\\  iiiitrii<iri,\.  Tlir  iippti'  lij)  is  licaNil.v  aniicil  with  tiiick. 
;jtr<)a;j;'.  pt'llutiil  l»ii>llfs.  Tin-  nnsiiils  arc  soaicwliat  crcsccntic 
ill  --h.ipi',  placi'd  \  I'iiicaliv.  \\ilii  tlif  uppiT  i)ai'l  iiimc  ('\piUi<k'(l 
liiuii  tin-  lower,  and  iiciicf  iM'arsoiih-  rcsciiildaiict'  to  Iwo  coiii- 
mas  [ihu'cd  with  their  convex  siirlacis  toward  each  otiicr.  Tlio 
eyes  are  situated  rather  iii^h  up,  al»oi!t  midway  l»etweeii  tliu 
muzzle  and  I  he  occiput.  Tlie  ear  is  wliolly  destitute  ol"  a  pinna, 
l'oriiiiii;j:'  merely  an  oriliee  on  the  si(h'  (»!'  tlie  head  in  a  dee))  I'old 
otlhe  skin.  Tlie  most  ])romiiient  facial  <liaracter  in  tiie  adults 
is,  of  course,  tile  loiiu'  pn»triidin,u  upper  canines,  which  extend 
ll.'  to  lo  or  more  inches  beyond  the  rictus.  Tie'  neck  is  short, 
Itein,!;'  only  about  as  joiin-  ;;s  the  head:  it  ;;radually  thiekeus 
toward  the  body,  into  wliicli  it  insensibl\  nieri^es.  The,  body  is 
exceediii;;i,,  thick  and  luavy,  presentiiiu'  \  verywhere  a  rounded 
outline,  and  attainiiiL''  its  ;;reatest  eireuiiiference  at  the  shoiihh'rs. 
whence  it  uradnally  tapeis  i»osterit>rly.  The  tail  is  scarcely,  if 
at  all,  \  isible,  bein^i;' enclosed  within  tlie  te.iiUineiitsof  the  body. 
The  fore  limbs  are  free  only  from  tlieelltow;  as  in  the  J*iniiii>eds 
generally,  (hey  are  jireatl\  ex])aiided,  llai,  and  somewhai  fin- 
like,  !)ut  wilii  miK'li  more  t'reedom  of  motion  than  is  the  case  in 
tJK'  PltDvidiv.  They  are  armed  with  live  small  llat  nails,  i>laeed 
at  considerable  distance  from  the  end  of  the  cartilaginous  toe- 
tlap.  The  first  or  inner  diyit  is  sli;^litly  the  htni^'est,  the  others 
beiii;;-  each  stu-eessively  a  little  sliorter  till  the  fifth,  w  hich  nearly 
equals  the  first.  The  hind  liinl)  is  enclosed  within  the  te;;u- 
nieuts  of  the  body  nearly  to  the  heel;  the  free  portion  when 
expanded  is  lan-sha])e(l,  but  w  hen  (!losed  the  sides  are  nearly 
parallel.  The  first  and  fifth  digits  are  eousiderably  longer  and 
larger  than  the  middle  ones,  the  lifth  being  also  rather  larger 
than  the  lir.st.  They  are  all  ])r(n'ided  with  snndl  nails,  placed 
at  some  tlistanee  from  the  Knu\  of  the  toe-Hap.  The  soh's  of  both 
lore  and  hind  extremities  are  l)are,  rough,  and  '' warty,"' and 
the  dor.sal  surf aee  of  the  digits  as  far  as  tin;  jn'oximal  jdialanges 
is  also  devoid  of  liair.  In  the  young  and  middle-aged,  the  body 
is  rather  thiekly  eovere<l  with  short  hair,  which,  lio\V(;ver,  is 
thinner  and  shorter  on  the  ventral  surface  of  the  neck  and  body 
and  on  the  limbs  than  elsewiiere.  It  is  everywhere  of  a  yellow- 
ish-brown coh)r,  ex<!ept  on  the  belly  and  at  the.  ba.sc^  of  the  (lip- 
l)ers,  where  it  passes  into  dark  reddish-brown  or  chestinit.    The 


28 


onoM.KNTS    I.'oSMAIvTS A  TI-ANTir    WAI.IM'S. 


M 


!»ristlcs  HIT  |iiilt'  yellow  oi'  li.ulit  vfllowisli  lioi'iicoloi'.  In  old 
animals,  llir  hair  liccdiiii's  iiioi'c  scaiiiy,aiMl  oi'tiMi  i^ivcs  place  to 
nearly  hare  scai'red  |)alel."s,  rnwiiiently  ol'  <'onsi(leral»le  area. 
Very  old  indix  idaals  soMiet  iuies  heeoiiie  ainio.vt  naUcil,  [tresml- 
iii.U'  I  lie  same  apiii-araiii'i'  t  liai  lias  l»ceii  so  oil  en  oiiserxed  aiiioii.i:; 
\-ery  old  males  ol' t  !ie  AlasNaii  Walrus.  'I'lieskiii  is  e\(r>  \\  lii're 
more  or  less  wriiiUled  and  thrown  into  Idhls,  es|ireially  o\erlIie 
slionldei's,  where  t  lie  folds  are  dee|i  ami  liea\y.  'IMie  axerau'e 
Icii^i'lli  of  lour  adiill  males  e\amined  is  aliont  10.',  Icei.  \ar\in,u' 
from!).]  lo  11  i'eet.  .\iltliors,  however,  eoiiiiiionl.\  .ui\e  rather 
lar.u'er  dimensions,  and  a  length  ot'lwehc  feet  is  said  to  lie  not 
inrrei|iieiitly  attained.  The  lar,!;vst  Itristles  \ary  in  length  iVoin 
'J.L'."»  lo  LI.Tl  inches. 

Vnn>>  Dr.  Miirie's  paper  on  the  ;4('iieral  anatomy  ol'  a  yoiinji 
individual  I  add  a  few  riirtiicr  details.  Dr.  Miiiie  descrihes  the 
muzzle  as  capahli'  of  ureal  niohilily,  and  the  mxstaeial  hristlesas 
eiuviii;;'  in  dilfereiil  diicctioiis  aei-ordiiiu  to  the  imiseiilar  tension 
of  the  ]»arts  to  which  they  are  alt  ached.  •'When  the  nostrils  are 
rt'lax<'d  they  drop  fmwards  and  the  hristles  inwards.  At  such 
tiiiu'.s  tiie  n  arcs  are  apart  liilly  ].\  inch;  Itnt  when  they  are  <'oii- 
trii<!ted  a  septnm  ((.(»  of  an  inch  wide  only  divides  them.  ( )cca 
.sionally,  when  alive,  I  observed  tiie  animal  retiacf  its  upper  lip, 
a.s  ii  do<^  would  in  snarling';  and  this  caused  a  deep  furrow  in 
the  fii(;ial  region.     'I'his  chanj;*'  in  the  features  ;;i\es  (piite  a 

dilVereid  expression    to  the  pliysiouiiomy When  seen 

in  front  and  from  above,  tlie  face  lias  a  most  curious  expression, 
recalling  to  mind  that  of  the  <-raiiiiiiii  of  an  lOlephant  rather  than 
the  Walrus's  ally  (Harln.  The  auricular  rej^ion  t  hen  ac(iuires 
a  proniiueut  as]MH!t,as  do  tin;  orbits.  The  f;real  breadth  of  the 
ini    zhi  also  comes  out  better.     The  face  is  entirely  hairy  to  the 

roots  of  the  bristles On  the  lower  surface  of  the  muzzle 

and  cliin,  tlu!  upper  lip  pa.s.se.s  one  iueh  beyond  the  h)wer  lip,  and 
the  Hiioiit,  with  its  adpress«'d  bri.slles,  one  <n;  two  inches  beyond 
that.  A  portion  of  the  upper  rosy  lip,  in  this  view,  is  .seen  Ihiiist 
upwards  or  puckered  outside  the  canines.  These  upper  canine 
teeth,  which  yrow  t«)  iiia.ssive  tusks  in  the  adult  and  ai^cd  Wal 
ru.ses,  in  ours  had  lilth^  more  than  ])rotruded  beyond  the  iiian<lib 
ular  lips.  The  chin  and  anterior  portion  of  the  thioal  are  scry 
hairy;  this  ilimiiiishes  backwards;  and  on  the  throat  the  almost 
liairK'.ss  skin  is  thrown  into  lon;j;ilndinal  and  parallel  narrowish 
flat-topped  ruya',"* 

'  TiMiis,  /..lil.  Sipi-.  hoiii!.,  lH7'i,  viil,  vli,  i>.  Il'.t. 


KXTKk.NAL    CIIARAOTKHS, 


2\) 


III  respect  lo  llie  iiiystacial  l)ii.stles,  Dr.  Millie's  li^^iii*  s  of  tiie 
lieail  iiiid  iiiii/zle  of  tln^  .Voiiiijf  s|)e<-iiiieii  desciilted  \ty  liini 
(drawn  lioiii  |)lioti<;;i'apii,s,  sniiie  tVoiii  the  liviii;;  animal)  rejt- 
resent  tlieiii  as  (|iiite  Ion;;',  tlie  loii;L;<'st  lieiii^' sai<l  to  i)e  Iroiii  1  to 
.")  iiielies  in  length,  and  those  of  the  siih'sof  the  inii//le  as  «Mirv- 
in;:  inward  and  iiearl.v  iiieetiii};'  luiieatli  the  eiiin.  liaiiiont  als(i' 
speaks  of  tliein  as  heiii*;'  in  tiie  adult  it  inches  in  leli^dli.  Iliilil- 
llloii  descriiies  the  Orkney  specimen  as  liaviii;;'  the  larj^est 
neailv  ■")  inches  in  len;;tli,  "and  as  tlii<!k  as  a  'riiriisirs  (piill.'' 
Dr.  Kane  says:  "'i'lie  cheeks  and  lips  are  completely  masked  by 
the  lieav\  (piilllike  luistles."  'i'lie  authors  of  the  history  of  the 
Swedisii  expedition  to  Spitzl»erj;en  and  iJear  Island  in  IS(»l 
stale  that  they  are  I  inches  loii-i'  and  nearly  a  line  thick.*  In 
tlie  four  or  live  adult  male  speeiiiiens  I  have  had  the  opportu- 
iiil,\  of  e\aii:iniii,ii,  lhee\seiled  pt»rl  ions  of  t  he  longest  luistles 
were  less  lliaii  .!  inches  in  len.ulii.aiid  when  e\tracled  measured 
scarcely  more  I  liaii  \\,  1  he  shortest  Immii;;  mere  points  project  in;;' 
liiiiiiiuli  liie  skill.  I'roiii  Dr.  .Millie's  liunres  aiwl  description  of 
Ihc  Noiiiiu,  and  from  other  accoiiiils,  it  would  seem  that  the 
liii>lles  lu'come  slioilcr  in  adult  life,  heiiii;-  |)erliai)s  worn  oil 
hy  coiistaiil  friclioii.  Tlie  itrislles  in  the  specimens  I  have  sfteii 
JMiic  no  rcsciiildaacc  lo  l!ie  lon.i;'  curving' luistles  i'i;;iired  and 
dcsciilied  hy  Dr.  Miiiir  as  existing' in  the  yoiiiiu  animal.  They 
were  coiisider.ihly  (oiiethirdj  longer,  however,  in  tin;  ycainu'est 
of  four  specimriis  in  I'rofessor  Ward's  collection  than  in  the 
oldcsi.  uiviiiu  siipjioit  to  llic  oiiiiiion  already  slated  that  llie\ 
itccome  shorter  as  the  animal  advances  in  a^'ct 

.\s  already  noted,  the  fore  feel  are  formed  much  as  in  other 
IMniiipeds,  more  nearly  aurecin;^',  however,  with  those  of  the 
()liirli(l(f  {h:i\\  with  those  of  the  t'kocitliv,  esjtecially  with  res])ect 
to  freedom  of  movement,  having'  the  power  of  pronation  and 
supination  to  a  considerable  decree.  "In  the  Walrus,"  says  Dr. 
Millie,  '•ihe  hiimeriis,  radius,  and  ulna  can  he  so  placed  that 
liiey  meel  at  ail  acute  aii^le,  the  lower  limb  of  which  is  in  a 
uivat  measure  fre<'.  '{"lie  dibits,  on  the  other  hand,  can  to.i'ellier 
he  t iiriied  backwards  at  a  sliari»  alible  with  the  radius  and  ulna, 
>o  that  the  bones  of  the  limbs  altouellier  forai  an  S  ■shaped 
liUiire.     In  the  Heal  tlii^  anlibraciiiiiiii  and  dibits  bend  on  each 


i'' 


f: 


Sfc  l';isMir;i(''.H  GcniiMii  tiimsliilidii,  p.  i:i'J. 
t  hi  J',ill;is's  li;;  I  111  ■fill  lliH  "Icoili's'")  of  ;i  \  nini;;  i\;nii|il<'  oC  llir  I'lnilic  Wnl- 
nis,  llic  iiiysliU'iiil  luisllcH  arc  irin'csculcd  as  very  luiii;-,  as  in  llic  vnmi^ of 
11k:  Allaiilic  species. 


30 


ODOILENTS    }{()SMAl{rs — ATLANTIC    WAI.KTS. 


I'.   V, 


■  r'\ 


other  more  iiiiniiliiily,  tliiis  < In  tlic  net  of  swiniiniiiii 

the  Wiilnis  cv  itlciilly  ciiii  use  its  lore  limb  iis  \\\v  jis  tlic  cUiow. 
with  ;i  kind  of  rotiiry  movi'iiiciit  (>;  the  maims  and  iiiitiliracliimii; 
Init  in  the  Seal  liic  lotaiy  a<'tii)n  takes  phice  only  at  the  wrist, 
and  al»o\('  that  a  sort  ol'^inylynioid  of  hack  and  I'oiwaid  mo\c- 
nient." 

••The  pahnar  snrfaee  or  sole  of  {lie  nianns  is  not  r.iiiiKe  a  par- 
hji'  sliovel  in  li;iiire.  'I'heic  is  a  .!;reat  eallons.  ron,i;hei;»'d  and 
warty  pad  at  the  ]>roximal  eml  or  l»all  of  tlie  hand:  an<l  this. 
from  diseoloration  inei(h'nt  to  nse.  is  ol"  an  intense  dark  Itrown 
or  ahnost  hlaek  eoh)nr.  J-'rom  the  radial  margin,  where  it  is 
stoutest  and  ron,i;liest,  it  tri-nds  towards  the  hasi'  of  the  lifth 
diyil.  ('irenmserii)ed  dij-ital  jtads,  as  in  ('arni\<»ra.  there  are 
none;  bnt  furrows  and  ridjics  traverse  ol)litinel\  forwards  the 
policial  to  the  opposite^  sid<'."  This  ''remarkable  ronuh  and 
warty  palmar  snrfaee,''  eoidinnes  Dr.  ,Murie,  ••  affords  altovc 
everythinii'  a  stay  and  tiria  leverajj;e  on  slippery  ground;  no 
stoekinj;  or  wisp  of  straw  used  by  nnin  to  bind  round  the  foot 
Avlu'ii  on  smo(»th  ice  can  ecpial  nature's  ]»rovisi(»n  of  coarse  te,i;u- 
inentary  papilla'."  Also,  '"The  anj;le  at  which  the  cari)o-meta- 
carjjal  Joint  is  set,  and  the  Aery  odd  manner  of  foot-implanta- 
tion on  the  ground,  namely,  seunretroveited,  evidently  make  it 
an  easier  task  to  go  forwar<ls  or  upwards  on  a  smooth  surface 
than  to  retrograde."*  The  hind  foot  (pes)  is  similarly  rough- 
ened and  furrowed.  The  notion  ad\ance<l  by  Sir  Everard 
nomc,t  that  the  feet  of  the  Walrus  were  ])rovided  with  suc- 
torial power,  like  that  of  the  disk  of  a  lly's  foot,  by  which  they 
were  enabled  to  maintain  lirm  footing  on  smooth  ice  andioeks, 
Dr.  jVIurie  considers  untenable,  ^o  one  who  has  evei'  s(^en 
a  Walrus  walk,  says  Dr.  Murie,  could  for  a  momert  supi)0se 
that  its  massive  weight  was  sustained  by  a  pedal  vacuum,  as  in 
a  fly's  foot. 

As  regards  the  proportionate  size  of  the  limbs,  the  fore  limbs, 
in  an  animal  8  to  10  feet  long,  are  stated  by  Edwards,f  to  meas- 
ure from  the  "  shoulder  joint  to  the  linger  ends,  two  feet ;  expan- 
sion, one  foot;  the  hind  limbs  measuring  twenty -two  inches,  and 
extending,  when  outstretched,  eighteen  inches  beyond  the  body, 
with  an  expansion  of  two  feet."  Scoresbj'  says  the  fore  feet  are 
"from  two  to  two  and  a  lialf  feet  in  length,  and  being  expansive 


*Traus.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  vol.  vii,  1872,  pp.  420,  421. 

tPhil.  Trans.,  1824,  pp.  2:j:J-2:{5,  pi.  iv. 

{MSS.  as  quoted  by  Rioliardson,  Siippl.  Parry's  See.  Voy.,  p.  '340. 


EXTKIiXAJ.    ClIAHACTEUS. 


31 


uiiiy  1)0  slictclicd  to  the  bivailtli  ul"  lil'tccn  to  i'i;;liti'cii  iiiclic.s." 
The  hind  feet,  he  says,  have  a  h'ii{;th  ol"  ''about  two  to  two  and  a 
lialt'i'eet,"  tlie  breadth,  when  luUy  extended  beinj^-  "two  and  a 
halt'to  three  feet."* 

l)v,  (lilpint  yives  altoiit  the  same  dimensions  for  a  specimen 
lli  feet  htnu.  namely,  fore-liiit[)ers,  leiiutii  1'  feet;  breadtli  13 
inehes;  hiixl  liippers.  h'n,i;th  2U  inches,  breadtli  (when  stretched) 
2  feet  («  iu'-hes.  Dr.  Murie  "^ives  for  a  .specimen  abont  7'^  feet 
ionu:  from  shouhler-Joint  to  extreme  end  of  lirst  di^it,  l*oi 
iiiciies;  extreme  h'n;;tii  from  os  cah-is  to  tip  of  lifth  dijiit,  ll.\ 
JMcIies;  extreme  lueadth,  when  ibrciltly  distended,  13  inches. 
3Iy  own  measurements,  taken  from  three  unmounted  skins  of 
acbdt  mah's  lueserved  in  salt  in  the  collection  of  I'rof.  Henry 
A.  Wardof  liochester,  are  as  follows:  manus,  from  carpal  .joint 
to  end  of  dijiits,  1-4  to  15  inches;  transverse  diameter  at  l)ase, 
OA  to  10  inciies;  pes,  from  tarsal  joint  to  end  of  longest  digit, 
15  to  18  inches;  transverse  diameter  at  tarsus,  about  7  inehes. 
The  rigidity  of  the  feet  did  not  permit  of  ready  expansion. 

In  respect  to  the  tail,  Dr.  Murie  says:  "  Strictly  speaking, 
the  Walrus  possesses  no  free  tail,  as  do  the  Fhockld'  and  Ota- 
riidce;  for  a  broad  web  of  skin  stretches  across  from  os  caleis  to 
OS  caleis,  envelojting  the  caudal  representative.  This  remarka- 
ble elastit!  inembrano-tegumentary  expansion,  reminding  one  of 
the  more  delicate  web  sindlarly  situated  in  Bats,  has  posteri- 
orly, when  the  legs  are  outspread,  a  wide  semilunar  border 
with  little  if  any  incdio-caudal  projection.  What  appears  as  a 
tail  Avhen  the  limbs  are  approximated  is  in  reaMty  fibroid  tissue 
and  skin ;  for  the  caudal  vertebrai  stop  short  about  an  inijh  from 
the  fi'ee  margin."  | 

The  niuuber  of  uiauima)  is  stated  by  various  writers  to  be 
foui".  According  to  Edwards  (as  quoted  by  Richardson  §),  these 
are  placed,  in  the  adult,  15  inches  apart,  in  the  comers  of  a 
quadrangle  having  the  umbilicus  in  the  centre.  Owen  and 
Miuie  give  them  as  "  two  abdominal  and  two  inguinal." 

In  respect  to  general  size,  authors  vary  greatly  in  their  state- 
ments, the  length  ranging  for  adults  from  about  10  to  12  and 
even  15  or  IG  feet,  while  the  weight  given  ranges  from  1,500  to 
5,000  pounds !  Among  what  may  be  termed  recent  writers,  Parry 

*At"joinit  of  Arctic  Kcf^ions,  vol.  i,  p.  503. 

tProc.  and  Trans.  Nova  Scotia  lust.  Xat.  Sci.,  vol.  ii,  i)t.  3,  p.  123. 

t  Trans.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  vol.  vii,  p.  425. 

iJSnppl.  to  Parry's  Sec.  Voyage,  p.  340. 


r. 


m 


?*•(! 


82  (»l»(ih/i;M  S    KOSMAIM'H — AThANTK;    WALUr.S. 

ffixt's  ilic  \v<'i;ilil  nf  ;i  " iiMMlciiih' si/cd  H'niiilc,"  hut  evidently 
iViMii  his  jHToiiiil  «|iiilc  voiiiiy,  iis  I, ."»,"»(»  poiiiKls.  Scoicshy  Hiiys : 
"Thr  \\';ihiis  is  IuiiikI  dii  the  shores  «»I' S|»il/I»'i';i('ii  IavcIvo  to 
'lil'lct'ii  h'ct  ill  h'ii;;lh  and  ri/^hl  to  ten  in  riiciiiiifcrciirc."*  Dr. 
(iil|Mii  ;;iv<',s  the  w<'i;,dit  of  ii  lull  ;;ro\vii  male  as  L',L'r)(>,  while.  La- 
nioiit  says  a  lull  ;; row ii  old  male  will  wei;,di  at  least.  .'5,000 
])oiiiids.f  Aside,  t'loiii  Dr.  .Miirie's  iiieasiireiiieiits  ol'a  .voiiiit^spe- 
ciiiieii,  I  have  iii(;t,  witli  iiodetaihid  liieasiii-eiiieids  «)!' the,  Atlan- 
tic Walrus,  exeepi  thosi!  j,'iv(^n  by  I)i'.  <lil|>iii,|:  whieli  are,  as  fol- 
lows : 

I'-t.     III. 
JlxiniiK!  length 12      3 

j,iii-iii  <.r  ii.aii I     r, 

111  cm  I  111  of  iiiii/,/lc 1  0 

J  li--l,iiir<'  I'lniii  ii(>s<^  tr>  vyi' 0  H 

l)i^I;ilii(j  hcl  Wren  ryi'M 0  lii 

J",  \lrliMion  (if  t  ll-.k    lir\(ili(l  1  lie  llionlll     I  II 

]  li,->liilicc  111'  IiisUn  ;i|i:i|'I  ;it   Iiusc 0  J 

]  lisl.inii'  of  lilsUs  :i|i;irl  :it  (i|is 0  II 

Ij(Ii;;||i  (if  fciiv  ||i|i|i(f U  U 

ISlvjiillli  ,,f  foil    llipiirr I  I 

Li'iiy;lli  of  hi  Ml  I  lli|i|pir 1  In 

Urcadlli  of  liiiiil  lli|i|ii  T,  ilislimliil 2  <i 

Thick iHss  of  skill 0  I 

'J'hickiicssof  hjiilihcr il  I A 

\V'ci;ill(  siiiij  III  he  'I'l  i\\  t. 

I'leiiiiiiu  §  oivcs  the  leiioth  of  the  Walrus  as  \~>  I'eet,  with  a 
ciieiiiiit'erenee  at.  the  shoulders  of  Id  feet  ;  and  the  leiiii'th  of  the 
tiisUs  as  L'tl  iiH-hes.  Ilaniiltoii  I  savs  an  iiiilix  idiial  Uilled  inOrlc- 
lie\ .  ill  ISLM,  whieli  he  saw,  '•  was  alioiil  ten  feet  in  leiio(li,"  with 
the  head  \'.'>S  inches  in  lenj^lli.  From  the  si/e  of  the  lusk.s  (ex- 
serted  S.j  inches)  it  ajipears  to  lia\c  been  far  from  fidly  ;(rowii. 
Daiilieiitoii  j^i\es  the  leiiulli  of  the  specimen  he  described  as 
lU  feel,  with  a  eirci  I  inference  at  t  In-shoiilders  of  S  I'eet.     Ijuniont 

'Acromil  of  the  .\irl.   I.'c;^.,   vol.  i,  |i.  .'ifi-,'. 

>.Mr.  I.aiiioiil,  ill  his  •'Sca.soiis  willi  the  Sca-hor.scs"  (p.  — i,  ;;ivc.s  llic 
vii;;iil  of  an  old  male  as  il.noii  |ioiiinN.  Imf  in  his  "  Yachfiii^;  in  I  Ik;  Arctic 
Seas"  (p.  "'.I),  he  says,  "A  fiill-si/eil  ohl  hull  Walrus  imist  weiyli  iit  least. 
GjCiMi  Ijis..  anil  ,-.iich  a  Walrus,  if  \eiy  fat,  will  inoiluee  Ci.'iO  Ihs.  of  Iilnbber, 
bul  sehloiii  niore  I  hail  7MI)  Ihs.,  whieli  is  I  think  the  iinnuic  :inioiint 
yiclileil  li\  till  1I10-.I  ohese  of  our  \  ill  iiiis."  lie  speaks,  luiwever,  ill  aiioflicu 
place  (p.  !-;(),  of  one  that  ''yiehleil  hetwccn  70it  ami  -0(1  ]ii)un<l.s  of  fat." 
Tlie  wei^^hl  of  llie  entile  :iiiimal,  as  last  estim.aleil  hy  Mr.  li.'imoiit,  isjiro))- 
ably  much  loo  eicat. 

trii"'.  'V  Trans.  Nosa  Scotia  Inst.  ,\al.  Sci.,  vol.  ii,  ]it.  :!,  |i)i.  V.l'.),  121. 

^Mlist.  Ihil.  Mam.,  l^i-',  p.  H. 

lir.iitish  'nail.,  p.  '.'•..':!. 


'•I 


I 


r,XTi:i.'NAi-  ciiAi.'AfTr.ifs. 


33 


sfM'iiKs  III'  li;i\iiiLi  <x*t\  niic  <lii\  "ii  '.civ  liir;;"'  iiinl  fill  <'(iu,"||m 
IciiL'.tli  olwliicli  lie  L;i\  <•>  .IS  II  I'tTl  ."» iiiclics.*  Mvnuri  iiM-a^iiic- 
iiK'iils  III'  lliii'i-  ihIiiII  iii:ilrs  rruiii  iilisl  iin'iil  (Milltilj  sKiii-i  :il'i-  :ih 
I'liHows:  (I)  li'lljilli  (I'lnni  liosi'  ti»  lilil),  10  I'ril  ■"»  imliivs;  (J)!»  I'l'i-I, 
i'l  iiirlii's;  (;;)  10  li'it  III  iiiclics;  (l)S  fi-cl  o  inilics.  'i'lii-  liist, 
lliirr  Will"  I'lilly  inliill,  w  liili-  uiii-  ■if  I  Ill-Ill.  Id  jilili^r  I'imiii  il^ 
hroKiii,  wmii  liisks;iii«l  |>iiilly  ii;ik«Ml,  sciincd  skin.  Wiis  \<'r\  nlil ; 
tlic  oIIkt  \v;is  iiiiI  iiiori'  tli;iii  Iwu  lliiids  ;;r"\\"-  'llii'si'  iii;i\  :ill 
li;i\r  lii'cii  s|i('riiiH'li.s  ol'  less  tliiili  I  he  ;i\  riilj^i'  sizi-.  AiMilij;, 
liowiMT,  l."»  lo  IH  iiu'lu's  lor  I  he  l<'n;;lli  ol"  llic  liiiHlliml*  (in>'  iii'ii- 
ilirlllilfil),  wiiiilil  ;^i\i';i  irii;4tli  ol'  ;il>i»iit  IL'  I'lrt  lor  lln-  l;ii;;»'r 
iliili\  iilliills.^ 

Most  ol'  t  lie  old  w  lilcis  wcir  coiilctil  wit  li  stilt  in;;'  it  to  lie  iis 
hiip'iis  iiii  o\  :iiiil  ;is  thick  iis  ;i  Iio^^sIkmiI.  'I'Iic  iiccoiiiits  of  lli<^ 
color  iirr  iilso  ilisci'c|Kiiit  ;  I'liiiriciiis's  stiitciiiciit  Hint  llic  color 
\;iiics  V  ''li  ii;^!',  Ilic  voilli;,'^  liciii;;  liliick,  tiicji  (|iisk.\,  liitcr  |»;ilcr, 
iiiid  liii.ill.\  ill  old  ;i,iic  white,  luiviiij;'  Itccii  (|iiot(d  it.v  most  suit- 
sc(|iiciit  coiii|)ilcis.  Writers  who  liiivc  ;;i\cii  the  color  I'loiii 
iictiiiil  oliscr\!itioii  li;i\c  never,  however,  coidiriiied  l''id»riciiis's 
;iccoiiiit,  they  iisiiiilly  descrilMii;;'  tln'  c'olor  of  IIm^  hair  iis  "yel- 
lowish hrowii,"  "yellowish  jiijiy,"  "  tauiiy,"  ''very  Ii<;ht  yellow- 
ish-;;ray,"  etc.,  some  of  whom  explicitly  state  that  after  (;xteiid<'(l 
oliservatioiis  tliey  have  never  met  with  the  chaii;^e,s  of  color 
with  a;;('  noted  hy  l-'aliriciiis.  TlmH,  Mr.  Ivohert,  l»rown  say.s 
that  althonjili  he  has  seen  Walruses  of  all  staj^os,  from  Itiitli 
until  nearly  mature  aj;e,  he  never  saw  any  of  a  l)la<;k  color,  all 
hf'inj;'  of"  the  ordinary  hrown  color,  though,  like  mo.st  animals, 
they  ;,'et  lijilifer  as  tln^y  {i;v()\v  old."|  Scorcsby  says  that  the 
skin  of  the  Walrus  is  coverod  "with  a  short  'llowish-brown 
coloied  liair."§ 

Dr.  (lilpin  stat<'H  that  Ids  Jiahrador  siHtcinuMi  was  thinly  cov- 
ered with  "  a<li>resse,d  li};ht  yellowish-f^reen  hair,"  about  an  inch 
in  len^'th.     lie  jwlds  that  the,  siirfju!»!  of  the.  whole  skin  was 


mmm 


34 


()Doba:m:s  uosmaruh — atlanthj  walrus. 


1 


I  i 


covcivd  by  "sciU's  iiiul  bald  warty  patches,"  and  tbat  tbo  skin 
itsi'b"  was  tbrowii  hito  "  welts  and  folds''  <»ii  tlu'  neck  and  slioul- 
deis. 

Mv.  Ibown  Ihrther  says  that  "  the,  very  circumstantial  account 
of  tlie  number  of  mystacial  bristles  given  in  some  accounts  is 
ni(»st  erroneous;  they  vary  in  the  lunnber  of  rows  and  in  the 
numlM'i'  in  each  row  in  almost  every  specimen.  They  are  ele- 
vatt'd  on  a  minute  tubercle,  and  tiie  spaces  between  these  bris- 
tles are  covered  with  downy  whitish  hairs."* 

Many  other  writers  also  note  the  scars  and  warty  i)atches  and 
partial  absence  of  hair  n'ferred  to  above  by  l>r.  (rili)in.  Mr. 
Brown,  in  speakinj;  of  those  he  met  with  in  Davis  .Straits,  says: 
^'  I  iiavc  seen  an  old  Walrus  <|uite  spotted  with  leprous-lookinji' 
marks  consisting  of  irregular  tubercular-looking  whiter  carti- 
laginous hau'less  blotches;  they  api»eart  d  to  be  the  cicatrices 
of  woumls  inliicted  at  dilfercnt  times  by  ice,  tlu'  claws  of  the 
Polar  Uear,  or  nu't  witli  in  the  wear  and  tear  »>f  tiie  rough-and- 
tnndde  life  a  Sea-horse  must  lead  in  X.  hit.  7  P."*  ^Ir.  Lamont 
further  adds  that  in  the  Spitsbergen  seas  the  "old  bulls  are 
always  very  light-colored,  from  being  nearly  devoid  of  liair: 
their  skins  ai'e  rough  and  rugose,  like  tliat  of  a  Hidnoceros. 
and  they  are  gt-nerally  quite  covered  with  scars  and  wounds, 
inlbcted  l)y  harpoons,  hinces,  aiul  bullets  wiiich  they  have 
escaped  from,  as  well  as  by  tlie  tusks  of  one  another  in  tights 
.init.ug  themsehes.''t  From  these  reports,  especially  tiiat  of 
Mr.  IJrowM,  Dr.  'riei  ]ias  iid'erred  that  the  Walrus  is  subject 
to  skin  diseas  hat  the;  ''glandular  spots*'  thus  produced 

are  mista'  liealed  cutaneous  \\ounds.''     However  this 

may  be.  etty  well  established  that  many  of  these  marks 

are  reall^>      ars  of  wounds. 

Respecting  other  external  characters,  especially  the  tusks, 
and  their  variations  with  age,  sex,  and  accidental  causes,  I 
transcribe  the  following  from  Mr.  Lamont's  entertaining  book, 
which  will  be  found  s(»  freely  ([noted  in  subsequent  ])ages: 
"Old  bulls,"  he  obser\-es,  •<■  very  fre(iuently  have  oue  or  both 
of  their  tusks  broken,  whi(!h  may  arise  from  using  them  to  assist 

in  chunbering  up  the  i(,'e  and  rocks The  calf  has  n(» 

tirsks  the  lirst  year,  but  the  second  year,  when  he  has  attained 
to  about  the  size  of  a  large  Seal,  he  has  a  i)air  al)out  as  large  as 

*l*ioc.  ZoiJl.  .Soc.  Loud.,  IciiJd,  p.  l-'cr. 
t Seasons  with  tlio  .Smi-Uoi'ses,  p.  i;57. 
ITraiiy.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  vol.  vii,  167'.i,  p.  122. 


44 


KXTF.HNAL    CIIAIIACTKRS. 


35 


I 


tlu'  fiiiiiiieteethofa  lion ;  tlu'  tliinl  year  tln'y  lire  about  .six  inches 
lon^. 

"Tnsks  vary  very  ""K'h  i"  >^^'/'^'  i"'<l  shape  aeeordiny  to  the  ago 
and  st'x  of  tlie  animal.  A  //or*// />^<//-()l' hnll's  tasks  may  be  stated 
as  twenty-lour  inehes  lon<;',*  and  lour  jxmnds  apiece  in  weight; 
but  we  obtained  several  pairs  above  tliese  dimensions,  and  in 
particular  one  pair,  which  measured  thirty-one  inehes  in  length 
when  taken  out  of  tlie  head,  and  woi;;hed  eight  pounds  each. 
► 'uch  a  pair  of  tusks,  however,  is  extremely  rare,  and  I  never, 
ti»  the  best  of  my  belief,  saw  a  pair  nearly  eciualto  them  among 
more  than  one  thousand  Walruses,  although  wc  took  the  utmost 
pains  to  secure  the  best,  and  always  inspected  the  tusks  care- 
fully with  a  glass  before  we  tired  a  shot  or  threw  a  harpoon. 

•'  ( "ows'  tusks  will  anraiic  fully  as  long  as  bulls',  from  being  less 
liabh^  to  b(!  broken,  but  tlu\y  are  seldom  wo/r  than  twenty  inches 
long  and  three  ])onnds  each  in  weight.  Tiiey  are  generally  sot 
much  ('loser  together  than  the  bull's  tusks,  sometimes  overlap- 
ping one  another  at  the  points,  as  in  the  case  with  the  stuft'ed 
specimen  at  the  British  .Mus<Mim.  The  tusks  of  old  bull::!,  on  tho 
contrary,  generally  diverge  from  one  another,  being  sometimes 
as  much  as  lifteen  inches  apart  at  the  points."  t 

Mr.  Uritwn  observes:  "The  whalers  declare  that  tlie  female 
Walrus  is  without  tusks;  I  have  certainly  secMi  females  without 
them,  Ijut,  again,  others  with  both  well  developed.  In  tl  is  re- 
spect it  may  be  similar  to  the  female  Narwhal,  which  has  occa- 
sionly  no  'horn'  deveh)ped." J 

Captain  Pirry  states  that  (Japtaui  Lyon  obtained  the  head  of 
a  small  Wain.'  remarkable  on  accoimt  of  its  having  three  tusks, 
all  very  short,  out  two  of  them  close  together  on  the  right  side 
of  the  jaw,  and  placed  one  behind  the  other.  § 

Scorcsby  gives  the  length  of  tho  tusks  externally  as  from  "  teu 
to  tifteen  inches,"  and  their  full  length  when  cut  from  tho  skull 
as  from  "  fifteen  to  twenty,  sometimes  almost  thirty,"  and  their 
weight  as  from  "  live  to  ten  pounds  each,  or  upward."  || 

The  sexual  diflbreuces  described  by  Lamout  were  long  since 

*  This  i)rol)iilily  includes  thoir  wliolo  length  when  r.  taoved  li'om  the  sock- 
ets, of  which  jtrobably  not  more  than  eighteen  to  iveuty  inches  wore  ex- 
liosed  in  life. 

t  Loc.  (it.,  ])]}.  rj7-140. 

IProc.  Zool.  jSoc.  Lond.,  ISliS,  p.  4:29. 

S^  Xarrativo  of  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  415. 

11  Account  of  the  Arctic  Kcgions,  vol.  i,  p.  503.  ' 


i-i 


S  >■ 


^1^ 


iK 


m 


!^-'' 


3G 


ODOBvENUS  KOSMAKUS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


suspected  by  AVieji'inaiiu  luitl  Staniiius  (see  (intca,  p.  11>),  who 
believed  that  the  Jeiiiale  liad  longer,  sk'udeier,  and  more  eoji- 
veryiny  tusks  thau  the  male.  Tlu.'re  is  also  a  speeimeu  in  the 
collection  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoiilogy,  Cambridge, 
ill  which  the  tusks  are  very  long  and  slender,  and  eoii^^-ge 
to  such  a  degree  that  their  points  actually  o\erlai). 

Ill  concluding  this  rat!ierrand)ling  notice  of  the  external  cliar- 
acteis  and  aspect  of  the  Atlantic  Walrus,  I  append  the  (juaint 
and  very  correct  description  of  tins  animal,  Avritti'U  by  the  mis- 
siouary  Egede  as  early  as  1740.  I  give  it  from  Kriinitz's  Ger- 
man translation  from  the  original  Danish : 

"Der  Walh'oss,  oder  das  Meerpferd,  ist  eine  Art  \on  Fisch, 
desseu  Gestalt  einem  Seehunde  gleicliLjmmt:  jed  .-h  ist  es 
Aveit  grosser  uiul  stiirker.  Seine  Pfoten  sind  mit  fii  f  Klaueu 
verseheu,  wie  die  I'foteu  des  Seehuudes ;  doch  kiir/er  von  Xil- 
geln ;  uud  der  Kopf  is  dicker,  ruuder  und  stiirker.  Die  Uaut 
diescis  Thieres  ist,  vornehmlich  am  liaise,  einen  Daumen  dick, 
imd  aller  Orten  faltig,  uud  runzlig.  Es  luit  eiu  dickes  und 
bratmes  Haar.  In  dem  obern  Kiuubacken  sitzeu  zwey  ki-umme 
Ziibne,  welche  aus  dem  Muiide  liber  der  Unterlipi)e  hervorrageu ; 
und  eiueu  oder  zwey  Fuss  lang,  uud  bisweileu  aueh  wohl  noch 
liinger  siud.  Die  WaUi'osszalme  sind  in  eben  solcliem  Werth, 
als  die  Elephanteuziihue.  luwendig  siud  sie  dicht  iiud  fest,  au 
dor  Wurzel  aber  hold.  Seiu  Maul  ist  wie  eiu  Ochsenmaul; 
uuton  iind  oben  mit  staclilichten  Borsten,  in  der  Dicke  eines 
Strohhalms,  besetzt,  uud  dieso  dieuen  ihm  anstatt  eines  Bartes. 
Oberhalb  des  Mundes  sind  zwey  Naselocher,  wie  bey  dem  See- 
hunde. Seine  rothe  xUigen  seheu  ganz  feurig  aus ;  und  weil 
sein  Hals  ganz  ausserordentlich  dick  ist,  kanu  er  nicht  leicht 
um  sicli  herum  selien ;  und  dieserhalb  dreht  er  die  Augeu  im 
Kopfe  horum,  waun  er  etwas  ansehen  will.  Er  hat,  gleich  dem 
Seehunde,  einen  sehi*  kurzen  Schwauz.  Seiu  Fleisch  hat  eine 
Aehnlichkeit  mit  dem  Schweinenlleische.  Es  pflegt  sich  tlieses 
Thier  mehrentheils  auf  dem  Else  aufzuhalten.  Indesseu  kann  es 
so  lange  auf  dem  Lande  bleiben,  bis  es  der  Hunger  niithigt,  in 
die  See  zu  gehen ;  iudem  es  sich  von  deuen  Fischen  und  Meer- 
Insokteu  uiiter}  ilt.  Wdun  es  im  Zorne  ist,  briillt  es  wie  ein 
Ochs.  Die  Meerpferde  smd  beherzt,  und  stehen  sich  eiuander 
bis  in  dea  Tod  bey.  Sic  leben  in  bestiindigem  Kriege  mit  denen 
Biiren,  denen  sie  mit  ihreii  grossen  und  starken  Ziihnen  genug 
zu  schaffen  machen.    Oefters  tragen  sie  den  Sieg  davon;  und 


.il 


KXTKHX/  T>    (FrARACTKUS. 


'■>  7 


■woniji'stciis  kiiiiii>l<'ii  sic  so  hiiiuc,  I»is  si(>  todt  ziir  lOnlc  iiicdcr- 
faiU'ii."* 

AiHitlicr  iiftiMiiit  of  the  Wiilnis,  lioiii  its  hciiii;'  one  of  tiic 
Oiirlicst  extant,  is  also  of  espcciiil  iiilcrest  in  tlie  present  cou- 
iieetioii.  'riionj»li  repeatedly  eo})ie(l,  in  part  or  wlioll.v,  l»y  tlio 
earliei'  authors,  and  also  l»y  von  J':u'r,  I  tliink  it  deseivin.n'  of 
reprodnetion  here.  It  was  written  by  Irof.  A.  E.  Yorst,  and  was 
based  on  the  yonnj;  specimen  taken  to  llolhuitt  in  lOl.'J.  It  is 
liere  c()pi<'d  from  I)e  Laet  (l)escrip.  [ndiic  Occident.),  by  wlioni  it 
was  pnbli.slied  in  HJ.'>;>: 

"BeUuain  lian<;  niaiinani  vidi,  inagnitndlne  vituli,  aut  eanis 
Britannici  majoris,  Plioc.T  non  diasimilem;  capite  rotnndo,  ocu- 
lis  bovillis,  naribns  depcessis  ac  patulis,  (luos  modo  contralie- 
bat,  modo  dicbicebat,  auriiim  loco  ntrinquc  foramina;  rictns 
oris  rotnndo  nee  ita  \asto,  snperiori  parte  aut  labro  mystaca 
gestabat  setis  cartilaj>ineis,  erassis  ac  ri<iidis  constantem.  Infe- 
rior maxilla  tri,ii'onaerat,linyuacrassabrevis(pie,at(pieosinterins 
dentibnsplanisntrini(|ue  mnnitnm,  pedibns  anterioribns  posteri- 
oribnsqne  latis,  at{xneextremacori)oris])arte  I'hoeam  nostratem 
plane  referebat.  Pedes  anteriores  antrorsum,  ])osteriores  retror- 
sumspectabaidcuminyrederetur.  I)i<;itiquin(piemend)ranain- 
tersepiente  distincti,  eaqne  crassa,  postericn-ibus  diuitis  unjiues 
impositi,  non  prioribns,  canda  ]>lane  carebat.  I'ostica  parte 
repebat  magis  quam  incedebat.  Cute  (^rassa,  coreacea,  pilisque 
brevibus  ac  temiisibus  obsita  vestiebatur,  colore  cinereo.  Grun- 
nitum  apri  instar  edebat,  sen  crocitabat  voce  gravi  et  valida. 
Kepebat  per  aream  extia  a<piam,  quotidie  per  semihorani  aut 
amplius  dolio  aqua  pleno  inunittebant,  ut  se  ibi  oblcetaret.  Ca- 
tulus  erat,  ut  ferebant  qui  attulerant  ex  nova  Zembla,  decern 
hebdomadarum,  dentes  seu  cornua  exerta,  ut  adultiores,  non- 
dum  habens,  tubercula  tamen  in  superiori  labro  percipieban- 
tiu",  unde  brevi  proditura  facile  ai)parebat.  Fenim  et  validum 
animal  calebat  ad  tactimi,  validique  per  nares  spiribat.  Pul- 
mentarinm  ex  aveua  miliove  comedebat  lento  et  suctu  magis, 
quam  de;:>iutiendo,  herumque  gestantem  cibuni  ac  offerentem 
magno  nisu  ac  gruuuitu  accedebat,  sequebaturque,  nidore  ejus 
allectus.    Lardum  ejus  gustantibus  baud  insuave  visum  est. 

*  Hfvni  tIauM  Egi'rtc,  Missioniirs  mid  liischolV's  in  Groulaml,  Ijescliioibung 
uutl  Xatuv-Gcsfhu'lito  von  Gninland,  iibcrsctzet  von  D.  Joh.  Co.  Kriinitz. 
Jlir  Ivii]>ri  111.  ]{( rlin,  vorlogrs  August  Mylius,  17G3.  i)}).  l()(i-10f^.— Since 
transrvil'iiig  the  above  I  have  met  with  an  early  (I7(i8)  Englitsli  transhitiou 
of  this  Avork,  in  whieh  nn  English  rondoring  o  '  the  above  description  may 
be  found  at  p.  12.'>. 


11 


ns 


()1)( )B.'E\US    I?OS.MAHUS — ATLANTIC    WALllUS. 


■1 '; 


(.:' 


Coiispii-icbiiiilur  il»i(Uiii  duo  iiuijoiimi  ciipitM,  ilciitilms  duobus 
exertis  ICl('j)liaiit<>iiiiii  iiist;ii'.  loii^is  ;if  cmssis  ct  iilbiciiiitilni.s 
iinmitii.  fjtii  (Icoi'siiiii  \<'rsiis  |»fctiis  s]»('('t;il>;iiit.  iMinuii.coria 
cere  mil  IC  ixnulo  iicudissc  I'ci'cliaiit  .\ii,i:li  (jiii  attidciiiiit. 
Ilisct'  dt'iitiltii.s  rui)('s  asccndci'c  siMino  snstiiicrc  ;ij('l»;iiit.  rt  pro- 
dfilii!  ill  (•(iiitiliclitclii  sell  tfiTMlii  \\\  soimiiiiiii  il;i  r;i|ii;ilil  .^li'j^a- 
tiiii.  i'iil>iiliii!i  ajcliam  illis  esse  lolia  nltl()i::^a  ac  iiiauiia,  lu'rhtc 
ciijusdaiii  t'  I'liiidoiiiaii.s  nascent  is.  NVc  piscihiis  \  iNcrcaut  ra.i'ni- 
vormii  <'ss('.  \idi  iltidcm  pcncin  i-Jusdcni  aiiiiiialis  osst'iini,  ro- 
tunduiii,  i'ultitiiiii  ct  aiiiplins  loii^iini.  ciassinii,  |)ondoi-(i,sinn  ac 
solidniii,  in  tine  ]n'(>i)e  j^landcMi  lon.uc  cras.sioieni  ac  jotundioreni. 
llujns  pulvcre  ad  calcidiini  jtcllcndinn  .Moscovita'  rctnntur."* 

A  still  earlier  desciij)ti()ii  ol'tlie  Walrus  is  juivcn  hy  Purcliast 
in  liis  account  of  the  first  voyage  ''into  llie  North  Seas,"  by 
^^'illialll  Uari'nts,  a  Dutch  iiavij;atoi',  \vli(»  met  with  AN'abnses 
oil  Oraii.iic  Island,  in  l.?,tt,  Iraiislaled  from  the  Dutch  b;  \y. 
Philip.  The  account  says  they  "'^ went  to  one  «if  those  Islands 
[of  OraiigeJ,  where  th<^y  I'ouiid  about  two  hundred  Walriisheu, 
or  Sea-horses,  lyinjj,-  upon  tlie  shore  to  bast  tlieiuselves  in  the 
Suune.  This  Sea-horse  is  a  Avoiulerful  strou<;'  ]Mouster  of  the 
Sea,  uuich  biji<>er  than  an  Oxe,  which  keeps  continually  in  tlu^ 
Seas,  haviiiji'  a  skin  like  a  Sea-ealfe  or  Seale,  with  very  short 
hayre,  mouthed  like  a  Lion,  and  many  times  they  lye  u]»on  the 
Ice;  they  are  hardly  killed  unlesse  you  strike  them , just  upon 
the  forehead,  it  hath  foure  Feet,  but  no  Eares,  and  commonly 
it  hath  one  or  two  youiif>-  ones  at  a  time.  And  when  the  Fisher- 
men chance  to  find  them  upon  a  Hake  of  Ice  with  their  young 
ones,  sliee  easteth  her  younj;'  ones  before  her  into  the  water,  and 
then  takes  them  in  her  Amies  and  so  i)luiiji('th  up  and  downo 
■with  them,  and  when  slice  will  revenge  her-selfe  upon  the  IJoates, 
or  make  resistance  against  them,  then  shee  casts  her  young  ones 
from  her  agaiiie,  anil  with  all  her  force  goeth  towards  \\u'  Doate 

thinking   to  overthrow  if They  have   two 

teeth  sticking  out  of  tluiir  mouthes,  on  each  side  one,  each  being 
about  half  an  Ell  long,  and  are  esteemed  to  bee  good  as  any 
Ivory  or  EleiHiants  teeth,  especially  in  Mil  scon  via,  Tiirtiiria, 
and  thcreal  i  •;  where  they  are  knowne,  for  they  are  as  white, 
hard,  and  c\eii  as  Ivorie." 

Skxial  Dii'KK1m:>;ci;s. — The  subject  of  sexual  dilfciences  ni 
the  Walruses  has  received  very  little  attention  at  the  hands  of 


'  Nov  lis  Oil  lis  sell  l)cs(  riplid  Jmliii'  Occident:!  lis,  |)]i.  lis,  '.V,),  1(i;i;), 
tlli<  I'll'^riiiics,  \(il,  iii,  p.  ITii. 


SKxr.M.  ini'i  r.i;i:\rKS. 


ao 


sysl('iiiiiti<'  wiilt'i's,  wlio  li;i\c,  imlft'd,  no  jjositivc  iiilni'iiiatidii  to 
olVci',  ;mm1  \<'r\  little  can  he  yh-aiH'd  IVoiii  other  .soiiircs.  All  that 
1  have  met  \vith,atfeii»retlye\leiisive  researt'h.1iasalrea(l\  Iteeii 
iiieiileiilally  ix'ivvu  in  the  loreyoiii.u'  aeeoiiiit  of  t'le  extenial  char 
Meters.  All  that  (an  hi' .^atheredis  that  in  the  lemale  the  tusks 
are  smaller  and  thinner,  and  th<^  ji'enenil  size  oi'  i!ie  animal  may 
lie  inleni'd  ti>  he  somewhat  smaller  than  in  the  mal<-.  In  tact, 
the  external  eharaeters  in  the  adult  animal  of  t  lie  speeies  under 
eonsideiation  have  never  as  yet  heen  j;iven  with  much  detail, 
the  few  naturalists  who  have  met  with  it  in  life  seemin-;  to  take 
it  lor  .granted  that  an  aniiaal  so  long-  known,  and  so  familiar  to 
tliom,  nuist  he  well  known,  thereby  ronderinj;-  a  careful  and  d*;- 
tailed  descript  ion  unnecessary.  The  very  good  descrijttion  j;ivon 
by  Ur.  (iilpin  (see  (intri),  ]»]>.  '"U,  32,  ;?.">)  of  an  adult  is  about  all 
that  I  have  met  with  in  the  way  of  detailed  descriptions  of  the 
adults  of  either  sex. 

The  lijiures  and  descri|)tions  given  of  the  young,  especially 
those  rce<'ntlyi»ublished  by  Dr.  J.  3[urie,*  leave  lit  tie  to  be  desired 
as  regards  the  external  eharaeters  in  early  life.  The  absence  of 
references  to  any  strongly  marked  sexual  dift'erenees  in  the 
adult  might  ])erhaits  be  taken  as  negative  evidence  that  none 
exist;  but  on  the  basis  of  analogy  Avitli  the  other  IMnnipeds, 
especially  with  the  OtnriUl(V,  we  shonI;1  hardly  exi»ect  their 
absence.  Even  in  the  case  of  the  skulls,  leT  sexed  specimens 
appear  to  have  come  under  the  observation  of  specialists.  Wo 
"  re  and  there,  however,  meet  with  references  to  supposed  sex- 
ual difl'erences  in  the  size  and  character  of  the  tusks,  and  also 
in  respect  to  the  size  of  the  skull  and  the  density  and  weight  of 
the  bones  in  those  of  supposed  females  as  comi)ared  with  tlK)So 
of  supposed  males.  Thus,  Wiegmann,  in  1832,  in  referring  to 
the  species  described  by  Fremery,  in  1831,  says,  in  remarking 
ujwn  Fremery's  "  Trlchcchm  Cooliii,''^  that  he  remeud)ers  having 
heard  from  a  Greenland  traveller  that  the  female  Walrus  has 
longer  and  slenderer  tusks  than  the  male,  and  states,  on  the  au- 
thority of  Fremery,  that  a  young  specinuMi  in  the  IJoyal  Museum 
of  JloUand,  having  long,  slender  tusks,  was  reganU'd  by  Tem- 
minckas  a  fenude.  IJe  als(»  considers,  (ui  the  ground  of  analogy, 
that  the  greater  or  less  develo]>ment  of  the  occipital  and  other 
crests  of  the  skull,  as  well  as  the  relative  weight  of  the  bones, 


*  "  Kfst:nxli(s  iqioii  tlic  Anatomy  of  tlio  riuniitedia.— I'fiit  I.  <  »ii  I  lie  Wal- 
rus ('/Vi./Kc/iH.f  ivmiittniH,  liiim.)." — Trans.  Zi)t')l.  Soc.  Loud.,  vol.  \ii,  1>7'.*.  pp. 
411-1(11,  witji  wdoilciits,  and  iilatus  li-lv. 


■M 


i 


iiE 


M 


If* 


)■ 


40 


(•DOIS.KNIS    IJOSMAKUS ATLANTIC    WAMJIS. 


'i  ■ 


(    i. 


1(»  be  only  (litlrrciiccs  of  a  scvual  cliaractcr.*  Staimiiis.f  icii 
years  later,  citcil  the  views  >..  reiiiiniiick  ami  \Vi(L;iiiaiiii  (as 
above  .uiveii)  resi»ee(iiij;' sexual  «lil]'ereiu'es  iu  Walruses,  but  adds 
nothing'  u«'\v  to  the  subject.  Laniont  (see  (inlci'i.  \>.  ."!.">)  states 
that  the  ''tusks  vary  very  nuu-h  in  si/e  and  slia|H'  aeeoidiiiii  to 
the  a^'e  and  sex  of  the  animal."  "(Jows'  tusks,''  he  says,  ••will 
areraije  fully  as  lonji'  as  bulls', Irom  beiuj^'  less  liable  to  l»e  broken, 
but  they  are  seldom  more  than  twenty  inches  lonu  and  three 
pounds  each  in  weight.  They  are  j^i'nerally  set  nuich  closer 
together  than  the  bull's  tusks,  sometime  o\('rhii)i»inji-  at  tlio 
points,  us  in  the  case  with  the  stuftcd  specimen  at  the  I>ritish 
Museum."  lie  gives  the  UMigth  of  tusks  in  the  male  as  2t  inches, 
aud  the  weight  as  i  jjounds  each. 

A  skekton,  marked  as  that  of  a  female,  in  the  Museum  of 
Comparative  Zoology,  coHeeted  in  the  Greenland  seas  by  ])r. 
Kane,  has  the  bones  very  light,  soft,  and  i)orous,  as  coni]»ared 
with  those  of  male  s]>eelmens.  The  skull  (see  tigg.  l-;»)  is  nuich 
smaller,  with  the  (;rests  and  ri<lges  very  slightly  dev«'loped,  and 
the  tusks  long  and  slender,  and  overlapping  at  the  points.  This 
skull,  though  of  a  rather  aged  individiial,  is  2  t(»  '2.'\  inches 
shorter  than  male  skulls  of  coricsponding  ag<',  and  about  - 
inches  narrower;  l»ul  lliese  ligurcs  scarcely  expi'css  the  I'eal 
tlilVercnce  l)i't  ween  them,  owing  to  the  \ cry  iiiucji  weaker  dcvel- 
o])ment  and  slighter  structure  of  all  jtarts  of  the  skull,  which 
certainly  has  not  one-half  the  weight  of  average  adult  male 
i3h"ll.-'.  The  weaker  structure  is  especially  marki'd  in  tiie  lower 
jaw.  The  tusks,  on  the  <»ther  hand,  are  seveial  inches  longer 
than  in  any  male  skulls  of  the  Atlantic  s]tecies  I  have  yet  exam- 
ined, but  they  a)'j  so  much  weaker  and  slenderer  that  their 
weight  is  more  t\an  one-half  less.  The  same  ditl'erence  of  light- 
ness and  smaller  size  extends  throughout  all  the  bones  of  the 
skeleton,  indicating  that  the  size  of  the  animal  in  life  was  far 
less  than  that  of  ordinary  nudtrs.    The  very  great  length  of  the 


*  Say.s  Wiejinianii :  " Hr.  Froiinxv  iulirt  mi,  dass  Hr.  Ti'iumiiick  oinou  (nach 
Di'iUliclilvcit  <lor  Xaliti')  iKX'li  jiuif^i'ii  .Scliiidcl  des  KcielisiniiHeunis  mit  aus- 
gozcicliiifl  laii^i'ii  diiiuii.'a  Sto.ssziihncii  fiii'  den  fiui's  Weibdu'iis  jj;c'luiltcu 
lialio.  Ii'luMiiiiu'nMiiiiliaiU'liVDnGidnlaiidsfahnnigt'lifirt  ziiliaben,  dasssich 
das  Wcilx'lii'ii  diinli  liintfcn',  diimitTc,  das  MiiimclK'ii  diirch  kiirzcic,  abor  viol 
diclit-Tf  .Stoss/iiliiic  aiiszcichiu'.  Did  gcriii'^crc  Knlwicklun;:;  dcr  llinter- 
Lauptli'islc,  die  gtuingcrc  Scliweiv  dor  Knochon,  scllist  das  Zuriickblcibou  dc8 
hiiiti'i'slon  IJackciizaliiiis  im  Olici'ku'l'cr  komiti',  wciiii  cs  wivklicli  uur  sexii- 
cllc  Voi>'('lnod(')ilicit  sciii  hoIIIc.  mil  Aiialofricii  beU'gt  werden." — Arch,  fur 
Xafiirficsfh.,  18:]2,  pii.  l'^-',  I'J!*. 

tMiillcr'sArcli.  fiir.  Aiiat.,  1^11,  j..  :«>•,'. 


Sr.XIAI.    DIFl'KRKNCKS. 


41 


ttisks  (see  li:r.  1)  is  iloiibllcss  iihiioriiiiil.  nml  is  doiilttl<'ss  owiiii;- 
to  their  iiiisyiiiiiictviciil  <l(!V('l(»i)iiiciit  iiiid  ovrrlai^piiJ};'  at  the 
points,  wliicli  niiist  li.ivo  iiitciicrcd  to  skiiic  cxtout  with  tlicir 
use.  iiiid  liciico  have  |»it'S('i'\«'(l  tlieiii  from  wcariiiii". 


'^rstx 


Fig.  1. — Odohanus  rosmariifi,  $ . 

Ill  tli(5  Is^atioiial  ]\rusoiiiii  at  Washington  arc  also  four  skulls, 
which,  though  unniaikcd  as  to  si'x,  aro  niKiuostionably  those  of 


1 


.  M 


'MM'^ 


42 


()1H)1!.i:MJS    IfosMAKTS ATI.AXTIC    WAIJU'S. 


fciiiiilfs.*  'I'licy  iiyicc  wiili  (111'  one  alrciidy  dcsciilMMl  iis  to 
.small  size,  tlic  absence  of  well  <le\ eloped  crests  and  lidjics  for 
mnsciilai'  allacluaeiit*  small,  slender  InsUs.  and  .uciieial  Aveak- 
ncss  ol'stnu'tnre.  as  eompared  willi  male  sknlls  of  corres]iond- 
in^i;'  anc.t  The  closed  sntni'es  show  that  they  Iteloni^cd  t(»  a.u'ed 
individnals.  but  in  other  respects  mi.ulit  l»e  i)resni!ied  to  be  skulls 
of  young'  animals,  loi'  widcli  such  sknlls  are  doultlless  usually 
mistaken. 


!;i ' 


Fig.  2. — Odohanus  rosmarun,  9 . 

From  those  data  it  seems  fair  to  conclude  that  there  are  woll- 
marked  sexual  differences  amonjj,'  AValruses,  manifested  espe- 
cially in  the  inferiority  of  size  of  the  female,  in  the  c(»m])aratively 
weak  develoi)ment  of  the  bones  of  the  skull,  the  smaller  size  of 
the  bones  of  the  j^'eneral  skeleton,  and  in  the  size  and  form  of 
the  tnsks.  These  dill'erences  are,  in  short.  Just  such  as,  from 
analoj;fy,  one  \v(»uld  naturally  expect   t(»  exist,  and  conlirm  the 

*Tliis  I  iiifciTtMl  from  their  siiiall  size  and  liylii  strintiin-.  :iiiil  was  i)lfasi'(l 
to  liavc  my  (li'lciiiiiiiat  ion  coiiliniit'd  liy  so  coiiiiictint  an  authority  as  ])r. 
Emit  IJt'sscls,  wlio  |)i<Hionn(((l  tlicm  to  hi'  nnqncst ionaliiv  i '.iusc  ot  I'lMnalcs. 
Dr.  Bt'ssi'ls's  Judgment,  it  is  iicrhajis  ui'cditss  |osa.\.  is  li.iscd  on  [(risonal 
experience  while  on  tlie  Polaris  I"-\])edilioii,  dnrinj;  v,  hidi  Ih' f~eemid  and 
prci>ared  imnnrous  specimens  of  lioth  sexes,  whicii  were  lost  v.iili  the  ill- 
fated  vessel. 

till  theXalioual  Miiseinu  there  is  also  a  female  skull  of  (he  I'aciii''  \\  alms 
that  ])rese)its  corresiiondin};  diHerences  as  compared  with  male  skulls  of  the 
same  Hpceies. 


I 


VARIATIONS   DEPENDENT    UPON    AGE,    ETC. 


43 


coiijecturo.s  of  Wk'giiuuiu  ami  Tcumiinck.  What  othor  dilier- 
cucc'S  obtain,  especially  in  external  (^Isaiactois,  can  as  yet  bo 
only  conjectured.  It  i.s  to  be  hoped,  lio\v<'ver,  that  wc  shall 
not  have  lony  to  wait  for  detailed  accounts  of  the  external 
characters  of  the  adults  of  both  sexes. 


Fio,  'X — Odoha'uiifi  ronmarus,  9  . 

Individual  Vaeiatio>>!,  and  ^'Al{IA^IONs  dependent 
UPON  Age. — That  a  wide  rauye  of  individual  variation  obtains 
in  this  si)ecios  is  sufflcicntly  evident  from  an  examination  of 
even  a  limited  series  of  skulls.  These  dilierences  have  been 
noted  in  (.'onsiderable  dcitail  by  Fremcry,  Wicgniann,  Stannius, 
and  Jaeger,  as  will  be  presently  noticed  more  in  detail  iu  ju'e- 
senting  the  j^enend  histoiy  of  the  species.  Still  greater  difler- 
ences,  of  course,  result  from  dilierences  of  age.  These  collect- 
ively, as  A\ill  be  noted  later,  have  formed  the  basis  of  several 
nominal  species.  All  the  Pinnipeds  appear  to  be  subject  to  a 
wide  range  of  variations  of  thischaraitter,  and  none  more  so  than 
the  AValruses.  Tliese  atVect  to  a  considerable  extent  tlie  general 
l)roportions  of  the  skull,  and  especially  tlie  form  and  relative 
development  of  different  I)ones.  Tliese  latter  dilierences  are 
best  seen  in  eom})arativfly  young  skulls,  since  most  of  the 
sutures  close  at  a  ratliei"  early  age.  Among  tliese  variations 
are  especially  noteworthy  those  of  the  nasal  bones,  the  inter- 
maxillaries,  and  the  frontals,  and  to  a  les.-.  degree  those  of  the 
base  of  the  skull.    Tlu'  crests  and  ridges  for  nuis<adai' r.ltach- 


'S 


I 
1 


Ill" 


I 


'( 


t! 


'1 

1 


I 


■V  ■ 


44  ODOK.EN'IJS    KOSMAUrS ATLANTIC    WALIiUS. 


iiioiit  of  coiu'.st' jjiicatly  increase  willi  iijiv,  and  vary  considorably 
in  resju'ct  to  direction,  ]io!silion,  and  relativi'  develo])nient  in 
ilill'erent  individuals.  The  bony  crests  at  tli(\junction  of  the 
inlerinaxiliaries  helow  tlie  anterior  nasal  opening  are  es])ecially 
varialile  with  a^e,  l»eenniinj;  i^radually  obliterated  in  adult  life 
by  the  '^i  neral  tiiickeiiin^  of  tiie  bones  of  the  skull.  They  arc 
certainly  less  proniLnent  in  old  uac,  than  in  youth,  and  tlie  same 
is  true  of  the  incisive;  border  of  the  interuiaxillarics.  The  in - 
terinaxillaries,  as  ji  rule,  only  meet  tlu^  nasals  in  their  upward 
extension,  but  in  occasioiud  specimens  there  is  a  imrrow  exten- 
i   |!  sion  of  them  iwstericuly  betweeii  the  na.sals  and  nujxillaries, 

'  ''  reaching  for  (Uiehalf  to  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  nasals. 

This  \ariation  is  seen  in  the  skulls  figured  by  Goethe*  and  by 
r.Iainville,t  and  has  been  noted  in  two  sknlls  by  Stainiins.f  In 
otliei'  eases  the  intermaxiUary  rises  to  the  surface  between  the 
nasals  and  maxiUaries  only  in  the  form  of  nari-ow  isolated  areas, 
as  is  seen  in  a  skull  figun.'d  by  Gocthe,§  aiul  in  two  skulls!  have 
myself  examined.  Hence  Ulainville,  when  he  says, '•  .  .  .  .  et 
le  premaxillaire,  ejvais,  remoute  jusque  entre  h'  nasal  et  le 
maxillaire,  de  maniere  a  eireonscrire  avee  le  premier  Voritiec 
nasal  .  .  .  .  ,"||  describes  the  exceptional  instead  of  the  normal 
condition. 

TIk;  nasals  \ary  greatly  in  breadth  and  in  length  in  different 
specimens,  and  even  in  the  same  specimen  (me  is  sometimes 
uuich  wider  than  the  other.  The,  (ioneavity  and  width  of  the 
bony  palate  is  also  subject  to  much  variation,  in  this  respect 
hardly  two  specimens  being  found  to  agree.  In  some,  the  con- 
cavity is  nearly  one-fourth  greater  than  in  others. 

*A(t.  Acad.  Cass.  Leop.  Carol.,  xi,  jtt.  i,  pi.  iv,  fig.  2. 

t(»si(5ograpljie,  Des  Plioques,  pi.  i. 

tf^u.vs  Staimius:  "Bisweilcu  aber,  wio  bei  don  Kiokr  Schiidcln  «  und  c, 
tritt  iiocli  eiuc  diiimc  Lcisto  dieses  Fortsatzes  zwiseben  die  das  Oberkiefcr- 
bcin  iiud  das  Nasonbeiii  verbindeiulo  Liingsuabt  mul  troniit  eiuc  Strecko  wcit 
dieso  Kuoeben.  So  sielit  man  es  aucli  auf  der  iu  dem  Blainvillo'echen  Wcrke 
belimlliclien  Abbildung.  Indeni  dieso  Lcisto  an  oinigen  Stellon  stJirker,  an 
anderu  Stellon  weniger  stark  oder  gar  nicbt  nach  aussen  licrvortritt  iind  zti 
TagoktJmmt,  hates  bisweilon den  Auscbcin,  alsfiindensicbisolirtoKnoclien- 
stilckclien  in  der  eben  geuanuten  Nalit.  Wirklich  crwiihnfc  do  Frcmcry  cines 
zwiseben  Nasenbein  und  Oberkioferbciu  vorkonimcnden  Ossiculum  Wormi- 
anum  bei  seineui  aus  Labrador  stammcudcn  Walross-Scliiidel." — MUllc)''8 
Archil' fur  Anat.,  184'2,  p.  40L 

iJAct.  Acad.  Ca's.  Leop.  Carol.,  13d.  xv,  pt.  i,  1831,  pi.  iv,  fig.  1. 

II  Ostdograpbio,  Dos  Pboqucs,  !>.  20. 


\.VliIATK>N.S    DKl'ENDKNT    UPON    ACJE,    KTC. 


45 


TIm!  iVoiitiils  Viiry  <ii('iilly  in  loriu  iit  tlicir  ])ostorioi'  border, 
C'siKU'iiilly  ill  rrsi»C('(  lo  tlicir  iiit('r[)iiric(iil  cxlcnsion.  Tliis  \)ov- 
tioii  lias  .soiiit'tiiiios  a  brcadtU  equal  to  that  of  the  nasal  bones, 
and  terminates  (iiiitc  sijnarelj';  at  other  times,  it  has  less  than 
half  this  l»rea(ltli.  and  is  rajndly  narrowed  jjostcriorly. 

The  tusks  \aiy  considerably  in  leuji'th,  size,  and  form,  and 
more  csiiccially  in  direction,  in  specimens  of  the  same  aye  and 
sex.  They  lte«'omo  much  larger  in  ohl  age  than  in  middle  life, 
but  are  then  more  or  less  abraded  and  broken  at  the  points. 
The  grooving  on  the  sides  varies  more  or  less  with  each  indi- 
vidual, and  even  in  the  two  tusks  of  the  same  animal.  Tho 
tusks  generally  widely  diverge,  but  are  sometiiaes  nearly  par- 
allel, but  appear  to  be  very  rarely  convergent,  while  in  the 
female  they  arc  frequently  more  or  less  convergent,  and  some- 
times t(mch  at  the  points,  or  even  overlap. 

In  regard  to  external  characters,  considerable  changes  result 
from  age,  especially  in  respect  to  tho  size  and  amount  of  abra- 
sion of  tlie  tusks,  and  through  the  loss  of  the  hair  incident  to 
old  age,  and.  tho  shortening  of  tho  mystacial  bristles. 

Tho  following  table  of  measurements  (given  in  millimeters) 
shows  to  some  extent  the  variations  that  occur  in  the  general 
size  and  form  of  the  skull. 


•\ 


i,  ! 


46 


ododa:nus  hosmakis — Atlantic  walrus. 


'I 


'  .ii 


\l 


O 


O 

8 


s 


i 


!| 


I 


I  'RHOJOld 


*< 

,    1    , 

9       ^  ^   9 
>*   Z  0^  <>* 

1     '< 
1- 

o 

il  «    :  S  f2 

•qjSnoi  '.ttiifao.ttoi 


•)JV(Ib  09aC|8Il>  'BJ0ilI3U|  J,)dd£], 


•j«ioni  yiv\  IB  o)BiBd  JO  mPIAV 


O     rt     g     -T        •     O     M 

?1   ?i    CI    H      ■    Si    cI 

s  s  s  s  s 


•8ojao8  iiiaojt.iBium  .loddn  jo  i(^noi 


I*;    f5   C5    XI   1^ 
«    ci    .-    S    » 


•sdj}  IB  ?,iB(Iu  ojun^Bip  'KjuinBO 


•oBtiq  )B  K.iSpa  jBn 
aojxa  uooAvj"!  ojubjbii)  'souiub,') 


S  3  fi  S  fS  ??  S 


HI 


MSBq  IB  ^i.nMi.i|iMii.).ii.) 'K.mniiQ  |    J,' 


-(SJCIOOI 

JO  onc[<I   uio.ij)    niSnoj  'saninuf) 

•.>)Bll!lI JO  pu)  .loi.wjsod 
O)  Q!ii!XBnu.>(nt  jd.i.ip.ioq  .wi.wjuv' 


Tt  h.  ja   e    =   X  t- 
S  ?1        H  fi  ?  S 


^5    s    fS    X    1^    M    I- 
I-    !•    is    {I    ri   I-   » 

*H     -H     r-<     fj     ffl     1^     M 


•.\I.iou.itm!  ipi'lAv  's  niiH|  n:ni:.>v 


•.\'t.xoiaojS()4l  uipiAV  'Kouofj  iiisBX 


•i[iSaoi  '8.>no(i  iiisBX 


I  vussoj 

I  iBiodmo}  uoD.ttjoq  <npB0.i(i  jsuo'i 


.3  fr   3   g  {« 


U 


•SOSBDOOld  plOJSBlH  ^«  tl«piM.li[ 


h..     O     't     Cl     ^5     fJ     « 
f^     r3    CO    f-5    O    O    I" 

;i    n    f)    «    ci    fi   ei 


•ti)Brao3.iz  ^«  tijpBoaii 


3"t     00     O     O     O     Q 
CO     t^     O      CI     O     00 
CI     *-l     i-l     CI     CI     iH     tH 


•q^SltDI 


CI    o> 

CO     fS 


•XOg         Of  O  O  \3   \3  O  "to 


r',    a    O    O    O    o    O 

^  .3  -3  -a  '53  -a  "TS 


•jaqninn  ouSoxbjbo 


'?5    -I 


«     «     « 


to© 

5    ^    <M 

a  a  iS 
u    o    o 

2  O  « 

>5  t-<  •« 


rt    »    O 
lias 


DKNTITION. 


47 


I)i",.NriTif»N. — The  (It'iititioii  of  Wiilniscs,  for  \iirioii.s  rcu-sons, 
lias  hccii  :i  |M'i|ilt'.\iii;;  siilijcci,  and  lias  cii^a^ii'd  tlif  attoiitioii 
of  iiiaii\  niiiiifiit  wiitcrs.  In  tlic  adult  stajnc  it  pivsi'iits  many 
altiioniialitics,  and,  ln'sidcs,  issuhject  to  nmcli  individual  varia- 
tion. Iiotli  in  tin-  tnnporarv  and  adult  series.  For  a  Ion;;'  time 
its  deviations  from  tli«'  normal  type  were  not  well  untler.stood, 
and  even  now  leadin;;'  authorities  do  not  appear  to  be  <piite  iu 
liarmoiiy  in  I'espect  t()  the  i>roi)er  notation.  A.s  previously 
staled,  iIm'  incisors  of  both  Jaws,  except  the  outer  i)air  in  the 
upper,  disa]>pear  soon  after  birth,  and  before  middle  life  is 
reached  the  last  tttotli  of  the  molar  series  on  each  sule  iu  both 
jaws  also  usually  disapjiears.  A  brief  history  of  the  princii)al 
iiiv<'sti^'ations.  and  opinions  held  at  different  times  resi)ectiug 
thetlentition  of  llie  Atlantic  \Valrus  (for  the  investigations 
resjicctin;;'  the  dentition  of  this  ^roup  appear  to  have  been  based 
almost  wholly  uiton  this  species),  is  herewith  appended  as  form- 
ing a  lii;.thly  interesting  chajjter  in  the  technical  history  of  the 
species.  Ill  this  historical  sketch  will  lie  found  noted  many 
facts  relating  to  the  general  subject,  given  by  the  authors  whose 
papers  ai'<'  here  biiclly  summarized. 

The  dentition  of  tlie  Atlantic  Walru.;  has  bt'cii  discussed  in 
greater  or  less  detail  by  iJai)p,  von  l.aer,  Wiegmaun,  Frcmery, 
k>tannius,  .lacgcr,  ( )weii.  Mahiigreii,  Peters,  and  various  other 
writers.  NViegmanii,  in  IS.'JS,  pretty  fully  presented  the  early 
history  of  the  subject,  noting  the  almost  total  lack  of  informa- 
tion respecting  the  matter  shown  by  Linne,  who  evidently  paid 
little  attention  t(>  the  references  to  the  subject  made  by  previ- 
ous writers.  The  credit  of  first  giving  any  definite  statement 
respecting  the  nnnd)er  of  the  teeth  and  their  character  is  due 
to  Anderson,  who,  in  1734,  gave  the  niunber  of  molars  as  four 
above  and  three  below.  Brisson,  in  IToG,  gave  the  number  as 
four  both  above  and  below;  while  Crantz,  in  170,'),  again  gives 
foiu'  above  and  three  below,  and  ipiite  fairly  describes  the  nor- 
mal dentition  of  the  adult.*  In  the  same  year,  Daubenton  gave 
also  again  four  below  on  each  side  as  well  as  four  above. 


'  I  iii>pt'n(l  iu  lull  Ci'uutz's  description: 

'•  It  liail  no  sliiiip  («ci\s<)/T«  in  its  mouth,  anil  noiio  at  all  liifoiv,  Init  only 
four  tcotli  on  I'adi  side  ;  on  tlierii^lit  siilcol"  tlii"  nntltT-jaw  three  pretty  hroad 

eoncave  jrrindors The  two  lonj^  t  usks  or  horns  grn\viii<?  out  of 

its  laee  aliove  the  nose,  and  liendiuft  down  over  its  mouth,  so  as  almost  to 

barricade  it  nil.  sei'nr  to  h(>  more  an  imiiodinient  than  a  liel])  to  It 

Tlierijht  tusk  is  aliont  an  inch  lon<;er  than  the  left,  and  its  wliole  lengtli 


'  -HI 


m\\ 


•     'I 


> 


C.    f 


I   1'  :, 


''.. 


:M 


4H  (Mum.KMS    I.'OSMAIMS— Ari.AM'lC    WALias. 


No  ;intli<>r  ]niof  to  Sclirchci-  (177"i)  iippcars  to  li;i\('  iiicr  •vith 
(Iccidiioiis  iiici.voi's.  \\Im»  I'omul  l\V(»  such  ii|»|»i'i'  iiicistus  on  ciu'li 
si<h'  ill  ii  voiiiiu-  skull  ill  tlic  Miisniiii  of  llrliiiiucii.  These  he 
eorreetly  eonjeetiiied  wt'iv  teiiipoiMix .  <lis:ii»|ie:triii'j  iit  ii  liitcr 
Mtiijic  oflil'e.* 

To    (loethe,  Iiowcmt,   is  jiivcii   the  (Tedil  of  iccouiii/.iin;' tiie 
true   cliiinieter  of   the    first    tooth   of    the   ii,  jier   iiiol;iriforiii 
soiii'S.     Sii.vs  (';iiii]K'r  (iis  (|iiotetl   Ity  \\'i«'iUliliUili) :   •■  Ms  ist  del' 
nv.  (liithe,  siieliseinveiiiiiiischer  (leheiiiier  K'iitli,  i\rv  inir  /iierst 
,1  V  ,'  die  r>.s'.S7(   iiifcrnKt.rilhirid  (W^  Wiiliiosses  mid  (h'r  Sehlieide/.iihiie 

i  ||    '  dessellu'ii  liiit  keiiiieii  ieiiieii,   iiideiii  er  iiiir  cine  vortiefllielie 

Abhiindhiiiji'  iiiit  sehruieii  Zeiehiimi.u'eii  dieser  Kiioeheii  \fr- 
sc'hiediMier  Thieve  zii^escliickt  li;itte.''     Caiiipev,   in  eritieisin.i;' 

Limio's  errors  rejiiirdiiijn'  the  Wiilnis,t  K'ves  four  imisois  (,^^,)' 
aud  four  iiiohirs  altove  and  livt^  lielow  (-,Z-,)  ^*'^'  soiueliiiies  only 
four  below).     Tlu^  observations  of  Sehreber,  (loethe.  and  Taiii- 
j ,  per  ap])ear  to  luive  been  ucneiaily  oxcilooked  by  siibsiMineiit 

writers,  so  that  it  was  h'ft  for  (r.  Ciivier  to  iliseover  anew  the 
liresenee  of  deeiibious  ineisors  in  the  yoniifi"  Wahiis.  lietweeu 
the  canines  he  recoj;nized  two  incisors  similar  t.>  the  molars, 
which  he  says  the  majority  of  observers  had  overlooked,  because 
they  are  not  lixed  in  the  interiiiaxillaiy,  and  between  these 
again  two  i)ointe<l  small  ones  in  younji'  indixidiials.  He  ji'iive 
the  miniber  of  molars  as  four  on  ea(!h  side,  above  aiul  behiw, 
and  stated  that  there  are  neither  incisors  nor  canines  in  the 


is  "27  inches,  7  of  which  arc  grafted  into  the  scull;  its  cii'cumfcrcnce  is  8 
inches.  They  «tan<l  .about  three  inches  asunder  in  the  head,  and  at  1  heir 
extremities  9  inches  apiii-t,  bent  a  little  downwards." — Hinlory  of  Grcoilnnd, 
etc.,  English  translation,  London,  17(»7,  p.  12fi. 

*  Schreber's  account  is  iis  follows:  "  .  .  .  .  Die  kuste  Gattung,  das  in- 
Honderhei;,  sogeunante  Waluioss,  hat  zwar,  ob  gleich  keiu  SchrirsteUer 
etwas  davon  sagt,  zween  VorderzUhne  in  der  obcni  Kinnlade;  sie  sind  aber  sehr 
klein,  ragen  wenig  ans  ihren  Holen  hervor,  nnd  werd(>n  alleni  Anselien 
naeh  auserhalb  dem  Zahnlieische  nicht  zn  bemerkeu  seyn,  /umal  da  sie  nicht 
am  Rande  der  obern  Kinnlade,  sondern  mehr  hineinwiirts  stehen.  Ich  linthi 
sie  an  einem  zur  Natnraliensanindnng  hiesiger  Universitilt  gehorigen  Wall- 
rossschiidel ;  xmd  da  derselbe,  besage  seiner  Grosse,  vcm  einem  jungen 
Thierc  ist ;  so  glaube  ich  beynalie  gar,  dass  si(^  bey  zunehiiiendem  Alter  des 
Thieres  ausfallen  nnd  nicht  wieder  wachsen.  Sie  konimen  also  hier  in  keine 
weitero  Betrachtung,  als  d.iss  sie  dem  Systeniatiker  (;inen  Wink  geben,  dis 
Thier  nicht  zu  weit  von  dem  Robbengeschleehte  zn  entfenien." — Saugcthiere, 
Th.  ii,  p.  2C0. 

tl  qtiote  the  French  edition  of  C.'miper's  works  ((Eu^Tes,  torn,  ii,  p.  480, 
Paris,  1S0I>),  the  only  one  accessible  to  me. 


4M 


KHNTITION. 


40 


Inwcrjiiw.*  I''.  (Juvicr  jiiivc  latt'i'tilsu  the  siiiiic  dciitiil  loninila. 
IIcdcciiM'd  tliiit  tlic  peculiar  or  imoiiiiilons  deiititioii  of  the  Wal- 
ruses indicated  that  tiiey  were  ait  isohited  ^inaip,  lutviii;^  atliui- 
ties.  on  tlu'  (»ne  iiaud,  with  the  Carnivura,  and,  on  the  other, 
witli  the  Ikiuninantslt 

Accordin.i;  to  \Vie;uniann,  I'lidolpliil  (in  ISOL*)  reco;;ni/ed 
liie  lirst  ofliie  series  ui'  loircr  ^rindin^'  teetii  as  a  canine.  5 

Thus,  as  \Viej;niann  lon;^'  sin<'e  oliserved,  liu'  suhject  reniairu-d 
till  Ifapp  was  so  I'ortuuate,  iu  ISiiS,  as  to  Inive  opportunity  to 
exanuue  a  tuMal  specinu'ii.  in  this  example,  he  Ibund  six  inci- 
sors in  the  upper  Jaw  and  live  in  the  lower  (ij^^)-  He  also 
expressed  it  as  his  heliet'  that  the  lirst  low«'r  molar  should  he 
rej;arded  as  a  canine,  hecause  (1)  it  was  somewhat  further 
removed  from  the  rest  than  tlu;  others  wore  frcuu  each  <»t her; 
because  (li)  of  its  j;reater  length  and  thickness  in  the  adult  ani- 
mal: hccause  (.'{)  it  stands  close  to  the  temporary  ov  nnlk  inci- 
sors, and  shuts  aj>ainst  the  outernu)st  of  the  ui)per  incis(»rs; 
and  hecause  ( t)  it  lacks  the  transverse  de])ressiou  seen  on  the 
inu'-r  side  of  the  crown  of  the  back-teeth.  The  dental  '')rmula 
recojiuized    hv   him   for  the  Walrus    may  be  considered   as 


1. 


I-'renu'ry.  in  1S,")1,  also  made  reference  to  the  dentition  of  the 
Walruses;  hut  his  paper  bears  mainly  upon  the  question  of 
whether  there  are  one  or  more  species  of  these  animals,  and 
will  be  further  noticed  in  another  connection.  He  notes  partic- 
ularly the  presence,  in  some  of  his  skulls,  of  two  small  molars 
abo\  e,  behind  the  largo  ones. 

Wieginann,||  in  1838,  contributed  facts  additional  to  those 
already  recorded,  but  his  memoir  is  largely  devoted  to  a  discus- 
sion of  the  obsen-ations  of  preceding  Avriters.  He  assents  to 
Rudolphi's  and  Kapp's  interpretation  of  the  honiologieal  rela- 
tion of  the  lirst  large  tooth  of  the  lower  jaw;  refers  to  finding 

'  Ki'jfiio  Aniiual,  toiii.  i.  1817.  p.  1G8. 

t  Dents  (li'sMiiiii.,  p.  -23^. 

tAiiiitoini;>cli-itliysiolojfis(li(>  Abliaiulluugi'ii,  p.  145. 

vNVVifjfiiiaimsiiy.s:  ".  .  .  .  UelJcnVu's  ist  liiiddlplii  dcrorstr,  dordic  iintorca 
1"<  l</iiliiu!  crkon'.it.  I^r  Iteiiicrkt  iiiiinlicli,  dass  dcv  orsto  Backriizaliu  dcs 
rntf'ikicfi'rs  sioli  vou  doii  iilnlgcii  duroli  seine  Griissso  aTiszeielme,  uiid  wenu 
iiiicli  der  Form  iiacli  eiuciu  IJaekenzahue  iilinlicli,  docli  seiuor  Grosse  iiaeh 
btinalio  fiir  einen  Eck/alm  zu  lialtou  wiirc,  was  spiiter  durcli  Rapp,  dem 
inde.sseii  dieso  Xotiz  unbekunnt  blieh,  aussor  Zwcifel  gesctzt  ist." — Arch,  fiir 
Xattirg.,  1^38,  pp.  119,  120. 

IIAiThiv  fiivNaturgosdi.,  1838,  pp.  113-130. 

:\nsc.  I'ub.  No.  12 i 


jvl 


50 


<  )l)OJl/ENi:.S    h'OSMArJUS ATLAiNTKJ    WAI.IiU.S. 


'ri :.: ,! 


'',■.  ^ 


'  :.  'I 


ti'iM'cs  <»r  iilv<!<>li  of  six  incisors  l)<)(ii  iihovf^  iiiid  below,  iuul  to 
tlic  (-.irly  (Iccidiioiis  ciiiiractcr  of  tin;  last  (liltli)  upper  molar, 
and  I  lie  rreipicnt  disappearancui  t/f  Mic  loiirMi.  lie  ('(/ncludes 
thill   I  lie  norniiil  number  of  the  back-teeth  is  ^~-'  and  lliat  in 

4  —  'I' 

earl.N  lile  the  dent  it  ion  of  the  Wall  lis  is  not  \vi(h'ly  ditl'eicnt  from 
that  of  other  Pinnipeds. 

'I'he  same  year  (l.S.'{.S),  Mae;;illivray*  eonsi(h'red  the  normal 

dentition  of  the  Walrus  to  l)e  \.'^.',  <'•  ',1^;  TJii.  +  M.  ^-^' 
=  j^  =  ;;:;.  ills  conclusion  was  based  on  th(^  examination  of  a 
<liiite  yonnj;-  specimen,  of  whi<!h  he  s))eaks  as  follows:  "The 
normal  dentition  of  the  Walrus  is  siiown  by  the  skull  of  ayoini}; 
indi\  idiial  in  the]\riiseiim  of  the  Mdinbiirjili  (,"olle;;('(»f  Siirf^cons. 
In  liie  iii>])er Jaw  there  are  <>n  each  side  tliiee  imisors,  the  first 
oi-  inner  extremely  small,  the  seciond  a  little  lari^cr,  the  third  or 
oiiltr  disj>ro|>or(i()nately  iar;;e,  beiii;;  e((iial  to  the  laij^cr  .yiind- 
eis.  The  socket  of  this  tooth  is  placed  in  tiie  iiiterniaxillar\ 
bone,  but  towaids  its  mouth  it  is|»ai'lly  i'oniied  Ity  the  maxillaiy. 
The  small  incisors  ha\e  deej)  conical  sock<'ts.  The  canine" 
tooth  is  disi)Iaccd,  beiiij;'  thrust  outwards  licyoiid  the  line  of  the 
other  teeth,  and  caiisin.in'  the  peculiar  l)ulj;in;;'  of  tlic  head.  The 
lateral  iiuMsor  is  on  llic  IcncMiI'  its  aiitcrioi'  liiai.niii.  and  the 
first  urindcr  is  o|»posite  to  its  middle,  'i'liere  arc  ti\e  j^rindcrs. 
]ia\iii,u  c<uiical  obtuse  sockets,  and  conscipiently  sinL;le  roots ; 
llie  liist  smaller  than  the  last  incisor,  the  scc(ui<l  and  third 
lar,uest.  tlic  fourth  much  smaller,  the  litlli  \ci\  small,  all 
sluutly  conical,  and  blunt,  with  enamel  on  the  tij»onIy.  The 
canine  tooth  is  also  at  tirst  enamelled  at  its  cxticmitN .  In  the 
lower  Jaw  there  are  two  very  small  conical  incisors  on  each 
si<le;  the  i'anine  tooth  iswantinj;';  five  jirinders,  with  siiif^le  con- 
ical compressed  roots,  and  short  compressed  conical  crowns, 
cnamelleil  at  tue  |)oiiit ;  the  tirst,  s(>coiid,  and  third  nearly  c(pial. 
the  latter  beinu'  a  little  larger,  the  fourth  much  smaller,  and 
the  IllVli  vciy  small,  flic  tusks,  or  enormoiisls  de\cl(»ped 
canine  teeth  <»f  the  upper  jaw,  arc  comiu'csscd,  <"oiiicai.  a  little 
curved  backward,  directed  dow  nwards  and  a  little  forwards,  and 
somewhat  ili\cr;4in,i;-,  but  in  some  iiidi\  idiials,  when  \ery  loiri;. 
they ajiain  coii\(r;.:e  towards  the  points.  In  adults,  lhcincisor> 
are  obliteiatetl,  exceptiii!.;  the  lateral  pair  of  the  up|)er  jaw;  the 
fifth  jj,rlndcr  in  liotli  Jaws  has  al-o  disappeared,  and  sometimes 
the  fourth  in  one  or  both  Jaws." 

■  iiriti.'dniiuidniiicds,  JsiJH,  j.p.  -^Jl i, -J-J 1 . 


if 


;(;;! 


DKNTITION. 


51 


StiUiiiiii.s.  ill  ISl'J,  riiiUicr  coiitrilmti'd  to  llic  siilijrct  hy 
suldiii;;  <»i).s(a'v;ili<)ii.s  icspccliii^  Viirinlioii  i'l  the  iiiuiiIh'I'  of 
t\H\  l(M>tli  icsiiltiii^'  IVoiii  ;i;;(',  <h'.s('i'il»iii<>'  in  di'tail  llic  incisive 
driitilioii  ol"  ii  sciics  of  four  skulls  of  (liU'erciit,  )i|?«'S.  In  two 
youii^'  skulls,  tln!  outer  tcin|)onii',v  incisor  of  the  iipiHT  Jaw  on 
either  si(l(5  icmainod;  tlu5  alveoli  of  IIk;  s;'cond  pair  were  still 
distinct,  while  the  alveoli  of  tiie  iiddd'  :  paii'  weit^  nearly  oblit- 
erated. In  another,  the  alveoli  of  the,  inin'r  pair  of  ineisorH  were 
wholly  obliterated;  those  of  the  second  pair  wen;  baiely  re(!Og- 
nizalih',  while  those;  of  the  outer  j>air  wer»}  distinct,  the  teeth 
havin^i'  fallen  later.  He  was  also  able  lo  i'eeoj:;nize  the  alveoli 
of  six  incisors  in  the  lowei- Jaws  of  tin;  skulls  Just  mentioned, 
and  states  that  Ik;  lhouj;ht  Kapp's  view  of  the  homology  of  the 
first  lower  bac  k-tooth  (considered  as  a  canine)  was  jtrobably 
correct.  He  liirthei-  takes  exceptions  lo  the  value  of  tin;  char- 
acters assumed  by  I'^remery  as  the  l»asis  of  several  species  of 
\Valriis(\s.*  lie  adds,  in  respect  to  the  lusks,  that  in  old 
a.nc  they  become  \vlioll,\  solid  to  the  base.  In  regard  to  the 
ii|)pcr  molars,  lie  notes  thepicseiice  of  live  in  sev<'ral  instaiicciS, 
and  liiids  tiiat,  as  a  rule,  the  fourth  disappears  before  the  fifth, 
or,  at  least,  that,  its  alveolus  becomes  s(»oner  obiilerate(l.  llo 
also  ctudirms  tiie  siMtemeiit  jucviously  made  by  Wiegmann, 
that  th(!  alveoli  becoiin!  lilled  by  depositions  of  bony  iimtler  in 
concentric  layers  at  the  bottom  and  on  tin;  sid(  s. 

''I'lirsc  ;illc)j;c(l  sprcilic,  cliiO'dclrrs  ln>,  not  ices  in  dotail,  jinil  coiKsititTH  thorn 
ii.s  (l('|icii(li'iii,  iijiim  ji;;c.  lie,  says:  "  iJiiH  Mis.siiclMi  (liener  Clianiktcro  <,'ilu'lll 
KclioM  iiiiK(l('iiilJiiis)aii(lt',tiawH(ii('.s('lln'ii  iiiir  riirv(illi;r  aiiHyrwachseiic'J'liicre, 
iiiciit  abcr  I'iir  Jniij^c!  uiiwciidliai'  Hind,  dcnn  das  Htiiik.sto  Waclistliiim  der 
Eckziilnio  fall),  erst,  (>ti'cid)ar  in  cino  Hpiitero  Lcbciispdriodi)  in  widclier 
naniciitlicli  dii',  Ix'idcn  iiincrstcn  Sclincidcziilinti  nnddio  bcidcn  lolztcn  iJack- 
/.iibno  j(!diT  HciU;  drx  oljcrcn  ICinnlado  schon  j^escliwundcii  Hind.  Uiorzu 
kouuiit  noch  dor  Unintand,  dass  aiuh  din  ICok/illino  Ixii  sehr  alton  'i'liioreu 
an  del-  Spitzo  ItodcnfcnJ  al);;('nnizt;  .sii.il,  dcnniacli  in  siiiittTon  Lclx-nsHta- 
tlicn  an  Jiiin;^o  waLrschcinlich  wicdor  abnclinicn.  Endlidi  Hclicint  cs  ja 
scllist,  alsol)  dio  Liiiifjo  dioscr  Ziihno  jo  iiach  don  Gcsolilrclitorn  vorscliioden 
wiiri'. 

"  i^lioii  so  wcni;;-  (i('\vi(lii  nuiclito  ich  util"  di(i  l"urclinn;,;on  dicscr  Ziihno 
Ic^iin.  llinr  Zaid,  wic  iiinr  fStiirko  uach  Hind  Hio  ))oi  vorschiodonon  iibri- 
Hiiis  niijif  \()ii  cinaMiloi'  aliU(:icli<iidon  Individucn  voi'schii'dcn,  wio  icb 
iiiirli  dun  h  \'(  rj;li'i(liMiin'  oinor  jfiosscn  An/.;ibl  von  Walros^/iilincn  iilior- 
zoii;l;I  liabo ;  Ja  liicsi'  I'linlicn  sind  hiswcilci  '  lioidon.  l)is\Vfil('n  niir  an 
liimiii  diosrr  Ziilino  .s|Mirlris  vrrscliwnndon." 

ii'i ^-•|lt'(•ti^J^  'I'riiliicliiiH  (viiLi,  \\i:  adds:  ''Ancb  an  cinoni  ,S(iiai!cll'ia}j;inonto 
(Us  l\icici'  iMiistiiins  lindc  ich  clwaH  oonvoifj;irondo  Eckziilinc,  miichto  aber 
/woiicjn,  ob  dicsor  Minstand  cino  Aihintorscbcidnnff  rocbtfoitijit."— .)/)V//er'a 
Arrliirfiir  .huilumiv,  otc,  l-l',',  pji.  :V.)S,  :)'.tl». 


ih 


i; 


'A 


■n  , 


\  w 


A 


o2 


OlJOli.K.MS    K'OSMAhTS A  TLA  Nil  C    W  AMMS. 


;  1,1 


!'.     I 


.liicj^cr,*  ill  ISH,  <l«'scrilu'<l  tlic  (IcntitidiMtrtlirrc  iiillicr.voiiii;;- 
WmIiiis  skulls  IVoiii  I-iiltiiHlor.  In  llic  yoini^^cst  skull  {s.\  inclics 
loii^i,  (iA  iiirlirs  IiiojmI,  I'iiiis  iiiciisiirc),  uliicli  li:i<l  llic  cimiiics 
uboiit  two  iiic.lics  !<>ii<;,  lie  notes  lliiit  tlie  l:ist  m|i|mt  iiioliii'  Itiid 
already  fallen  tVoin  the  ri^lit  side,  hut  still  remained  on  tlio 
left,  belli  lid  wliieli,  as  well  as  heliind  the  ah  et  tins  of  the  fourth 
iiiohir  on  the  ri<;ht  side,  was  a  little  shallow  pit,  in  wliieli,  diir- 
irij;  fd'tal  life,  a  tooth  hiid  perhaps  stood.  In  front  :A'  these 
heforeiiientioiied  teeth  were  three  molars  on  eaeli  side,  and  in 
front  of  these  a  eonieal  iiieisoi,  and  the  alxcoli  of  the  others 
were  traceable,  altlioii;4h  alieiid.v  filled  with  a  spongy  substance. 
f  the  lower  jaw,  there  were  li\('  teeth  on  ea<'li  side,  with  traces 
of  three  already  lalleii  ludal  incisors  on  one  side  and  of  two  on 
tli(!  other,  '{'he  second  skull  (!>•/  inches  by  Trj)  was  somewhat 
older,  the  canines  bein^'  about  live  inches  lony.  There  were 
present  in  this  skull  three  ii|>per  molars  cui  e:icli  side,  and  a 
lilled-wp  alveolus  behind  them.  Of  tlu'se  te<'tli  fas  also  in  tin; 
other  skull),  tlu^  middle  one  wu.s  the  lar^^est  and  most  worn.t 
In  front  of  these,  and  somewhat  distant  from  them  (')'"),  was  an 
incisoron  (;ach  side,  and  in  addition  to  these  another  jiair  of  small 
c<uiical  incisors.  In  (he  lower  Jaw  of  this  skull  were,  on  each 
side,  four  teeth  lionioloj;ized  as  ('.  1  —  I,  M.  .">  — .'{;  .lae^icr  thus 
recoj;ni/in^,  as  had  Ifudolphi,  Uapp,  \Viej;iiiann,  Fj'emery,  and 
Stannius,  the  lirst  of  the;  low«'r-Jaw  series  as  a  canine.  Iteliind 
these  were  1  races  of  lli«s  alveoli  of  the  fourth  jiair  of  molars.  In 
the  third  skidl  (leii«rth  12.\  inches,  breadth  lOA),  still  older,  with 
tusks  a  foot  lonj;',  wen^  three  u]»[»er  "baek-liMith  "  on  each  side, 
close  to;;('tlier,  the  middh;  one  beinj;  the  lar;;est,  and  in  frontof 
these  a  eultinj;-tooiii.  The  low<'r  Jaw  had  also  lour  teeth  on 
each  side,  hom<do;;i/ed  as  bel'on'.  In  this  skull,  there  remained 
no  trace  of  the  middle  incisors.  Anotliei' still  older  skull  had 
the  same  dental  formula  a.s  the  last. 

Owen, I  in  ISa.'.,  <;ave  the  followiii};'  formula  for  llu'  deciduous 

<leiititionof  the  Walrus:  I,  ;-;~|i;  <'-ol',;  ^'-  ^ilii='''^-  This  was 
based  on  the  examination  of  a  youn;^'  animal,  which  had 
<lied  in  the  /o()l(»<;ical  (lardens  of  London,  lie,  at  the  same 
time,  J  imposed  the  followiii};' as  the  formula  of  the  normal  or  func- 
tional dentition  of  the  Walrus:    I.  J~J;  O.',^',;  J»m.  ;|-:|=18. 

•  MIIII.'i'HTnli.,  1-tl,  i.p.  70-::.. 

t  III  tlir'  yoiini;  skulls  dcsc  rilicd  liy  Sliiiiiiiiis.  I  lie  niiilillr  innljii-  is  iiiciitinnod 
UH  lii'in^r  iiiiiri)riiily  tin'  l:ir;;<'st  nml  iiiosi  worn. 

I  I'roc.  Zoiii.  Smc.  1.(111(1.,  iHr.:t,  J.].,  lori,  kig. 


I)I;N'1  TlittN. 


53 


rrnfcssor  ()\\<'ii.  ill  icffriiii.n  In  iiisl;niccs  ol' (Icviiilioii  iVom  111  is 
loiliiiilii,  (Ifpriidclll  on  (iillciTiiccs  of  ;i;;('  iilMJ  s<'\,  slalfil  ••liiill 
occiisidiiiilly  :i  siiiiill  I  noli  I  w;  IS  roiiiMJ  jiiilcrior  I  o  I  lie  iiuniiii!  scries 
(triour.iiiMl  iiioic  «'(»iiiiii(>iil\  in  IJH'  iipprr  liiiiii  I  lie  lowci-Jiiw  :  ;iii(l 
lliiil.  iiiiHc  i;ii<'j\ ,  ;i  siii;ill  InoIJi  \\;is  siiiM'imlflcdbcliiiKl  I  lie  nor 
mill  loiii-,  ill  llic  upper  jiiw,  iiiid  still  inure  rniely  in  Hie  lower 
j;i\\  ;   llie  roriniilii  -A'  tlie  ileiitilion  of  siieli  \iirielies,  in   exeess, 


iH.in-.— i.r,-:,  <■• 


'ni. 


;;,  M, 


I —I 

1—1 


=  LM»."  <  hveli  liereinnkes. 


no  relereiiee  totlie  lileinl  lire  of  llic,  sii'oject,  aiid  evldcntl.y  ^avc- 
a  very  erroneous  inlerprelnlion  ol'  tiic;  denial  loriiiida.  In  Ids 
■atei'  relereiiees  lo  llie  siihjecl  lie,  ^ives  an  enliiely  diHereiit  in- 
terpretation, and  one  more,  nearly  af^reeiiij;'  with  lliat  now  <;oin- 
monly  a(M;ei>led.  In  his  lalesi  i«!leicn(U',  lo  llie,  suhjecl,*  iitj 
writes:  "  In  Hie  W  a!iiis(7V/(7/a7i».s'  rfmnariin)  \hv  normal  incisive 
roriiiiila  is  I ransitorily  represented  in  Hie  veiy  yoiin;;'  animal, 
wliieli  lias  three  teeth  in  each  i)rema\illary  and  I \v(»  on  each 
side  of  the  lore  part  of  the  lower  jaw;  Iheysoon  disappeai' 
except  the  outer  pair  above,  which  rcmaiiM'htse,  to  the  maxil- 
lary suture,  on  the  inner  side  of  Hie  sockets  of  Hie  eiiormoii.-, 
canines,  and  commence  the  series  of  small  and  simple,  niolus 
which  they  resemhie  in  size  and  form.  In  the  adult.  Hien^  iMe, 
usually  three  such  molars  on  c  k  h  side,  hehiiid  the  permaiienf 
incisor,  and  four  similar  teeth  on  each  side,  of  the  lowei'  jaw; 
the  anterior  one  passing'  into  the  intcrsiiace.  between  the  npi»er 

incisor  and  the  lirst  molar Tin;  canii'es  iii'e  of  enormous 

si/e Their  hom()lyp(i  below  I'clain.s  Hicsizoan.l  sliajte  of 

tile  siiceeedin;;'  molars,"  Tlit^  formulii  of  Hie  normal  dentition 
a])parciitly  hove  re('o;;nize<l  is:  I.!!":];  <^- |ll;  ^I^- !!5ti'=j^=-**' 
(iiebcljt  in  18.")"),  j;;ive,  si.K  incisorsbotliJibovc  and.  below  as  tlio 
iiniiiber  existiuf?  in  Hie  youiif,^  befor«5  and  for  a  short  time  aft«u' 
bijt  h.  ( )f  these,  the  lower  are  said  to  soon  fall  out,  their  alveoli 
then  Itecoiiiinj;"  filled  with  a  bony  deposit.  Of  tin;  upper  inci- 
sors, Hie,  inner  pair  iirst  disappear,  and  soon  after  them  also  the 
middle  pair,  leavinj?  only  the  outer  jiair,  wliieh  begin  the  nmla- 
liform  series,  and  to  which  they  are  often  leferred,  this  outer 
jiair  persistin<;-  till  late  in  life.  The  u]tper  canines,  he  says,  are 
never  cast.  |  '•>  Ihe  lower  Jaw,  the  lirst  permanent  looHi  is 
I'c^iardeil  as  a  canine, because  it  is  thicker  and  rounder  than  tluj 
jtostciior  leelli,  and  lacks  tiie  eross-furrow  that  marks  the  oth- 
.\ii,ilinii\  1(1"  Vi'i'ti^hriitcs,  vol.  iii,  y.  ',V.W. 

tOilniil,.-.,  1,.  M-J,   |,1.  :!(;,  lijr.  7;    Siill}irl  ll.,   p.    !v!;>. 

^riirs  iiic,  iiowcvi!!',  US  mIiiiwii  liy  Miiliiigrcii  (kim^  licyoiid),  incccdcd  in  tho 
riiii)iy()  liy  (cinporary  tccili. 


;l 


li- 


hn 


■  V 


54 


(  MM  tU.KXrs    K(  )S.MAUrS ATI-ANTIC    WALUUS. 


;  ! 


ors.  The  \(miij;aiiiiiia!  \^i^  live  iipiici  iii()liiiil\»i'iii  teeth  (•'  llaclc- 
zslline''),  tlie  lii.st  t\v<Mtf  wliicli  are  smallest  and  early  disajipear, 
and  also  latei'  the  lliird,  loavinj;'  only  two  behind  the  canine, 
and  an  anterior  molarilbrni  ineisor.  In  the  lower  Jaw  there  arc 
only  Ibnr  ••  Ilaekziihne"  on  each  side,  of  which  the  last  and 
siaallest  very  soon  talis  away.     'I'lie  dental  Ibrnmla  .yiven  is  as 

follows  :-(|;5',)  +  I  4-  (;^l:)"  =  temporary  dentition:  l.:;!;!,  C. 
!ll'  ^'-  T^;i«<l>'ll  dentition:  1.  J^J,  C.  \-\,  M.  :-;.  While 
(iieliel  ae('e]»ts  the  first  ])ernianent  tooth  of  the  in<>lariforiM  s<'rie.s 
(if  the  Mi»i>er  jaw  as  an  ineisor,  and  the  lirst  in  the  lower  Jav  as 
a  canine,  he  recoj-nizes  only  two  iiersisteid  nioLirs  on  each  side, 
above  and  below. 

Malm.uren,*  in  ISG4,  ti;.>ured  the  dentition  from  a  Iti'tal  s]K»ci- 
men,  and  i»nblished  an  elaborate  i»a]»er  on  the  deidition  of  the 
Walrns,  in  which  he  leviewed  at  some  lenjith  the  history  of  the 
snbject,  notieinjj;-  (^nite  fully  the  writings  of  the  early  authors, 
from  ( 'rautz  to  the  Ciiviors,  and  the  papers  of  liapii,  Owen, 
Wiegmaun,  Xilsson,  and  other  later  writers.    The  fonnula  he 

I)resonts  as  that  of  the  peraumcnt  dentition  is :  I.  ^-^J,  C.  ~\, 
M.  !|5J|=^=18;  and  for  the  deciduous  dentition:  1. 1~^,  0.  ]^\, 
M, 


4—4       Hi 


J" 'JO    + 


4  — 4~Iii 

The  specimen  figured  shows  both  the  permanent  and  deeidu- 
ons  dentition.  The  deciduous  teeth  are  most  of  them  separately 
lignred,  of  natural  size,  as  minnte,  slender,  spindle-i'ooted  teeth, 
with  short,  thi(;kened  crowns.  The  permanent  teeth  are  already 
in  place,  altlumgh  even  the  n]»per  <'anines  liad  inobably  not 
pierced  the  gum.  The  middle  i»air  of  incisors  of  both  jaws  had 
ah'eady  disappeared,  leading  only  their  distinctly  recogiuzablo 
alveoli.  His  specimen  api)ears  to  have  liad  bnt  a  single  cadn- 
cous  molarbehind  the  permanent  series,  Iron  Avhich  he  assumes 
the  nnniber  of  upper  molars  to  be  4 — 4  insteid  of  5 — ."). 

The  following  year,  Peters  f  referred  to  Malmgren's  paper, 
jiublishing  a  jdate  illustrating  the  dentition  as  existing  in  a  some- 
what older  skull  (received  from  Labrador)  than  that  tignred  by 
Malmgren.  I'eters  here  takes  e.\ce])tion  to  Malmgren's  assumed 
numberofba'.'k-teeth,  which,  in  accordance  with  the  views  of  Kapp 

and  Wiegmaun,  Veters  believed  shoidd  be  I'—.',  instead  of  j~i 

>^  .  i)  —  u'  4  —  4 

•M»rvcrsiy;t  ill'  Kiiii.ul.  \'(t.-Ak;iil.  I'orlmmll.,  It^O.i,  i)]).  r)(lo-r)-J:.',  jil.  vii. 
■  tTln'  ii;i|M  T  liiMim  |>iililislifit  ill  Swcdisli.  I  am  iiiuihli'  to  I'ollnw  liiiii  in  his 

llisCllSsioll    (if  lIlC  SlllljlMl  . 

t  M(iiial>l).  I\.  P.  Akail.,  l-^'i."),  \)]>.  (!t!r)-(i87,  id.  faciny  p.  Cc^."). 


u 


■■■i 

k 


DENTITION. 


;JD 


t'ii 


According  to  lA-U-rs,  .M;il!ii,i,'i\'ii,  froui  not  liuditi.^'  niorc  than 
I'oiu'  iii>[t('r  hiick  Ici'tli  ill  any  of  I  lit'  many  skulls  of  \arious  aj;os 
lie  liiid  cxaniiiicd,  concluded  lliat  wjicn  a  lifth  is  present  it  is 
aliiioriaal.  TIk'  youn}^'  skull  li,uui'ed  and  desciihed  l)y  P»;ters, 
JHtwcvcr,  lias  in  the  ui)]»ei'  Jaw  tlie  I'onrth  and  liltli  hack-teeth 
still  in  place  on  tiie  lij^lit  sidi',  and  the  t'ourtli  on  the  left  side, 
with  an  aheolusot'a  liltli.  This  Peters  considered  as  allording 
new  proof  of  the  correctness  of  Wiogniainfs  formula.  As 
already  noticed,  live  molars  have  been  recognized  l»y  I'remery, 
l^app,  (iiehel,  and  Owen,  and,  though  perhaps  not  always  pres- 
ent, are  frequently  to  be  met  with. 

The  dental  formuhi  of  the  Wabus,  as  determhied  by  liapp 
and  AVieginauu,  hivs  l)eeu  adopted  by  Van  der  Iloeveu  *  and 
Blasius,  f  as  well  as  by  Peters,  and  essentially  by  (liebel.  Gie- 
bel,  however,  gives  oidy  four  deciduous  lower  incisors,  instead 
of  six.  Owen,  in  his  later  works,  agrees  in  this  point  with  Gie- 
bcl,  but  takes  apparently  no  cognizance  of  the  deciduous  fourth 
and  fifth  molars,  to  which  he  refers,  however,  in  Ids  earlier 
papers. 

Gray,  |  in  18G(>,  althouuh  quothig  the  formida  given  by 
Eapp,  'vlo  ^s  the  folk-vlug:  "Cutting  teeth  ^  in  young,  I  in 
adult;  grniders  —^  in  adult,  truncated,  all  single-rooted;  ca- 
nines, upper  very  large,  exserted."  He,  however,  quotes  Iiapi)'s 
fonnula,  and  also  that  given  by  Owen  in  his  "  Catalogue  of  the 
Osteological  Series  of  the  IMuseum  of  the  Eoyal  College  of  Sur- 
geons" (1853,  p.  030). 

Professor  Flower,  §  in  18G0,  gave  a  diagraui  of  the  dentition  of 
the  Walrus  based  on  many  observations  made  l>y  himself  and 
on  "those  of  others,  especially'  Professor  Malmgren,''  in  which 
both  the  temporary  and  permanent  dentition  is  indi<!ated  as  fol- 
lows: Milk  dentition:  1. 15|,  C.  \^^y  M.  |5^;  permanent  denti- 
tion :  I.  ;-5j,  C.  ;^,  M.  ^5|.  He  adds  that  "  it  is  probable  that 
an  anterior  rudhnentary  incisor  is  developed  in  the  uppei'  if  not 
in  the  lower  Jaw,"  making  the  temporary  incisors  hypotheti<'ally 
l~l,  "  1  believe,"  lu^  says,  "  that  the  rudimentary  milk  teeth 
never  cut  the  gum,  and  are  absor1)ed  rather  than  shed.    This 

process  commences  before  birth, The  rudimentary  teeth, 

however,  in  fr(uit  of  and  behind  the  large  teeth are  not 


^  LclirltiK'li  (Icr  ZoDloyie,  I8i£>,  p.  738,  Eutjlisli  cd. 
\  Siiiiy;i'tlu(i'e  Di'iUst'lilaiidw,  l>i7u,  iip.  2G1,  :i0'2, 
I  Cat.  Seals  and  Wliaks,  p.  :35. 
vN  .IiiMin.  Aiiat.  and  Pliys.,  iii,  ]).  27'2. 


.1 


■mm 


m 


'  .")<)  oltoli.KNl  S    HOSMAHIS AI'LANTIC    WAI.IM'S. 

,,'  ,    ;  UIifi'cqiK'iitly  pfl'sistciil  to  cxd'ciiic  old  iiyf,  iilllioii.uli  ('(Hiiliiolily 

,,       '  losi  ill  inacciMtcd  skulls.     TIk'si-  iii(liiiiciiliii',v  tcctli  iirc  iisiuilly 

'  ii  dosciilicd  as  '  iiiilk-tcctli ';  (ivcn  llic  postciior  ones  arc  sonic- 

times  so  called,  luit  it  apjsoars  to  iiic  an  open  (lucstion  wlicllicr 

tlio\  <lo  not  ratlicr  i't'i>rcscnt  pennaiiciit  teeth  in  a  nidiinciitary 

I  or  aborted  condition." 

,     J  Huxley,  ill  liis  "AnatoHiN  of  \'ertcl>rated  Animals"  (pp.  I'A'A), 

j   .   i  301),  piiltlislied  in  l.sTl',  ado])ts  tlie  f'ollowinji'  as  the  dental  for- 

;;  '  ;  mulaofthe  Walruses:  "I.  ,'-^,  ('.  J-[,  i>.ni.  in. :;-;!+ ;::^V'     lie 

I  C    !  says:  >•  Tlu^  dentiTioii  of  the  Walrus  is  extremely  peculiar.     In 

\\.<  the  adult,  there  is  one  simple  conical  tooth  in  the  out«'r  part  of 

I   :  the  i)remaxilla,  followed  by  a  huge  tusk-like  canine,  and  three, 

short,  simple-fanji'od  teeth.     Sometimes,  t\V(»  other  teeth,  which 

'     '  i  soon  fall  out,  lie  behind  these,  on  each  sid«'  of  the  upper  Jaw.    In 

,  the  mandible  theie  are  no  incisors,  but  a  sin;;le  slntrt  canine  is 

'  1  ;  followed  by  three  similar,  simple  teeth,  and  l)y  one  other,  which 

I  is  caducous." *     Txdh  here  and  in  the  formula  no  reference  is 

made  to  the  deciduous  incisors,  althouj;li  the  caducous   molars 

are  recognized. 

In  the  fore^oiiiii  risitmr,  we  have  seen  how  va^tui  Avas  the 
information   bcaiiii.u'  on   this  .viibj;'t    possessed  l)y  all  writers 
I,  l)i-ior  to  altout  tile  Ix'^iiniiiiiu'  of  the  present  ceiitiii\  :  how  the 

jji  '  '  earlier  notices  of  the  existence  of  iiicisois  in  i lie  noiiiii:' were 

overlooked  and  rediscoxcrcd  l»y  hiter  writers,  as  well  as  how 
'  slowly  the  tirst  periiianeii',  tooth  of  the  molariform  series  of  the 

ui>per  Jaw  came  to  be  ^('neially  reco^iiixed  as  a  true  incisor  and 
not  a  molar;  how,  later,  the  numi)er  of  incisors  in  theyonn^was 
fouiul  to  be  six  in  tlii'  upper  Jaw  and  six  in  the  lower  Jaw,  with, 
as  a  rule,  two  small  caducous  molars  on  each  side  in  the  upper 
jaw,  and  one  on  each  side  in  the  lower  behind  the  i>ermanent 
'  .      grindinj;'  teeth  ;  that  the  tirst  permanent  molariform  tooth  of 

the  lower  Jaw  was  a  canine  and  not  a  molar;  and  that  l>y  dif- 
ferent writers  the  inimber  of  incisors  i-eco^nized  in  the  lower 
jaw  has  been  sometimes  four  and  sometimes  six,  and  the  cadu- 
cous upper  mohirs  re<;arded  sonK'tiii:"s  a.s  one  and  sometimes 
as  two.  Finally,  that  the  true  formula  of  the  full  dentition  of 
the  Walrus  is  I.  i!^!*;  C.  \-\;  I'm.  M.  ]-;;=l;?=;U.     It  lience 

appears  that  the  dentition  of  the  Walruses  is  peculiar  and  some- 
what abnormal  in  four  featui'cs,  namely,  (1)  the  early  disap- 
pearance of  all  the  incisors  except  the  outer  pair  of  the  upper 

*  AiiMt.  N'crti'ln-.  Aiiiiii.,  \)\k  ;?(jO,  ;?G1. 


Hfc^ffl 


FOSSIL    IIKMAINS. 


i)l 


jaw,  (L')  llic  ('iionnoiis  (l('V<'lo]iiin'iit  of  fluMiiipcr  caiiincs.  (.'»)  tlic 
sli.uiil  spcriali/.alinii  of  l  lie  liiwt'i' caiiiiics,  aiitl  (I)  t  he  <'a(!iic()!is 
ciiaiiictci' III' till'  two  postciiur  |iaiis  nl' molars  ol' 1  hi'  iipiu  r  jaw 
anil  till'  itostcrioi'  |)air  in  tlic  litwi  r  jaw.  'I'lir  ciirly  (Iciititidii  of 
tln'  Walrus  (lillcrs  mainly  iVom  tli.il  ol' iiiost  ullici' riiiniprils  in 
liaviH,u  six  lower  incisors  instead  of  lonr.  I  lit'  incisi\»'  Ibi'Miiila  ol' 
otJMT  Pinnipuls,  as^ciicially  I't'coj^uizcd,  Itcinj;' usually  v^  !.  IVc- 
qucnlly  i;"!;,  and  sonu'tiMics  (as  in  Mocrorli i mis  iuu\  t'l/stopliura) 
•-^-, — never,  at  least  in  the  i>einiaiient  dentition,  ^-~;|,  but  I  am 
far  Iroiii  sure  this  number  may  not  sometimes  appear  in  the 
deciduous  dentition,  in  the  Sea  Otter  {Knlii/dris),  there  are 
said  to  be  six  lower  incisors  in  the  yonn^i',  wliile  only  four  are 
present  in  adult  lile.  The  middle  i)air  of  h)wer  incisors  so  early 
disai>]tear  that  e\cn  in  very  yonny  specimens  they  are  some- 
f'lnes  wanting;.  Ifapj)  found  in  a  f(etal  s])e('imen  tliree  on  one 
side  and  only  two  on  the  other,  and  ([uite  a  inimber  of  ]>romi- 
nenl  writers  on  the  subject  have  reco^iiii/ed  two  j>aii's  of  lower 
incisois  as  the  normal  number.  In  many  specimens,  the  alveoli 
of  three  pairs  have  been  found,  and,  in  addition  to  tin?  instances 
already  jiiven,  1  may  ad  '.  that  theic  is  a  younu'  skull  in  the 
Museum  of  ('om])arative  /o(lloi;y  lliat  shows  decided  traces  of 
thri'c  paiis.  the  outer  incisor  on  one  side  bein^■  still  in  j>lace. 

In  view  of  all  that  is  at  jtresent  known  respectinj^'  the  sid)- 
ject,  1  a(h)pt  the  followinji  formula;  .is  beini;-  well-established, — 
premisinji',  however,  that  they  are  substantially  in  accord  with 
the  view  of  the  ease  presented  by  Professor  Flower  in  18(I!» : — 

Temporary  dentition:  1.  i|i;|;  <'.JeI;  M.  i5^  =  ||;  =  ;w. 

Permanent  dentition :  I.  i-;^-;  t\}5-|;  M.  •^^^=JJ  =  2G;  the 
last  two  upper  molars  and  the  last  lower  one  on  each  side 
being  rudimentary  and  often  absent. 

Fossil  Re3IAIx\S.— llemahis  of  the  Atlantic  Walrus,  in  a  fossil 
state,  have  been  fonnd  at  various  points  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  li'om  Elaine  to  South  Carolina,  and  in  Europe  as  far  south 
as  l-lngland  and  France.  The  first  noticed  front  American  locali- 
ties was  thus  mentioned  by  Barton  in  1S05,  but  the  locality 
is  not  given,  lie  says:  "The  bones  of  one  of  these  large 
animals  have  been  foun»l.  Tines*?  ap])ear  to  have  belonged  to 
as]»ecies  <»f  trichcchns;  j)erhaps  to  the  triclicchun  rosinarus  or 
?Ho/-.sc."*     Messrs.  Mitchill,  Smith,  and  Cooper  described,  hi 

*Liiii(l(.ii  Phil.  Mill;.,  vol.  .\xxii,  !->()'>,  p.  Dd 


Mm 


»aJU,>J*- 


I 


i:' 


oS  olxiB.EMS    IJOSMAIiCs — ATLANTIC    WALKIS. 

1<S2S.*  ii  s]»('ciiiM'ii  coiisistiiiu  of  llic  iiiifcrior  portion  of  ;i  skull, 
foinid  on  t  lie  scii  Im'ih'Ii  in  Accoiimc  ( 'ouni  v,  Vii'.niniii,  Tlic  same 
s]M'cinn'ii  \\;!s  ;ilso  (Icscrihcd  latcf  Itv  Il;nliin.i  Tlicsi',  wiilcrs 
nil  coNsidcrcil  it  ;is  iicnrinu' tlic  rlosrst  I't'scnihhnict' to  tin- cuitc- 
spondini;'  iioition  of  tlic  sI<mII  of  tin  cNistiiiL;'  Wiiliiis,  to  wiiicii 
tlicy  (lonl>tfMllv  fcftTicil  it:  hut  hitcr  it  wiis  rc^nrdcd  1>\  l)fi\ii.\ 
Jl-S  r('i»i'('S('ntiii;n'  ii  distinct  species,  to  wliicli  lie  ii;i\e  liie  n;i:iie 
Trlcli  cell  IIS  ririiiiiiiiiiiis.\  In  iSlI,  l,,veil  described  a  tusk  ul» 
tainod  from  the  Tertiary  Clays  of  (iardiner.  Maine,  wliicli 
Owon  reii'ardod  as  pi'ol»al»l\  belonijiHiU'  to  an  extinct  s|»ecies.§ 
Lyellll  also  refers  to  a  skidl  lie  ohtained  at  .Martha's  X'ineyard, 
Massaeliiisetts.  Ilcdcseiihes  tliis  skull  as  >•  lilferin.L;fr(Mn  skulls 
of  the  cxistiiiij;'  species  {Tricliivliii.s  rosmiini.s,  IJnn.).  with  wliich 
it  was  eoiiipaicd  hy  Professor  Owen,  in  lia\  in,u'  only  six  molars 
and  tw(»  tusks,  whereas  those  of  the  recent  lia\  ti  four  molars  on 
each  side,  besides  occasionally  a  rudimentary  one.  The  front 
'  I  tusk  is  rounder  than  that  of  the  recent  walrns."<| 

In  1S."»7,  Dr.  Leidy**  described  and  li^iired  a  skidl  found  on 
the  sea-beach  at  Lonj;'  l>ranch,  3Iouuiouth  Couidy,  New  .Jersey, 
where  it  was  (»btain»'d  by  Prof.  .1.  V.  l''razer  in  IS."),'),  and  refers 
to  another  specimen  (consistin;j;'  of  the  facial  portion  of  a  skull) 
J  discovered  at  the  same  locality  by  Prof.  (Jeo.   II.  Cook.     The 

first-nanK'd  specimen,  says  Dr.  Leidy,  ''has  lost  a  portion  of  the 
craniuui  i>roi)er,  and  the  exserted  ixution  of  one  tusk,  but  other- 
Avise,  except  beiny  a  little  water-worn,  is  in  a  ^ood  state  of 
preservation.  It  is  luichan^^ed  in  texture,  and  nearly  so  in 
colour;  and  it  helonyed  to  an  old  individual,  as  all  the  sutures 
are  com])letely  obliterated.  The  form  of  the  facial  ]>ortion  of 
this  specimen  corresponds  with  that  of  the  specimen  from  Vir- 
ginia, [described  by  JJeKay  and  precediuji'  Avriters,J  abox'e  men- 
tioned ;  and  the  entire  skull  closely  resembles  that  of  the  recent 
Walrus,  TrichccliiiN  rosmai'iis,  as  represented  in  Ihi^  li<;ures  of 
Danbenton,  (.'iivier,  and  De  lilainviUe ;  and  its  measurements 
are  also  sufllciently  near  those  j^iven  by  the  lirst-named  auth(»r 
to  recoj^nize  it  as  the  same  s]iecies. 

*  Anil.  bye.  \:it.  Hist.  New  Ycuk,  vol.  ii,  Is^S.  j..  -JTl. 
tEdiuli.  New  I'iiil.  .loiirii.,  vol.  xvii,  l-^IM.  p.  :!C.(l. 
tNat.  Hist.  Xfw  Yoik,  Zoiilof^ty,  \>t.  i,  t>'l'J,  [p.  aCi,  |il.  \ix,  (ins.  t,  <t,  b. 
$Sci>  I'lH-kiiitl.  .A[<Mii.  I'.ost.  Soc.  Nal.  Hist..  v<.l.  i.  \H)7,  \>.  'ilC. 
IIAincr.  .(.lurii.  Sci.  and  Arts.  vol.  xlvi,   IsM,  )>.  oil*. 

^1  As  is  well  known,  t  lie  cxistiiij;' Wah'is  lias  occasionally  only  I  lie  imiiilni 
oftoctli  foiiiid  in  tlic  .Marllia"s  Vini'yard  siu'cinicn. 

**Traiis.  .Via.  I'liil.  Soc,  \(d.  xl.  \<u,  \>.  -:>.  ids.  i\,  \,  li^-.  1. 


m4il 


"I, 


FOSSIL    REMAINS. 


50 


"Tlif  tusks  in  tliu  fos.sil  ciirvod  (lowmvai'dly  in  a  <liv('i\i;inj^ 
niaiiiKT,  und  were  about  lour  inclics  distant  t'roni  each  otlicr  at 
their  cnicij^cnci^  Irom  tlic  alveoli,  aud  ten  inelios  at  their  tips. 
The  reiiiaininii'  tusk  in  the  speeinion  is  thivtoen  inches  long 
fi'om  its  alveolar  border,  and  in  this  latter  ])osition  it  is  three 
inches  in  diameter  antero-postcriorly  and  one  and  three  quar- 
ters inches  trans\ersely  .  .  .  ."  The  other  specimen,  from 
Xew  -Jersey,  ini.'Utioned  above,  he  says  is  also  ''unchanged  from 
its  original  texture,  but  is  lu'own  from  the  intiltration  of  oxide 
of  ii'on.  it  also  belonged  to  an  old  individual,  as  all  the 
sutures  are  obliterated,  and  the  third  moLirs  togetiu'r  with  the 
greatei'  [tart  of  their  alveoli  are  gone.  In  its  anatomical  de- 
tails th<'  si)ecimen  agrees  with,  the  eorrespoudiiig  portion  of 
J'rofessnv  iMiizer's  specimen,  except  it  is  an  inch  and  a  half 
broader  in  tlu'  ])osition  of  the  canine  alveoli,  and  the  antero- 
posterior diameter  of  the  tusk  is  rather  less.'-*  Of  both  these 
speci!  ens,  I)i'.  Leidy  gives  ligures,  and  they  agree  entirely  with 
corres])onding  parts  of  tlu!  existing  North  Atlantic  species. 
Dr.  licid.w  howe^'cr,  notes  ditt'erences  between  thes(}  specimens 
and  tli(»se  of  the  Walrus  of  the  Xorth  ra<'ific. 

J)r.  Leidy  adds:  "An  important  (piestion  now  arises  in  rela- 
tion to  the  age  or  geological  period  to  which  the  three  Walrus 
skulls,  tluis  discovered  on  the  coast  of  Xew  Jersey  and  Virginia, 
belong.  As  they  appear  to  be  of  the  sanu'  species  as  the  recent 
TrirliecliKfi  ronmurus,  which  once  lived  in  great  numbers  in  the 
(xulfof  St.  LawTenee,  they  are  most  ])robably  the  remains  of 
individuals  that  Avere  once  tloated  upon  th'lds  of  ice  southerly, 
and  left  on  the  present  United  States  coast.  Or,  perhaps  they 
may  l>e  "^he  remains  of  the  sanu'  species  which  prol>ably  during 
the  glacial  period  extended  its  habitation  very  far  south  of  the 
latitude  in  which  it  has  been  found  in  the  historic  iieriod."!  In 
view  of  the  now  well-known  former  extension  of  the  habitat  of 
the  Moose,  (Jaribou,  lieindeer,  Musk  Ox,  and  other  northern 
manuiials,  southward  to  Kentucky,  the  latter  hypothesis  seems 
the  more  probable  one,  and  that  the  species  in  glacial  times 
inhabited  the  eastern  coast  of  the  United  States  southward  to 
Virginia,  if  not  even  l)eyond  this  point. 

3[ore  recently.  Dr.  Leidy  has  announced  the  occurrence  of 
AValrus  remains  in  the  phosphate  beds  of  Ashley  Jtiver,  South 
Carolina,  and  has  described  aud  figured  a  tusk  from  that  locality. 

*  Trans  Aiiii'f.  IMiil.  Soi'.,  vol.  xi,  jiji.  f^l!,  84. 
tlliid..  p.  .-^l. 


^ii,  'i; 


\^ 


GO 


<  »1  >(  )nA:NIJS    1{0SMAHL.S — ATLANTIC    WAMJl'S. 


(   ■':!' 


''Til is  spcciiiicii,"  lie  siiys,  "  is  its  Idacli  as  cboiiy,  dense,  licstvy, 
and  Itiittlc,  and  is  iicaily  coiiiplctt',  cxccpl  a(  llic  tliin  border  oi" 
the  |»idp  eavil.v.  'rii(MMu\atiiri'  is  ,«;li>;lit,  and  it  indii-ates  the 
tootli  li>  he  oi'  the  h'l't  si(U'."  He  <;iveH  its  <liniensi()ns  or  ien};tli 
externally,  Ibllowin^'  the  eurviitiire,  thiiteen  ineiies;  near  the 
root  it  has  an  anteroposterior  diameter  of  three  and  live-eiuhths 
inches, and  a  t  ransverse  diameter  ol'oni!  and  tliree-lburths  inches, 
and  at  the  middle  tlie  tninsverse  diameter  is  two  ami  one-eighth 
inches,  while  the  anteroposterior  'diameter  is  about  the  same  as 
at  the  base.  "In  robust  character,"  he  adds,  "the  tusk  (piite 
equals  those  of  the  largest  mature  recent  skulls  which  have 
come  umler  my  observation,  but  is  much  shorter  and  nu)re  ab- 
iiiittly  tapering.  The  specimen  looks  like  what  wv  might  sup- 
pose the  tusks  of  the  living  animal  would  be  were  they  broken 
olf  near  the  middle  and  then  worn  away  little  more  than  one- 
fourth  the  length  in  a  curved  line  (■  '"cted  from  the  coiu'se  of 
tlie  anterior  longitudinal  convexity  to  ilie  tij).  The  com]»arative 
brevity  of  the  tusk  and  its  worn  condition  at  the  end  may  ])er- 
hajis  have  depended  upon  Just  such  an  accident  an<l  subsecpuMit 
wear.  In  a  mature  skull  from  the  shore  of  Sable  Island,  and 
preser\('d  in  the  31useum  (»f  the  .Vcademy,  the  tusks,  which  ar«' 
of  the  usual  size,  arii  worn  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Ashley 
s])ecimen  for  nu)re  than  half  their  length." 

After  describing  in  detail  th»  tinting  of  the  tusks,  and  the 
variation  noticeable  in  this  respect  in  different  skulls  of  the  liv- 
ing Walrus,  he  concludes  that,  while  the  tinting  ditl'ers  some- 
what in  the  fossil  tusks  from  that  usiuilly  seen  in  the  tusks  of 
the  existing  animal,  these  dift'erences  cannot  bo  considered  as 
lun  ing  specilie  vahu?.  In  referring  to  BeKay's  "  Trichcchus  vir- 
ginidHUH,''^  lie  says:  "No  remains  of  an  luuloubtedly  extinct 
s])i'cies  known  to  ine  have  been  discovered  anywhere."  He 
finally  adds,  respecting  the  Ashley  fossil,  that  "  it  is  an  inter- 
est ing  fact  to  have  learned  that  this  [the  living]  or  a  closely  re- 
lateil  spe(;ies  formerly  existed  so  far  south  as  the  Ashley  liiver. 
South  Carolina."* 

he  discovery  ()f  the  greater  part  of  the  skeleton  of  a  Walrus, 
including  the  skull,  with  the  tusks  over  iive  inches  long,  and  all 
the  teeth  except  two,  in  the  Quaternary  Clays  at  I'ortland, 
Me.,  was  made  during  July  of  the  ])resent  year  (1878).  It  was 
found  in  excavating  for  the  foundation  of  the  new  "Boston  & 
Maine"  transfer  station,  at  about  seven  feet  from  the  surface. 

Moniii.  Aciid.  Nat.  S(,i.  I'liila.,  2(1  kit.,  vol.  viii,  1877,  pp.  'Jl  1-210,  pi. 
XXX.  liii'.  •>. 


FOSSIL    li'K.MAlNS. 


01 


'•  ]|  \v;i,s])iirli;ill,v  imbedded  in  :i  liiyt-r  t»l"  blue  el;iy  ii  tu(»t  in  fliiek- 
iiess, (tveiliiid  by  i)  lii.verofli-iliterela.v  l\\<>  I'eel  two  iiielies  (liick, 
('()iil;iiiiiii,n  (lists  iiiid  f^\n'\ls  iA'  Mi/d  (iriiKiria,  Maroniii  iinhiil<i.s((, 
MiiUjltis  rilidis,  ('oriUioii  (tScrripcN)  ijni nltiii'livniii,  ANtnrtc  triat- 
catdj  fSdricdi'd  dislortd.  Xnviild  dnii<iit<(,  Leila  tciuiisulrtitdy  L. 
iruiicdUi,  ydlird  rhoisd  ;ind  piisilld,  and  lldldiiiis.  The  siieleton 
is  ill  tlie  Miisemii  ol' liie  roillaiid  Hoeiety  of  Natural  Ilist(»ry."* 

Ill  lliiroiK',  \\  ilnis  remains  were  rejxirted  by  (.'iiviert  as  Ibmid 
at  Aiijuers,  I'ranee,  but  Gervais|  Ibund  later  tliat  tlie  only  ])or- 
tioii  ol'  tiiose  remains  accessible  to  liini  beloiij;ed  not  to  the 
"Walrus,  but  lo  Ww  Jldlithcrunii. 

Ill  isr».s,  however,  a  jiart  of  a  eranium  was  described  by  (Ira- 
tiolet,  i'rom  the  diluvial  deposits  of  Montrouj^e,  near  Paris,  lie, 
however,  considered  it  as  ilistiiict  from  the  existing  species,  even 
geiierieally,  and  gave  it  the  name  Oilohcnoiherimn  Jartctianum.^ 
In  1S7 1,  a  nearly  entire  skull  Mas  described  by  Dcfrance,  from 
similar  deposits  near  the  village  of  Sainte-Menehould,  Marne, 
Avhicli  he  not  only  considered  as  identical  with  the  livhig  species, 
but  also  referred  the  fragment  previouijly  described  by  Gratiolet 
to  the  saiHC  species.    Eespecting  these  specimens  he  says : 

'<  En  comparant  entre  elles  les  tetes  du  Trichcchns  rosnidrus 
de  iios  mers,  de  VOdohcnothcrium  Ldrtctianum  et  du  Trirlifrhns 
do  SdintcMenchouId,  on  leur  trouve  une  ressemblance  aussi  com- 
plete <iue  possible,  sauf  en  ce  qui  concerne  la  forme  <'t  le  vo- 
lume de  I'apophyse  mastoide,  point  qui  presente  des  dillerences 
assez  sensible.  On  salt  que  dans  le  T.  rosmaruti  cette  ai)ophyse 
est  tri'S-grande,  presque  verticale,  et  saillante  la  partie  infe- 
rieure  du  crane;  cello  de  VOdohcnoihcnum,  dgalement  tres- 
volumineuse,  se  prolonge  presque  horizoutalement  en  arritire, 
sans  d6passer  le  crane  inferieiu'ement ;  celle  (hi  Trichechvs  de 
Sa'mte-Mcnchould  pr(3sente  un  volume  plus  considdrable  encore 
que  dans  les  deux  autres,  sans  se  prolonger  en  arri^re  comme 
dans  VOdohcnothcrium,  mais  inferieurement  comme  dans  le 
Trichechus  actuel.  Ces  nuances  Wg^res  iudiquent  evidemment 
une  etroite  parents  entre  ces  trois  individus ;  aussi  est-il  diffi- 
cile de  comprendre  /lue  Gratiolet  ait  voulu  <itablir  lui  nouveau 
genre  sur  des  particidarit(js  pen  accentu(5e  que  celles  que  lui 
pr(jseutait  la  portion  de  crane  dont  il  (Halt  possesseur,  et  (pii  ne 

'  Aiiici-iciin  NatumliHt,  vol.  xii,  ji.  ()'.j:!,  Sept.,  1878;  see  also  Portland (Md'me) 
Argus,  ot'Jiily  — ,  1878. 
t  Ossein.  Foss. 

tZool.  et  Paldont.  Fraufaises,  1850,  p.  88. 
\'>Bull.  Soe.  Gdol.  de  Frauce,  2-=  «6r.,  xv,  1858,  p-  C24. 


i 


i 


;  •  \'S' 


*S  J.« 


,:i*^aj^ 


fi2 


(tltlill.r.MS    K'OS.MAKMS — ATLANTIC    WALKI'S. 


}|. 


1     H'"   t 


sont  (I'liillcins  »|ii('  ties  piiiticiiliMitf's  relatives  ])oiir  lii  plnpart  i\ 
IVi;;*'  ct  ill!  scxr,  iiiiisi  <|ni>  Til  <'tiil)li  M.  (icivais."* 

Vail  r.('ii»'<U'iit  ivi'vVH  to  (J  rat  inlet's  M])eeiiin'ti  at  some  length, 
;,'iviii}i'  its  full  history  ami  exjiosiiii^'  its  true  eharaeter.  Tie  says: 
'•Oil  a  Iroiiv''  a  Moiilroiiju'e,  pies  de  Paris,  il  y  a  <niolqiies  au- 
iiees.  nil  eriiiH!  Uoiit  on  s'est  l)eaiieon|>  oceiiju'et  ipie  (Iratiolct  u 
(leeiit  sons  le  nom  iVOdohnmtlurv.  Lai'tet  I'avait  reinis  s\ (Jratio- 
let.  Xous  avons  examine  cette  tete  avee  tout  le  soin  mlcessairc 
et  lions  partapjeons  conipletenient  I'avis  que  M.  I'anl  (lervais  a 
exj>i'iin6  t\  son  snjet  dans  la  Zoolof/ie  et  la  PnU'ontoUxjic  frani;ai8es 
(p.  SS),  c'est-a-(liie,  (pie  ee  erane  IVaittnre  et  .pit  a  subi  I'actiou 
du  fen,  n'est  antie  (!hose  (pi'iui  erane  de  >rorse  vivant  qui  6ii(t 
rapporte  da  Xord. 

'•  Nons  avons  etndie  eett<i  pieee  avee  M.  I'anl  (rorvais,  ayant 
de\ant  nons  tons  les  elements  (hi  eoiiiparaison  (pK^  ])ossMo  hj 
Mnst'iiiii  et  e'est  a]»n's  avoir  s(''rieiiseikieiil  la'siti*  si  I'Odobe- 
iiot here  (\st  nil  .Morse  on  lion,  (pie  nons  nons  soniineran^iV'de  I'avis 
(le  ii()tr«;  savant  eonlVere. 

'•(Jet  Odol)(''iiolhei(!  vepos(>  snr  nil  t'rajiinent  de  crane  (hmt  la 
eavite  een'-hiale  a  (''t(''  ntiUstJe  pour  iiii  iisa;;'e  (piehMtiapie  et  (pii 
anra  ('id  apportc  dans  eet  etat  ])ar  (piehpie  i»("('lieiir  dii  Nord. 
C'est  h;  e('»t«!i  droit  et  iioii  le  e(»t(''  jianehe  (pii  est  eoiiservtJ. 

"(-ehii  qui  se  Ironve  devaiit  ee  rra<;iiieiit  de  crane  et  (ini  a 
devaiit  Ini  nii  choix  de  seel  ions  dcs  diverses  le^ioiis  <h^  la  tete, 
comprend  aiseineiit  (;oiiiiiient  a  pn  se  troiiiper. 

••  L'inqKU'tance  (pie  J^e  lion  a.  attaeluM^  i"l  la  pn'jseiiee  de  eette 
tote  dans  h'  Diluvium  i(ni}4(',toiul)eaiiisi  coiiqdf'temeiit;  iYpropos 
de  la  pi-riode  ylaciaire,  Le  lion  avait  ac('(mh'' niie  s^rande  vahnir 
a  eette  pn^tendne  diJconverte  (hi  j;ratiolet."T 

Lankester,  in  1805,  deseril)ed  fossil  tasks,  from  the  Red  Crag 
of  England,  of  an  animal  evidently  closely  allied  to  the  Wa]rn>s. 
He  ennmerates  no  less  than  twelve  or  tifteen  spechneiis  of  these 
remains,  mostly  I'ragments,  collected  from  varions  hicalities,  all 
from  the  so-called  "IJed  ("rag"  forniati(ni  of  England,  or  its 
eqni\'alent.  The  principal  hxtalities  are  Sntton,  Felixstow,  and 
Bawdsey,  hi  England,  hnt  he  refers  also  ty  tlnMr  o(!cnrrence  at 
diilerent  points  in  Jjelginin.  The  iiiaj(nity  of  the  specimens 
of  the  tusk  obtain(!(l,  Avrites  .Mr.  Lankester,  "are  its  ])ointcd 

'Dull.  Soc.  G<;ol.  de  rranec,  I^'  st^r.,  ii.  1H7-I,  pp.  ICO,  170. 

tDcsL'iip.  (tcsOsHcineutsFossilcsdcslJivironsd'Aiivcvs,  Aim.  Mtis.  d'llist. 
Nat.  (le  I]clKi,i,'iu\  i,  18T7,  pj).  10.  11. 

t'vt.i;  lid's,  I.'iiiniiiiK  fds^ih,  l';ti7,  p.  1)1)4. — Id.,  Jlouitininl  dca  mora  .  ,  .  ,  , 
p.  48,  1^70." 


FO.SSIL    KKMAINS. 


<;;; 


toniiiiiiitioiis;  hill  otiifi-  s|icciiiii'iis,  of  tlu^  bust' aiiil  iiitcnncili- 
iitc  |»orti()iis,  liu\«'  collie  lo  li;;lil.  'riirtdif-lioiil  its  U'iij;tli,"  Mr. 
I.;iiilv«'»ti'i-  cuiiliiiiu's,  ••  w iiirli  in  soiih'  cxamplrs  must  Iiaxc  Ih'uii 
I'lillv  liiivc  I'l't't,  llic  liisU  is  sli;^lilly  curved;  but  in  those  wliicli 
apptar  In  1»<'  I'lilly  j;ro\vii  tlic  curve,  is  (loiisiilerably  ;;i'e;ilei' 
lowanls  the  leriiiiiial  point,  the  (lirccttioii  of  the  ciii\c,  probabl^N 
<>i\iii^  ihe  tiislv,  it'  its  l'iiini;;raih^  atllnities  Ixt  established,  a 
j'elrollccted  position,  as  in  tlic  Diiiotluiriiun.  Tiie  Cia;;'  tusk 
is  \eiy  iiiiuih  compressed  hiterally,  so  liiat.  its  transverse  sec- 
tion lias  an  elUptical  outline,  whilst  that  of  th»i  Dinothrriuin- 
tusk  is  nearly  cireidar.  'I'he  amount  of  lateral  compression 
is,  however,  extremely  variable,  as  it  is  also  in  tin;  iixiii^^-  VV'al- 
nises;  the  amount  also  of  the  lat«!ral  as  well  as  the  antcro- 
j)osieii(»r  llection  <»f  the  tusk  appears  to  vary,  as  in  the  recent 
Tfivlnriis,  the  xariability  of  which  in  the  si/e  and  form  of  its 
ni>ks  is  well  known.  A  single  lar^e  furrow  on  the  outer  siir- 
I'acc.  two  on  the  inner,  and  one  on  tin;  inner  curved  margin,  ex- 
tend aloiij;  the  wiiole  length  of  the  tusk  ill  many  specimens, 
exactly  similar  to  those  oil  some  liisks  of  Walrus;  but  in  both 
the  recent  and  fossil  specimens  llie_\  are  subject  to  much  varia- 
tion, i.i  I  heir  major  or  minor  dcM-lopmci  it.  No  appearance  of  aii\ 
weaiili;;'  of  Ihe  point  of  the  tusks  b_\  use  diirill.y  life  is  obsiTVa- 
l)!r:  and  indeed  the  j;reater  backward  cui'vatnre  of  that  part 
sei'iiis  to  result  from  its  freedom  from  iisan'c,  since  in  the  Walrus 
the  jioint  of  the  tusk  is  rapidly  worn  away,  which  of  course 
checks  any  tendency  to  curvature  which  mi,i;lit  become.  a|)par- 
cut  if  the  tusk  were  not  used  against  such  hard  substances  us 
rocks  and  blocks  of  ice. 

'•  I'loiii  ail  cxaniinatiun  of  the  yeuoral  contour  and  form  of  the 
tusks,  without  reyard  to  their  substance  or  structure,  one  would 
unquestionably  be  led  to  reyard  tlieui  us  belonj^in;;-  to  an  animal 
siiiiihu'  to  the  existiu,';'  Walrus,  inasmuch  as  it  is  in  this  animal 
alone  that  this  form  of  tusk,  \\*ith  its  longitudinal  furrows,  j;reat 
h.'iijitli,  and  j;entle  curvature,  is  found."' 

.Vfter  describin}^' ill  detail  the  structure  of  ihese  fossil  tusks, 
as  shown  in  seittiyns  and  as  revealed  by  (he  microscope,  ^Mr. 
Laiikester  further  observes:  -'In  its  microscopical  striutlnre, 
the  dentine  of  the  fossil  tusks  presents  a  complete  resemhlauee 
lo  that  of  the  Walrus,*  ....     The  dentinal  tubes  are  verv 


*Tli('ir  inicii)s('(>])it'!il  siructiu'i',  iis  wot!  ;ih  cxttTiKiI  \'tn\\\,  tar  illustrated 
liy  uuiiu'i'iius  liL;iii'.'s,  loniiin;^'  jilatcs  x  and  \i,  afcoiniiaux  iiii;  Mr.  t.aidvf.s- 
ii'r's  jiaprr. 


rM 


04 


(»I)()IL1>NLJ.S    K'OMMAIMS ATI.ANI'IC    WAMJl'-S. 


I 

'I- 

'■'1 


^i(^^-:1!^l 


nearly  of  the  Siiiiic  :  izc,  and  ('(inally  closclv  paclccd,  and  ate 
connected  with  stellate  lacnna'  in  some  nnnilteis  near  the  jjcri- 
pliery  of  the  tooth.  This  Vtinclnic,  which  is  not  pc  ^n liar  to  the 
Walrns,  is,  nevei'lheh'ss,  a  l«'st  of  alllnitv,  inasnnicli  as  the  form 
of  the  lacuna-  vaiies  in  dillercnt  animals,  'i'liev  are  not  .net 
with  in  the  tnsks  of  the  I'roboscidea  or  tin'  liippopotannis,  init 
occnr  in    the  cnrions  incisors  of  the   l)n,n(»n,ii.      i'he  ■dentinal 

cells' of  the  < 'ra,n' tnsks  also  reseiiihle  those  <»f  the  W'ali'iis 

In  Htrucfiin^  the  cement  exactly  resembles  thatof  the  Walrus, 
displayin,:;'  vascnlar  canals,  honc-lacnna',  and  canalicnli.  of  the 
.siune  form  and  disj)osition ;  hnt  the  |>rop(»rtion  which  it  hears 
to  tln!  tlii(;kiiess  »  I"  the  othei'  tooth  tissues  appears  t(t  he  lar;>«T 
in  the  Walrus  than  in  the;  lossil. 

"  I'^'rom  the  foicn'oini;' remarks  it  will  he  apparent  that  w;-  have 
in  thesivfossil  tusks  characteis  which  ally  them  most  closely  to  the 
lai'ii'c  canines  of  the  ;j,'einis  lV<t7/t'c'».v."  After  eiuimcratin,i4  the 
])ointsof  form  and  stnuttun!  which  distnijj^uish  these  tusks  from 
t]ios(^  of  other  animals,  and  those  which  assin)ilate  tlieni  to  those 
of  th(^  Walrus,  he  thus  j^eiu'ializes  the  rcsidts  ot'  his  investij;ii- 
tions:  "  iiastly,  they  resend»le  lln^  lari^c  canine  tusks  of  the 
living'  Tricliccvs  in  their  eui \atnre,  varyinj-'  lateral  compi-ession, 
hirj^'i  suiliicc-furrows,  short  ami  wide  jndp-cavity,  globular 
•  o.sseodentine',  and  every  detail  of  minute  structui'c.  They 
ditfer  from  them  in  their  yreatir  cnrvatmc  at  the  i»oint  of  the 
tusk,  their  <;reiiter  iatiaal  <;oinpression,  and  minor  development 
of  cement. 

''I  iu;cordinf;ly  pro]>o.S(;  to  establish  the  ^enus  Trichccodoa  to 
r<'ceiv((  the  animal  tinis  iiidicated.  The  Jusu(i(;ation  of  a  e,en- 
erio  .sepiirutioii  mu.st  bes(m<.dit  iuthefaetof  the  yreat  anticpiity 
of  the  14od  Crag,  and  the  consequent  probability  of  the  associ- 
ation of  other  and  more  distinctive  attributes  with  those  of  the 
tusks." 

As  re^'urds  its  ji'eolo^^ical  posithni  ami  associations.  Mi".  Lau 
ke.ster  adds:  "  It  a])i)ears  that  the  Trichaothm  IlKxlciji,  like  the 

Cetice."n  remains  of  the  Cray  and  hw^v.  Sharks'  teeth, 

is  a  <ler' 4-ed  fossil  in  the  I'ed  (Jraj;,  beloiif;iuif  ])roperly  to  the 
.Middle  Crajiy,7hiel'  is  not  m,vv  observable  in  this  country  \\'ln<^- 
land],  but  is  well  develoi)ed  at  and  near  Antwerp."* 

It  thus  a])pears  that  Mi'.  Lankester  was  as  much,  or  more,  in- 
lluenced  in  hi.'-  generic  difterentiation  of  these  fossils  from  the.r 

*  Qii.irtcrl^-  Jonnial  of  flu;  Geol(i;^if:!il  Socifty  of  London,  xxi,  l^iT),  i^p 


Mt 


ffif 


(ii:(»<ilJAI'll!('.\l,    DISTKIBI    riON. 


t)5 


iiciiiTsI  li\  ill ,,  iilli<'>;,  1>.\  the  ;^(.'(>l(»;4i(.'al  «'\  idciM'c  ol'  llirir  ;iiiti(i- 
iiit\  i!s  Itv  tli<'  ;ictii!ill,\  ■»l).s('i'V('(l  and  inliriittcdlN  s!ij;lit  dilVci- 
ciicrs  of  roiMi  and  striifl  inc.  Mr.  liaiiUcslcr  docs  not  iiiloiiii  iis 
rcsi»;'(i  iii.u  I  Ik-  locality  wIicik-c  <'aiiic  liis  spcciiiicns  oi'  t  lie  t  iisks 
ol'  ilir  li\iii.';'  Walrus  with  wiiicii  lie  coinitais'il  tin-  fossil  liisks. 
Ill  I  his  coll  licet  ion  it  iiia.v  l»<'  added  (see  further  on  this  point  the 
Mccoiint  nl'  0(l()l)(r'tiis<)h(Niis'j;]\<'n\t{'y{m(\){hn{  (he  disks  of  the  i'a- 
cilic  species  (^/(/o/yrr/*»f.s-  o/>r.s».s)  are  not  only  !oii;;ciand  slenderer 
than  I  hose  of  liie  Atlantic  species  {().  rosiiHiriis),  hut  are  shaiper- 
j)oiiilcd  and  more  inciiiNcd,  and  do  not  present  the  worn  and 
hntkeii  appearance  so  often  (indeed,  iisiially)  seen  in  the  tasks 
of  lid  individuals  of  the  latter.  Whet  her  oi-  not  tlic\  present 
dilfercnces  of  striK'tiirc  has  not,  so  far  as  known  ,0  me.  hceii 
iiiicroscopieally  determined.  The  tusks  of  the  l*acilic  species, 
flirt herm(»re,  sometiiiK's  atfain  the  si/(^  indicated  for  the  tusks 
of"  TriclKcodon  hnxhuiW  For  the  jircscnt  I  niiist  consider  Laii- 
k(!Stci"s  Tricltcwdon  hiudcjil  as  certainly  not  j;«'iierically  separ- 
able from  the  exislin^'  Walruses,  although  it  may  have;  differed 
from  the  exisliny  Atlantic  species  in  larger  si/*;  and  jiossihly  in 
other  cl'.aracters,  as  so  often  ha[>pen,s  among'  the  iiniiiediate  [»ro- 
genitorsof  existing  speeios  in  other  gToui>s  of  inainmals. 

\'an  IJeiieden  has  recently  reviewed  iit  considerable  length 
the  hi  loryof  the  supposed  and  actual  fossil  remains  of  tin; 
Walrus,*  sliowing  that  most  of  those  reported  as  found  in  dill'er- 
eiit  ]»arts  of  l^'ranc  •  aiuKjcrmany  were  really  those  of  d.iHereut 
>speci(!s  of  extinct  tSireniaus  or  other  animals  than  the  Walrus. 
Van  Ucneden,  liowever,  describes  and  iigures  a  dorsal  vertebra 
Ik;  considers  as  that  of  the  Walrus,  found  near  Deurne,  and  a  sea- 
]»hoid  hone  from  Anvers. 

(iKiKiKAl'IIlCAI.      DlSTUnU'TlON,    PKKSJINT     AND     PAST. — 1. 

(Uxtst  oJ'Nortk  America. — As  already  shown  (^/H/m,pp.'~>7-<»l ),  the 
Walrus,  like  the  Musk  Ox,  the  (Jaribou,  and  the  Moose,  langed 
(hiiiiig  the  great  lee  Period  nn.ch  beyond  the  southern  limit  of 
its  Itoiindary  at  the  time  the  eastern  coast  of  North  Ainericii 
was  first  visited  by  lOiirop  'aiis.  AVhile  its  icmains  have  been 
found  as  far  south  :;s  Xew  .Jersey,  Vii'ginia,  and  even  South 
< -arolina,  thert;  is  no  (;vi<lence  of  its  existen(;e  on  the  New  I'hig- 
laiid  coast  within  hi; '^  ric  time,  or  during  flu;  last  three  hiili- 
dred  and  titty  years.  During  the  last  half  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury they  are  known  to  Iiave  frequented  the  soiitheiii  coast  of 

'  Aim.  .MiiH.  (I'llist.  Nat.  d    .'clgiquc,  i,  1877,  w.  ;«M!!>. 
.Misc.   I'ul>.  No.  IL' r» 


fid 


nl>0|',,i;M  S    IJOSMARIS All-AN'I  H'    WAMMIS. 


I 


No\  ;i  S(i»ti;i,  ;i.^  ucll  ;i  -  t  lit-  sliorc-i  mid  isliiiids  to  I  In-  iioiHiWiird; 
hill  llii^  ;i|i|M-:irs  lo  liiivi-  \u-i\i  :il    lliiil  liiiic  llicji'  soiif  licrii  liinit 

Ol     l|i>ll  illlllidll. 

Ill  M;i\,  I."».'I1,  II1C3  well'  iiicl  uilli  l»\  .hiiiics  (  iniicr,  nhoiit 
llic  i>l;iiiil  ol'  '"  K':ilii<-;i"'  (piol^iMv  Siihic  I.s|;iii(lj,  w  li(»  t  liiis  irlcis 
1(»  IImiii:  "Ahoiil  Hh-  siiid  Isliiiid  {li:iiii(;i|  jiic  v»'r\  j^icmU; 
Ix'iislcs  ;is  ;ii(';it  iis  oxen,  wliicli  li;i\c  luo  ^^ifiit  tcctli  in  tlicir 
fiioiitlis  Iil<c  unto  l']|(')ili;iiil.s  tcctli,  \-  live  iilso  in  llic  S(!!i. 
VVf  saw  tlu-ii!  slccpin;;  iipo!!  Ilic  i)iinKc of  llic  \v;itcr:  wcclliink- 
inji  to  talic  it,  went  with  our  Itoiitrs.  ImiI  so  sooih- as  lie  heard 
IIS,  he  cast  liiiiiscll'c  into  (  he  sea."*  'I'liev  were  altf-rwaKJ  liiiiile.d 
licrc  lor  their  liisKs  and  oil.  'Ihiis  l.'i<'liai(l  I'ischej-,  in  s|»i'akiiin" 
ol'  the  same   island,  sa\s:      "()n  uliich    Isle   lot'  l.'aniealarc  so 

7  •  I  ] 

^^icat  aliiindaiice  (»!'  the  liii^f  and  iiii;jlilic  Sea  <)\cn  with  ;;real 
teeth  in  iiionclhs  of  April,  Mav  and  .lime,  that  there  lia\e  liene 
lilliciie  hninirclh  Killed  Ihere  Its  one  siiiall  hiiike.  in  Ihe  \car 
loltl."!  Till' satiie  u  rile)'  tells  lis  1  hal  (ieor^^e  l)iaKc,  luo  vears 
later,  ••  found  a  shippi'  ol'  Saint  Malo  thifc-  pail>  I'reiyhted 
with  these  lislies."  Another  writer  sa_\s  tiiat  he  had  seen 
;i  "drs  Hal  lidl  al  oiiee"  ol'  llieir  teeth,  ••uliieh  ale  a  i'oole 
and  -iiiiielinies  more  in  len'^IJi.""  'riie\  al^o.  al  ahoiil  I  li<  ,-ame 
time,  rieipieiited  the  >o  called  ••  l;ir<l  l,-land,> "'  oil'  <  'ape  Kiel  on. 
Sa.\  s  <  hai'les  l<ei;4h  :  •■  I  poll  the  lesse  ol' t  hese  l.dands  ol' llirds 
Ave  >au  ;iieate  store  of  Morsses  or  Sea  Oxen,  wlii<'h  were  a 
sleepc  upon  liic  rock<'S:  Imt  when  we  apinnachcd  nere  unto 
them  uilli  our  lutale  tlie,\  east  liieiir-el\e>  into  tiie  >ea  and 
j)iirsiied  ii.>  with  such  fiirie  as  that  ue  were  ;^lad  to  lice  from 
lliein."  It  is  later  said  that  the  nnmlMr  of  these  "Sea  Oxen'" 
was  "ahoiil  thirt\  or  fortv.":j  l''rom  Ihe  accounts  of  <ilher 
Wllters  we  leaiii  that  I  lie>e  -'Sea  <  )xen "  u  ere  a<'custoiiied  to 
resort  to  these  \arioiis  islands  during  Apiil,  .Miiv  and  .liine. 
loi'  Ihe.  purpose  of  luin;;ili;;  forth  t  heir  \oiiii;:.  'I'liiis,  ■■'rhoinas 
.lames  ol'  iJristoll,"'  in  sjieakin^  of  t  he  "  Isle  of  l.'amea.'"  sa.\  s  it 
was  situated  "in  17  de;irees,  some  lift  ie  lea;4ues  from  thedrand 
IJas.  lie.  re  New  foniidlaiid  :  and  i-^alioiil  I  w  eiit  ie  lea.uiu  s  aiioiit . 
and  soiiH'  pail  of  the  Island  is  Hal  Sands  and  shoiilds:  and  IIk 
list  I  commeih  on  liaiike  do  do  ilieir  kiiidcj  in  Ajiril,  Mav  i\:  ■liiiie. 
by  iiiiiiihers  of  I  liou>aiids.  w  hicli  lish  is  verv  hi;;:  ami  halh  tun 
^I'eat  tcelh;  and  I  he  skiniie  of  I  lu'iii  is  lik<  Iliiffi'S  l«  al  her :  ami 
<ln\   will  not  awav   from  their  voii"   ones.     'I'lie   \on;i   ones  an 


'  Jl.ikluyl,  Vo,v;i-.s,  \()l.iii,i.. 'i.'.l.      tll)i(|.,|i.-^;i^.      i  ll.i.l.,  pp. -^l^',  ^!l'.». 


d 


(;i;(»(;|{Ai*iii('\i,   Disi Kiiu  rioN. 


07 


M 


If 


1 


MS  ;^o(Mi  iiumI  iis  \'<';il<'.  AimI  uilli  llic  bellies  ol  li\eur  tlic, 
Hiiide  li-iiies  lliev  liKiUe  ;i  li(»;;.slie;Ml  ol'  'I'riiiiie,  wliieli  'rijiilie  is 
vers  sweel,  wliieii  il' il  will  iiiiiKe  sope,  llii-  Kiii;^  .)!'  Spaiiie  limy 
I II  line  sdine  of  1 1  is  <)li\e  trees.'"*  ( 'liiijle\  oi\  iilso  :illii<les  to  the, 
Wiilriis  fislieiy  :it  S;il»le  Islniid,  wliieli  tlie  l'ji;;lisli  ;il  (ilie  liiiic, 
esliililislieil  lliere,  liiil  says  il  sviis  soon  iihiiiidoiied,  heiii;;  t'oiiiid 
•.;..|(:'-rital)le.l 

.M(j|ilieii\  Sliilldliiilii  Ikis  left  iis  quite  :i  lull  aeeoiinl  (liiid  oim; 
that  lias  been  oft  en  I )  noted  j  oi'  t  lie  ha  I  tit  sol' these  animals,  and  of 
till-  wliolesale  destriu;lion  by  w  liieh  llie\  were  speedily  exi  iijtaled 
Iroiii  Jlie,  Atlantic  eoasi  soiilli  of  Labrador.  This  aeeonnl,  wi'it- 
teii  in  ITT't,  says:  "The,  s(ra  eow  is  a  native  of  the  Ma^ilaleii 
islands,  St.  John's,  and  .\nlieosti  in  t  he  ( Iiilpli  ol'  St.  I,awrene,(*. 
Tlie\  resort  very  early  in  the  spring;  to  the  I'oinier  ol'  these 
jilaics.  wliieli  seems  to  be  b\  naliiie  |»art  ieiilarly  adapted  to  llm 
waul-;  of  Ihe^e  ■mimals,  abounding  with  clams  of  a  \ei\  lar^^ci 
si/<-.  and  llie  mosl  convcnii'iil  landing;  |)iaee.;,  called  llclioiiries. 
llcKliiev  eiaul  up  in  ^^reat  numbers,  and  sometimes  remain 
I'lii  Iniirlien  da\,,  lo;4cther  without  I'ood,  when  the  weallier 
i'lan:  bill  on  the  tir>l  apjiiaiaiice  ol'  rain,  tlie,\  immediately 
iclicil  Id  the  water  with  ;4real  preeipilal  ion.  The\  are,  when 
oh!  of  I  he  w  aler.  \  er\  iiii  w  ield  \ ,  aii<l  mos  <■  w  it  h  {^rcal  diriiciilt  y. 
'riii\  wei;^h  !rom  l.)00  to  L'bOO  pounds,  prodiK'in;,:,  accordinj^ 
lo  I  lair  size,  IVoin  liiie  to  two  barrels  of  oil,  w  hich  is  boiled  out  ol' 
a  I'al  aib^taiice  that  lies  between  the  sUili  and  the  flesh.  Ini 
iiie(lialel\  on  t  heir  a  r:i  \  a  I  thc^  call,  and  en^^ciidi'i' a;,iaiii  about, 
Iwoiiionlhs  al'ler;  so  that  they  carry  their  _>oiin;.;  about  nine, 
moiitli<.  Tl.>e>  never  ha ve  more  than  two  at  a  time,  and  seldom 
more  t  hail  one. 

'•'I'lie  eehoiiri<'s  are  t'ornieil  principally  by  nat  me.  bein;4a  j^rad- 
iial  slope  ol'sol'l  rock,  with  w  hich  I  he  .Ma;;(lalen  Islands  abound; 
aiioiil  so  to  100  yards  wide  at  the  ualer  side,  and  spreadiii;^  so 
;i>  lo  contain,  near  Hie  siimmil,  a  very  considerable  number. 
I  b  II-  t  lie\  are  siiirered  lo  coiae  and  amuse  t  liemseh cs  lor  a  eon 
•idi  lable  time,  till  t  lie_\  acipiire  a  boldness,  bein;^at  their  lirsl, 
laiidin;^  so  e.\ceediii;;|\  timid  as  lo  make,  il  impossible  lor  any 
peiMiii  lo  ajipioach  theiii.  In  a  few  weeks  t  hey  asscmlle  in 
•^leal  numbers;  roriiierl,\,  wlich  iindisi iirbed  by  tiie  AmericanM, 
!'•  Ill''  a  moil  III  of  .e\  en  or  <'i;.;hl  ( I  ion  sand  ;  and  the  foi  iii  ol'  the 
ecjioin  ie  not  allow  inj;  1  hem  !oremainconlij4iioiis  lo  the  water, llie. 
ion  most   ones  ine,  insiMisibly  piisiicd  abov(!  Ilie  slojie.      vVlicii 


!      ■'.3 


iij 


n 


J    fl 


'i"r 


IImI;IiivI,  Vi)y(i;4cs,  Mil.  iii,|i.y;!7. 


M'li.'iilivoix,  viil.  \,  11. 'iMi. 


y-A'l 


SJti&kiM 


68 


ODOIi/KM  S    l.'(tS.M.\i;rs ATI.AN  IK      UAMM'S. 


:|i:-'^ 


'>'  '■. 


■'  f 


llicy  lire  Miiivcd  to  a  cuiivciiiciit  (lisliiiicc  the  lislicriiicii,  liii\  iiij;' 
'|ir»»\i(Ic(l  tlic  iicccssiny  apparaliis,  kiUc  tlic  adsaiila.nc  <»!'  a 
sea  wIihI,  <tr  a  hrcc/.c  lilu\viii,n'  rather  ohiiciiicly  <iii  tlic  sliorc,  to 
]»rc\fiit  the  siiiclliiii;  of  these  aiiiiiials  (wlio  ha\c  thai  sense  in 
j^'i'eat  |»erieetioii,  eoiil ril)iit iii.n'  to  tlieir  salet\),  aiitl  with  the  as- 
sistance of  Ncry  nood  do^s,  ciid<'a\  oiii'  in  the  ni.nht  t  inic  lo  sc|»a- 
ratc  tliose  that  arc  the  fai'thest  advanced  from  tliose  next 
the  water,  dri\  inj;  them  different  wavs.  This  they  call  maUui^' 
a  cutj  and  is  generally  looked  npon  to  Itc  a  most  dan.ncrous 
])roc('ss,  it  hcin.n'  impossible  to  di'i\e  tin-m  in  any  particnlar 
<lircction,  and  dillicult  t(t  axcid  them  ;  hiil  as  they  a ic  advanced 
al)o\(>  tlie  slope  of  the  cclioiivlc.  the  darkness  of  the  nij^lit  de- 
prives tlicm  of  e\cry  direction  to  the  water,  so  that  they  stray 
al»oiil  and  are  killed  at  leisnre,  those  that  arc  nearest  the  shore 
bein;;  tiie  lirst  \iclims.  In  this  manner  there  has  Iteen  killed 
(iftecn  or  sixteen  hundred  af  one  cut.  They  then  skin  them, 
and  take  oil'  a  coat  of  fat  that  always  surrounds  them,  which 
they  dissolve  by  heal  into  oil.  1'he  skin  is  cut  into  slices  of 
two  or  tlax'c  inches  wide,  and  e\]>ortcd  to  Ameiica  for  <'arriaye 
traces,  and  lo  iaiuland  for  ^^liu'.  The  teeth  is  an  iid'erior  sort 
of  ivory,  and  is  manufactured  ibr  the  same  jturposcs,  but  soon 
luins  yellow."* 

Accoidin.!.;'  to  Dj.  A.  ►S.  I'ackard,  Jr.,  its  bones  are  still  ibund 
at  th(^  localities  mentioned  by  Hhuldham.  "According'  to  tra- 
dition," he  further  says,  "it  also  iidiabited  sonu;  of  the  harbors 
of  Cape  Breton  ;  audi  have  l)een  informed  by  a  lisherman  in 
Maine,  whose  word  1  d(»  not  doubt,  that  on  an  islet  near  Cape 
.Sal)le,  Nova  Scotia  [probably  tin-  ''  isle  of  liamea"  of  the  early 
voyagers  abcady  (|uotedj,  its  bones  are  found  abundantly 
on  the  sandy  shore,  litteen  to  twenty  feet  abov<;  the  sea.  In 
the  St.  Lawrence  (lulf  they  were  extciininated  during;'  the 
jniddle  of  the  last  ceidury.  The  last  one  seen  (tr  hca.r<l  of  in 
the(iulf,  so  fai' as  1  can  ascertain,  was  killed  at  St.  Au^iist- 
iiu',  liab/adm',  twenty-live  years  since.  Onewasseenat  S(piarc 
Island  tittcen  years  since,  and  two  shortly  before  that,  and 
another  was  killed  at  the  same  place  about  ei;;ht  yeajs  since. 
I  saw  the  head  of  a  younj;' AN'alrus,  whicli  was  found  floating, 
dead,  lia\  in;:,  been  killed,  apparently  by  a  harixxai,  in  the  drift 
ice  north  of  r.cUe  Isle."t 

Dr.  ,\,  Uernard  (iilj>in,  wilting  a  few  years  later  (in  bSOD),  in 
referring  to  the  former  oocurrence  of  the  Walrus  on  the  shores 


TJiil.  Trims.,  yoI.  Ixv,  p.  '^41). 

tProc.  Bust.  .Soc,  Nat.  Ili.sl.,  v(.l.  x,  ]«)(>,  p.  >J71. 


(UKMIKAI'IIK  AL    DISIIMIll  'IfoX. 


no 


;iii(l  i'-l;iii<ls  (il'llir  (iiillnl'Sl.  I  ,;i\\  iciicc.  s;iys:  '-At  Miscoii, 
I!;i\  (  ImIciii-.  I'('iif\  loiiii;!  oiiiv  llicii'  I  Mines,  l)iil  in  sucli  nil  miters 
lis  to  li-i'iii  ;iilili<'i:il  se.i  henelies.  'I'liese  were  doiilitless  \icliiiis 
oT  •  'I'lie  I.'(>\iil  ('itiii|i;iiiv  of  .Mis( on",  roiiiided  (iiiiinj;'  tlie  e;iilier 
piiil  oT  tlie  .■.e\eiitee:illi  eeiililiA.  1>\  lll<'  l\ill,u  iil'  I'^nilice,  ;ind 
\vli(i>e  epIieiiM  I'lil  eily  of  New  l.'oclielle.  iiiliiiiierilii^'  ;it  one  time 
some  llioiisiiiids,  li;is  jiiissed  i!\v;iv  le;i\iiiji  iio  siyn.  'I'lie  miir 
(lered  Se;i  liorses  iinxc  lel'l  :i  more  eiidiirini;'  monument  timii 
tlie  miirdeiers."  lie  liirtlier  iidds:  '■'l"lioii,i;li  we  li;i\e  no 
iiecoiints  Inter  timn  the  sevenleentli  and  ei.uliteentli  eeiitiiries  of 
tlieir  inliahitin;:'  Sable  Island,-^*!  it  is  very  proltable  tliat  tliey 
continued  to  icsort  tliere  until  tliey  entirely  left,  tliese, latitudes. 
Its  dillieiilty  of  access,  its  heiiif^'  nninliahitcd,  and  its  sandy 
liars  frinj^cd  Avilli  a  ceaseless  snrf,  ])oint  it  out  as  tlieir  last 
hold."* 

Di'.  (iilpin  also  r(M'(mls  the  ('a])tiire  of  a  Walrus  in  tin;  Stiaits 
(if  lielle  Isle,  Lalirador,  in  IMarch,  ISO!*,  which  was  diaimcd  on 
liie  ice  lor  li\('  miles,  and  then  taken  by  ship  to  S!.  .lohii's. 
New  I'onndlaiid.  aiid  thence  to  Ilaliiax.  No\ii  Scotia,  where  it 
was  desciilied  and  li'^iired  Ity  Dr.  ('<il])in.+  Mr.  IJeekst  states 
thai  a  '•specimen  was  diiNcn  ashore  in  St.  (leor;ne"s  Hay,"'  Xew- 
romidland,  about  IStls,  and  allinles  to  the  frcipienl  occurrence 
of  their  iiones  alonu'  the  Newfoundland  coast. 

li  is  still  an  inlialiilant  of  the  shores  of  I  ludsoifs  l!ay,  Davis 
Siiaii.  and  (Ireeiiland,  where,  howcxcr,  its  numbers  are  annu- 
ally decreasiiiL;.  In  ( Ircenland.  accordiiij;'  to  IMi'.  I'obert  JJrown 
(writin;^'  of  its  distribution  in  IStiT),  '•  it  is  lound  all  the  year 
round,  but  not  south  of  IJifkol,  in  hit.  ()~P.  In  an  inlet  called 
Irsoitok  it  colh'cts  in  considerable,  nuinbors,  to  the  terror  of  th(,' 
natives,  who  have  to  pass  that  way.  ...  It  lias  been  found 
as  far  iioith  as  the  Eskimo  live,  or  explorers  have  };'one.  On  the 
wt-,.:'!n  shores  of  Davis's  Strait  it  is  not  uiicoiuukui  about 
Pond's,  Scott's,  and  Ilonie  li.'iys,  and  is  killed  in  consi<lerable 
numbers  by  the  natives.  It  is  not  now  found  in  such  numbers 
as  it  once  was;  and  no  reasonable  man  who  sees  tlu^  slaughter 
1o  which  it  is  subj(!ct  in  Spitsbergen  and  elsewheri;  (an  doubt 
thai  its  days  are  numbered.  It  has  already  become  extinct  in 
se\eial  places  wlicro  it  was  once  common.  Its  utter  extinction 
is  :i  fore,i^()iie  con>'lusion."§ 


*!'      .  <'»J» 


■  I'ror.  .'iiiil  'I'raiis.  Xova  Si^oria  JumI.  Nat.  Si'i.,  vol.  ii,  pt.  I!,  ])p.  lv''M27. 
t  lliid..  11)1.  l-.':!-1"^7,  witli  a  plate. 

i/.o.'iinMi-i,  1871,  -rjoO. 

^Vv'H'.  /,oul.  Si)c.  liond.,  1808,  p.  4',V.\. 


'() 


<i|i<ii!,i;.\('s   i;itsM.\i;rs — \  ti.anik    \v.\i.i;us. 


I, :: 


K:iiic  ;iii(l  lliiycs,  (liiriiii;-  tlic  ycnis  IS.ILi  lo  IS."),  IoiiihI  (lie 
W'iilriis  \i'iA  ;il>!iii(l:iiil  ;il)(iiit  Tori  iMJiillic,  on  llic  wcslciii  coiist 
ol'  (licchl.'iinl.    ill    liililiidr   Til',    but    tlicyscciii    Id    Innr,   >iiic(f 

I  li;il  ihilc.  nical  ly  tlrcrcwsrd  in  niiiiilicis  iiloiiu  I  lie  w  liolr  nf  tlic 

(  1  l((ill;l!|(|  en;  I  si.       ClI  pill  ill    i'ciN  Icll.   Ill    ili-   |  i:i  piT  oil   t  lie  ••  .Mlllli 

II  111  11;  I  (li  Noilli  ( Irccnliiml  niid  (  IiiiiimH  I-iiiid,"  oIiscia  cd  in  is;,') 
h,\  llic  r.iilisli  Arctic  I'Apcdil  ion,  iil'lcr  iilliidiii.L;  to  tlicir  roiMici' 
;iliiiiid;iiicc  .ihoiil  I'ort  I'onllvc.  ns  ol»scr\  fd  hy  l\;iiic;iiid  lliiycs, 
Miys:  ••  < 'iiiioiisly  ciioii;;ii.  wcdid  not  sec  one  ol  I  licsc  iiniiiiiils 
ill  llic  \  iciiiily  of  Toil  i'oiilkc  nor  in  Sinitli  Soi  !«•,  until  wt; 
rciiclicd  l''i;iiil<liii  I'icrcc  l!;iy.  'I'licrc,  in  ilic  \icinity  of  Nor- 
iii:in  Lockycr  Isliind,  \vc  saw  scvcial  Walruses,  and  i^iilcd  two 
or  tliivc.  .  .  .  Near  Cape  I'rascr  I  saw  a  siii^^lc  Walrus; 
Idit  as  far  as  iii\  oliscr\atioii  ;^ocs,  it  docs  not  proceed  fnrtli(;r 
iiorlii  lliaii  tlie  incelin.n'  of  tlic  llafliii  !'.a\  and  I'olar  tides  ni'ar 
tlie  alio\('  iiientioiied  ( 'ape."* 

Mr.  I-ndwi.i;  Kuiiilieu,  iialus'iilist  of  tlie  ilowyate  I'olai'  Mx- 
pedilioii  of  1.S77,  st;ites:t  "The  Walrus  is  <|uitc  cornnioii  al)out 
Cape  Mercy  and  the  soutlioni  waters  of  (!uinl»erliind  .Sound, 
l»ut  at  tlie  present  day  rarely  strays  up  the  Sound.  Their  I'e- 
iiiaiiis,  liowever,  are  hy  jio  jucaus  lare,  even  in  the  j;reatei' 
lvin.uwah,  and  many  of  the  ohi  lOskiino  liut  foun(hitious  contain 
the  reiiiaiiis  of  this  animal.  The  ICskimo  say  tliey  j;ot  mad  and 
left.  Certain  it  is,  they  are  found  around  Aniianactook  only 
as  stia^;.;lers  at  the  j)r('sent  day.  Considerable  numl)ers  were 
observed  on  pieces  of  tloatin;;  ice  near  Cape  Meicy,  in  .Inly. 
Altout  Nuji'umeiitc  they  are  largely  hunted  by  the  Mskimo  li\  iii^ 
tliere." 

Iicspcctin;.'  their  occurren«'e  more  to  the  southward,  on  the 
(ireenland  coast,  Dr.  b'ink  states:  "'I'lie  Walrus  is  only  rarely 
met  with  ah)nx  the  (-oast,  with  the  except  ioii  of  the  tract  ]»et  ween 
0(>3  and  (tS'5  >;.  lat.,  where  it  oc<'iirs  pretty  numerously  ;it  times, 
'^riie  darin,n'  task  of  enteiin;^'  into  c(»iitest  with  this  animal  from 
the  kayak  on  the  open  sea  forms  a  re,L,uIar  sport  to  the  natives 
(d'  Kati.i;amiut  in  (>i'P  X.  lat.  Tiie  num'ier  yi'urly  killed  has 
not  been  separatel\ calciilaled,  .  .  .  but  they  can  hardl.\ 
ex(i<<lLM)(>."|: 

'I'lie  westeininost  point  at  which  it  has  been  oliserxcd  is  .--aid 
to  be  t  he  western  shore  of  lliidsop's  liay.  Mr.  -I.  ( '.  itoss  stales 
it  to  bean  iiihabitanl    of  tlie   wi'Si    coast    of  I'atlin's   May  and 

"'I'lir  /(ii'i|(i;;h  t,  :',(!  ^c|■.,    \n\.   i,   |i.  ol)!!,   Sc|)l  .•llllicr,    l'"^/". 
(  III   MSS.    IKllrs  lie   JKIS  liilldJS'   pJMCld  ill    IMV  ilis|ios;il. 

I  Diiliisli  <  ;i((iil.niil,  ils  i'((p]p|i'  :iii(i  its   I'inilncls.  pp.  I'JIi-JiT,   tH77. 


n 


fJI'.ocIv'AI'lIK  ,M,    DISTKIItTITION. 


71 


:      ri' 

hi  m 


i;r|(lll>i'    I!;IV-   mill   lo  lie    ((r!';isi(tli;ill\    liH'l    willl   ill    I  ln'   IMilllicni 

|;iil  (,r  riiiicf  IJci^cnrs  Inlci,  lull  siiys  it  is  iiiikiiow  ii  lo  llic 
ii;ili\  (--ol  Itoiilliiii.*  Dr.  Kicliaidsoii  s;i\s:  ''Tiic  \\  iiliiiscs  wcrii 
\ci\  iiiiiiicroiis  ill  I.L;I(»(»lik  iiiid  uit  Ilic  oilier  |t;iits  uT  I  lie  <'(iii,sl 
Id  iIm'  cMstwiird  of  lilt'  l''iiry  siimI  llccia's  Sirait.  Tlirs  arc  not 
loiiiKi.  Iiowcxcr.  al  IIh'  iiioiiIIi  of  llic  Copper  Aline  Ijiver, 
;il!li(i!i,'^li  liie  hiaek  w  hail'  liati  lieeii  soiiKjIiiiies  (Irilled  I  liillier."t 
lie  also  rel'ers  lo  lis  heiiin  iiiikiiown  lo  tlie  Ivskiiiio.'  ol'  the 
('opperiiiiiie  and  Mat-ken/ie  ifivers.  ;j;  No  species  of  Walrus 
;ippeais  lo  lia\t'  excr  Itceii  seen  on  tin'  Arctic  c(tasl  of  America 
helwceii  llic  !l7lli  and  l."),Slli  iiieri<liaiis,  or  lor  a  distance  of 
al)onl   sixty  dc^^rees  of  lon^il  iide. 

Ll.  Const  of  Europe. — On  the  western  slioresof  lMir<»pe  the  Wal- 
rus has  liecn  taken  at  n(»  i(!inotedate  as  far  south  as  Scotland, § 
and  Mr.  itoheit  Itrouii,  in  iStlS,  stated  that  he  snspected  it  to 
he  a  "not  iinfretinent  visitoi"  to  the  less  fre(inented  portions 
of  the  Scoltish  shores,  he  eonsiderin};'  it  pndiahh'  that  "not  ii 
few  (ff  the  '  Sea  horses'  and  '  Sea  (^ow.sMvhieh  every  now  and 
a^ain  teriity  the  lishernien  on  tlu^  shores  of  tlio  wild  western 
Scottish  lochs,  and  j;et  enil>alnied  luiiong  th('ir  Jolk-lore,  may 
he  th(^  Waliiis."H  I''!eming-  states  that  one  was  killed  in  the 
Sound  of  Stockness,  on  the  east  (!oast  of  Iluiris,  in  December, 
1817, 1[  while  another,  accoidin;;-  to  Maegillivray  and  others,  was 
killed  in  Oikney  in  .Fiine,  1S2."».**  Mr.  \i.  Brown  adds  that  onci 
was  seen  in  Orkney  in  IS57,  and  another  in  IjTor'  Isles  abont  tlio 
siune  time. ft  It  appeals  tohave  !iever  ocenrred  in  Iceland,  ex- 
cept as  a  li'  (;  straggler.  Many  years  ago  tliey  are  said  to  have 
lived  on  the  shonss  of  I'^inmark,  and  at  a  innch  lat<  <•  date  to 
haveabonndedonsonujof  the  i.slands  oil"  this  coast.  Mi'.  Lamout 
says:  "  We  learn  from  the  voyag(!  of  OhthcMv,  wiiich  was  per- 
formed aboid  a  tlnaisand  yeais  ago,  that  tlie  AN'alriis  then 
abounded  on  the  coast  of  I'inmarken  itself;  tiieyhave.  however, 
abandoned  'hat  coast  for  some  eentnries,  although  indi\idnal 
stragglers  lia\e  been  occasionally  cajttnred  there  ii|»  to  within 

■'  Ivd.ss's  ■.'(!  \()y.,  All]!.,  is;!."),  p.  wi. 

tSiiii|)l.  I';iri-.v".s ','(1  Voy,,  |i.  ;!:if. 

t  Ziii'ilo^y  of  IJccclii'y's  V^ty;i;j;c,  Mam.,  !-•:'>'.',  p.  <>. 

VI  lli'ctor  lidccc's  History  of  ScotliiiHl.  .■is(|iiot('cl  liy  I'rili.sli  /(iiilni;i>its. 

1!  I'loc    Zoill.  S(ir.  I.ohil..  HiW,  |i.   \:\\\. 

•  isiiiisii  \iiiiiKii>,  p.  i:i. 

■'lidiiili.  New  I'liil.  .(oiini.,  \  (il.  ii,  p.  !!'■'!•;    I5ri)isli  (,!ii;i<l.,  .(.'inl.  Nat. 
l.ilil'.,  .M.iin..  \(il.   \  ii,  p.  •.".'!!.     Sci'  also  Itcll,  Iliiiiiilloii,  etc.,  1.  r. 

tt  I'l.ic.  Z(i('il.  Sue.  l.oud.,  l-(W,  p.  i:;:i. 


iii. 


',1 '  - .( 


i..i    '1 


'^■  ■;  ■  1". 


i;ir 


I;'    ' 


'    ■'    "■ 


,1    I, 


72 


ODOli.KM'S    KOSMAKM'S — ATI, AN  IK!    WALIM  S. 


till-  l;ist  tliiit.s  |m)\v  ;il)()iil  Iui'In  si\|  yciirs.  |*|  Al'tci'  llicir 
(Icscrlioii  til'  1 1  If  i''iiiiiiiii'K('ii  coiist,  itciir  Ishiiid  {iir(  'liriic  isliiiid, 
lyiii;;' iilioiil  I  \\(»  liiiiKlrt'd  iind  cinlit.v  iiiilrs  iiorlli  nl'  Ihc  Noitli 
(yiilH'l  ItrcMiiic  I  lie  iirincipnl  scene  (if  llieir  dest  niclioii ;  ;iiid  next 
tlie 'l'lM)ii,s;iiid  Islands  |s(»iit  lie;ist  of  Spit/.lter^^cii  |,  Hope  Ishiiid 
[a  little  I'lii'tliei'  iioi'tli,  l>ut  still  in  the  southeast  <'orii<>i'|,  and 
Jiyk  Yse  Island,  which  in  their  turn  aic  now  veiy  inleiior 
lniiitin;^-j;round  to  the  Itanks  and  sUeiiies  lyinj;'  to  the  north  of 
Sititzherficn. 

"  J'oilninit«'ly  Cor  the  persecuted  Walruses,  liowever,tliese  lat- 
tei' disti'icts  are  only  accessilile,  in  open  seasons,  or  ])erliaps  once 
in  three  or  loui'  summers,  so  that,  tliey  }ivt  a  little  breathinji' 
time  there  to  i)reed  and  re])lenisli  their  inimhcrs,  oi' undoubt- 
edly the  next  twenty  or  Ihiity  years  would  witness  the  total 
extinction  of  Hosmtirns  Irirlicrns  on  the  coasts  of  the  islands  of 
Northern  I'^urope. 

"Th(^  Walrus  is  also  loundail  round  the  (!oasls  (»f  No\a  Zeni- 
l>la,  but  not  in  such  ninubejs  as  at  Spitzberj^en;  and  he  inider- 
g'oes,  if  |)ossible,  more  jx'rsecution  in  those  islands  frctin  some 
colonies  of  Itussians  or  Samo'icdc's,  who,  I  am  told,  reuularly 
winter  in  Xova  Zembia  ibr  tlu'  purpose  of  hunt inj^'  and  lish- 
in,yv'f 

''The  war  of  extermination,'' sa\s  Mr.  Kamoiil,  in  his  later 
Avork.  ••  which  has  been  cariied  on  Ibr  many  years  in  Spitzi)er- 
j;en  and  N(»vaya  Zendya  has  driven  all  the  Arctic  faiuia  jmain- 
iiialsj  from  their  old  haunts,  and.  in  seekinj;'  I'ctreats  more  inac- 
cessible to  man,  it  is  piobable  that  they  have  had  in  some 
defiTce  to  alter  their  habits.  I'or  exaMi]>le,  up  to  about  twenty 
years  aj^o  it  was  eustomai'y  for  all  ^\'alrus  hunteis  to  entertain 
a  reasonable  lio|»e  that  by  waitinj^'  till  lat(>  in  the  season  all  Ibr- 
mer  ill-luck  miyht  be  com])ensated  in  a  few  fortunate  hours  by 
Ifillinj;' some  hundreds  on  shore;  in  fact,  favorite  haunts  were 
AV(  II  known  to  the  lishers,  and  were  visited  successively  before 
linally  lea\  in;;  the  liuntinj;j;i'ounds.  >iow,  althouj>h  the  Arctic 
seas  ai'c  ex])l(U'e(l  by  steamers  and  visited  anraially  by  as  l)o]d 
and  enlerprisinj''  hunteis  as  foimerly,  siu-h  a  windfall  as  a  herd 
of  Walruses  ashore  is  seldom  heard  of, 

"  Each  year  better  found  \  essels  and  mor(^  elaborate  weai)ons 

*  Jb\  LiiiiKiJil  liassiiMT  rcpoilcd  the  iiipl  iiic  of  :i  Ijuj^o  IhiII  "  in  Mm^^cii") 
Soiuid  near  Ihc,  NortJi  ('.i|ic  aliunl  iHCiri." — Vdrhl'nuj  in  ihc  Arctic  licua,  \\.  58, 
foodioic. 

t  Hi'ii.sdii.s  with  the  (Sra-lior.scs,  pp.  1(17,  Kib. 


(;i;(»(ii;Ai'iii(\i.   distimisi  ikin. 


I  ■( 


jUf  sent  "iiil  In  li;iri\  tin-  Wiilriis;  ;is  ii  n»iisc(|iifii<'(' cn civ  mm- 
.■soii  tlicrc  is  niiMicr  «lir(i('iill v  in  olttiiiiiiii;;-  ;i  (miuh — lor  two  rc;i- 
sniis.  I  iKisriiliiliKiis  wliirli  li;i\r  \i  ■mi  I  led  iliti)  w  li;il  w  iis  siifc  Irr*! 
iiiy  ;;!()iiml  liisl  ,vc;ir  iiict'l  liiciiciH-iuv,  ;iii«l  liiiil'  iiic  killed,  u  liilc 
the  (itlicr  liiiir  csciiiiiii,'^  will  he  IoiiimI  iirxl  ,\  riir  ;i  sIc))  r;nl  Ikt 
ii\\;i\.  Tliis  iiilclliuciil  rcli'ciitiii^' ul' the  Wiiliiis  hciorc  ;i  siipc 
lior  nicDiN  will,  1  hclicxc,  pi'csrrNr  I  lie  species  iii'iei'  its  sciii'eily 
ill  aecessihle  w;ilers  reinlers  it  no  loiter  ;iii  oliject  of  sport  nii<l 
<M>iiiiiierce.  Tliiit  tli(  \\  ;ilriis,  ...  is  heiiij^  (Iriveii  IVoiii  every 
(iistrict  where  llie  li:iii(l  of  iiiiiii  is  lelt,  is  eerlaiii."* 

Mr.  Alfreil  Newton,  wriliiij;'  in  lS(>t,  iMjsjx'ctiii^'  llicir  loniier 
])reseiiee  on  the  eoiists  of  J<''iiMii:irk,  iiiid  theii'distriliiitioii  at  tliiit 
<liite,  ol>.serves  :  '•  I  se«'  no  icason  to  doiild  (he  a.sseition,  oi  jier- 
liaps  it  would  he  safer  to  say  the  inference,  that  in  former  days 
Walruses  hahitiially  frecpieiited  the  coasts  of  i'lniiiark'.  fn  tlie 
sixteenth  and  seAcnteeiith  ceiitiirios  t  hey  were  certainly  ahniid- 
aiit  altoiit  l!ear  I.-laiid;  llie,\  are  spoken  of  there  as  '  iyin;^' Iik(^ 
houses  upon  heaps, '|t|  .  .  .:  ye)  for  the  last  thirty  years  proli- 
alily  not  one  has  lieeii  seen  there.  Now  they  are  lieninied  in  l»y  (he 
packed  ice  of  the  i'olarSea  on  the  one  side  and  (heir  nicrciless 
eiieiiiies  on  the  other,  'i'he  result  cannot  admit  of  any  <loubl. 
....  Its  iiiimlters  ;ire  appar<'iitly  decreasin.i''  with  wofiil  ra- 
l)idity.  The  time  is  certainly  not  \ery  far  distant  when  the 
'I'richrcit IIS  nmiiKinis  w'iW  he  as  e\t  iiict  in  the  Spitziter^Lieii  seas 
as  Itlijiliiiii  iiKjiiK  is  in  those  of  jtehriii^^'s  Straits.";!: 

in  Ivichard  Chancellor's  account  of  ids ''discoverie  ol'  .Mos- 
c<»via,"  in  l.">r);;-l."».i|,  we  r<'ad:  '' 'I'o  the  North  part  of  that  Conn 
trey  are  the  places  wliere  they  have  their  i''uircs.  as  .Sahles, 
Martenis,  <;re('se  iievci's,  Foxt's  white,  hiacke,  and  icd,  Minkiis, 
]']riiiiiies,  Minivers,  ami  Harts,  Therc^  are  als(»  a  lisiios  te(3th, 
wliicli  fish  is  called  a  ."Morsse.  The,  takers  fiicreof  dwell  in  a 
place  called  i'ostesoia,  which  hrin;;  them  njxni  Harts  to  Liim- 
pas  to  sell,  and  from  LitiujxiN  carrie  tiieiii  to  a  place  calh.'d  Col- 
inoyro,  wiien^  the  hij^li  Market  is  holden  on  Saint  Nicolas  day,"§ 
On  Ilondins's  iiia|>  of  I'nssia  a(;(;onipanyin<i'  this  account  Lam- 
pas  is  placed  on  the  White  Sea,  near  tln^  mouth  of  tlie  iJwinu 
Eiver. 


"  VMcliliii;^  ill  I  lie,  ArHlf!  Seas,  IBTO,  pp.  59,  (iO. 

1 1  ••  l!  sciiiicd  very  Htiaii;;r  to  us,"  Hays  Jonas  Poole,  in  liin  iiccouutol"  liis 
visil  lo  Clicrif  Isiimd  in  lOfll,  "  to  see  isiicli  !i  iiuiltitu(l(^  of  iiioiiHlcvHof  (iio 
Sen,  Ivi'  liki!  lio^ii^cs  ii|)(iii  li'  .iix's." — I'lnTlKiH  liin  rihjrimcH,  '-ol.  iii,  p.  .''mT.] 

tl'nii'.  Zf),")!.  Soc.  I.oiid.,  1804,11.  .')00 

^  I'lirclKis  Ills  I'il^rriincH,  vol.  iii,  ]>|).  2i:i,  'Z\\. 


'  'm 


><■! 


:f  Ife  t 


K;y 


Miit^-*'' 


'I 


,1'  'V  , 


74 


oi.oit.r.Ms   i;nsM,\i;i  s — \i  i.amic  \v  am;  rs. 


'  ■{' ' 


'Wf 


;.:' 


'I'lir  Wiilrii.scs  ii|i|i(;;!r  lo  lia\  (' Itccii  111^1  iiici  wiili  on  ( 'liciii 
Island  in  H>n.">,  inid  lolinxc  iH-cnmc  n,'arl\  r\|ci minalcil  iIhtc 
w  il  liin  a  \  civ  I'l'W  ,\cai'  •.  'I'lic  liislois  nl'  I  hric  dc-l  i  iicl  ion  1  lnic 
and  a!  S|iit/.lHi!^<ii  diniii;;  llic  iarl>  pari  oT  ilic  ■.(•\cnli  lul  li 
cent  ni.\  is  ;^i\rn  in  tin-  lollow  in.i: cxcci  pis  :  ••  In  I  lie  v(  iiic  hio."). 
Sirjdicn  llcnni't  was  iinplo\cd  lt\  I  lie  roiapanic."  in  a  ."-Wiip 
called  llic  ^//vfrf.  |o  iIkisc  parls  X((il  liuards  ol'  ijic  <'aiic|--or 
Ni!r\\a\  "|,  ainl  \\a^  a  I  ( 'lici  ii'  I  hind  :\\\i\  Ixillcd  ;.ohic  S(  aiiorsc.s. 
and  ltroii;^lil  home  head  Oaic  I'loin  tlicn<'c     .     .     . 

•■  1 1  cere  It  is  to  lice  mid  erst  ood,  that  t  he  ( 'on  i  panic  !ia\  iii.^  I>\ 
(d'teii  I'csorl  and  iiiiplo\  iiient  to  lliose  parts.  oiisei\c<l  the  ;:rcat 
niinilier  of  Sea  horses  at  ('Irrii'  I  laml,  ■.\\\<\  iil^cui-c  the  miilti 
lude  III'  Whah's.  that  siic\vc(|  tlieniseh cs  upon  the  coast  ol 
(li'ccnland  |iio\v  S|»itzl(ei';i('ii  |;  'i'hcy  lirsl  applyc<l  theinselves  to 
the  killing  of  Morces.  which  they  coiitiniicd  from  yceic  t(-  yceic 
with  a  Ship  or  two  yeercly.  in  which  Ships  the  < 'ompanie  ap- 
pointed 'riioiii<(.s  HV7f/r;(  ('oiimiiiiidei',  and  in  theycere  Hi(Ml.  the 
(Joiiipaiiie  iinploNC'd  one  'I'lmiiixs  /v///r  their  Appi'<'nl ice.  I'or  th«'ir 
Northern  X'oya^^c,  iind  Joyned  him  in  Cominission  with  the  fore 
siiyd  Wdtlcii.  Now  the  often  usin;;  of  ( 'lierie  Hand,  did  make 
th(}  Sea-horse  ;;row  s<'arce  and  de(!ay,  which  made  the  ("ompanic! 
looke  out  for  fiirfhei- l)iseoveries."t 

Diirinj;  the  expedition  of  KIOl,  .lonas  l'o<»le.  who  has  left  an 
ii(!(;oniit  of  the  "  Diveis  N'oya^^cs  to  Cheiie  Hand  in  the  yeeres 
1()(M,  KIO.".,  1(1(1(1,  1(!()S,  l(;(l!>,"  says  tliat  as  they  approa'lie<l 
Clieri(!  Island,  "We  had  not  furled  our  Sayles,  hat  we  saw 
many  .Mors<'.s  swimminn  by  our  ship,  and  liciird  wilhall  so  linuc 
a  Tioyse  of  roarinji.  as  if  there  lia<l  i»ecne  an  hiindred  Liftiis. 
lmin<'diately  wee  manned  our  IJoute.  .  .  .  wee  hsnded.  and 
saw  alMindanee  of  Morses  on  flies  lioare.  close  Ity  the  Sea-side." 
etc.  Tlii'y  attacked  them  with  muskets.  ••  not  knowin.n' whither 
they  eonid  rnnne  swiftly  or  sei/e  upon  iis  or  no."  Owin;;  lo  in 
expeiience,  they  siicce('(le<l  in  killing; only  lifleeii  out  of  "aliovc 
a.  thousand,"  l»ut  secured  a  ho^ishead  of  teeth,  which  the\  picked 
upon  tile  shoic.  TwcMlays  later  they  found,  on  another  pari 
of  the  fdand.  "  iic<-re  a  thousand  Morses."  of  which  they  killed 
"  thirtie  or  Ihereaiioiits,  and  w  hen  wee  had  taken  off  t  heir  head >. 
wc  went  alioard."     'I'lie  next  da,\  they  went  on  shore  ayain  and 

*  liii(  irpiii.it  til  ,.(iiiir  I  iiiic  pridi'  to  1  i.i'  yciir  iririti,  uih1<t  iIh'  mm  iiic  "'i'ln'  Mil 
cliiiiits  III'  line  |;ni(l.''  :iii;l  railed  iilso  I  lie  "  Miiscov  ia  .Mrriliants"' and  I  iV 
■'  ila^.cdvi'i  ( '<i!jr|iaiii('." 

t  I'mrlias  liis  j'il^riiii.s.  vol.  iii,  p.  td). 


(;i;(i(ii{Ai'iiicAL  DLSTKimnioN. 


Tf) 


:J  ■  'i 


m- 


<' It'll  ;i  Killiii.i;  <»r  IIm'.  hciists.  .  .  .  \\'c  Ivilird  lliiildii.v  six- 
t\  Murxs.  ;ili  (he  liciids  ulicrcol' were  \ci\  iniiicipiill."  'IlK'y 
(l('|i;ir!('il  .^oiiii  iiI'liT  lor  I'1ii<^'IiiimI. 

'I'Ik  iicnI  vc;ir  (Kin.-))  Ilicy  icIiiriK'd  lo  diMic  IsIiukI.  Oiiliic, 
stli  1)1'  .liil,\.  s;i\s  llic  iiccoiiiil,  ■•  we  nilrcd  into  ;i  <'o\f.  Ii;i\iiij^ 
iill  uiir  iiM'ii  oil  sIhiiii'c  w  illi  sliot  ii  1 1(1  . ill  \  I'M  IIS,  ;i  11(1  slue  ;iI)IIIhI;iii('0 
of  .Moiscs.  'I'lic  \('ci('  hcj'orc  we  slue  ;i!l  with  sliol.  not  tliiiiU- 
iii;;  lli.il  M  );i\cliii  could  pierce  (lieir  skiiiiies :  wliieli  we  IoiiikI 
now  colli iiirie,  if  1  liey  !•(■  well  JKiiidled.  lor  otiierwise,  ii  iiiiiii  iiiiiy 
lliiiist  with  :ill  liis  loree  :iii(l  not  enter:  or  it'  lie  doe  enter,  i»c 
sliiill  spoyle  his  l.,iiice  njxiii  their  hones;  i'oi' tliey  will  strike 
with  ilieir  lore  feel  siiid  hend  ii  liiiiiee  round  iind  l>r('ak(!  it,  if  it 
lice  not  nil  the  heller  phited.  Tliey  will  also  strike  with  their 
Tectli  ill  him  tliiit  is  next  llieni:  lint  l)eeaiis(^  their  Teeth  <;row 
downward,  I  heir  str(>]ces  are  of  small  force  and  danj^er."  They 
took  in  ••ele\('n  t mines  of  Oyle,  and  the  teeth  of  all  the  beasts 
;i(on's;ii(l." 

'{"he  I'ollowin;;  year  (KJOfI)  they  aj^ain  set  oid for  Cherie  Island, 
arriving  theic  Jidy  ."..  They  found  Die  ice  still  about  tin;  island, 
and  the  Walruses  not  yet  on  slioic;  ''  I'or  their  nature  is  sucli, 
thill  tlie.\  will  not  come  on  land  iis  lon^j;  as  any  lee  is  about  the 
liiiid."  ( )n  the  Ilth  they  ])erceived  on  shore  "of  the  beiists 
sidlicieni  to  iiiiike  our  xoviijic,  \ve('  ])repared  to  ;•■()('  killing. 
Miister  Wrhlcii  and  Miister  /iV'?//(f7  appointed  nice  totidv'e  eleven 
Mien  with  mee,  and  to  }^o(!  l)eyond  the  beasts  wlieic  they  lay; 
tiiiit  they  iuid  w(M'  mi;4ht  meet  at  the  middest  of  them,  and  so 
enclose  them,  thiit  none  of  them  should  ;i('t  into  the  Sea,  .  . 
.  .  iind  before  six  lionres  were  ended,  we  li;id  slayne  ;d)oiit 
sexcii  or  eijiiit  hundred  Ueasts.  .  .  .  l''or  ten  diiyes  spae(^ 
we  jilved  our  businesse  veiy  hard,  and  brought  it  almost  to  nn 
end."  They  took  in  "two  and  twentie  tuns  of  the  Oyle  of  the 
IMorses,  and  three  hogsheads  of  their  Teeth." 

in  KiOS  they  :ig;iin  reaehed  Cherie  island  towaid  the  (Mid  of 
-bine,  and  on  the  22d  "came  into  a  CoveAvherc  the  .Morses  were, 
and  slew  abont  OOO.  or  ]()()(».  of  them  in  less  than  seven  hoiires: 
and  then  we  plied  our  business  untill  the  sceond  of  .Inly  :  at 
wliiit  time  Ave  Imd  tidcon  into  our  shi])  L'L'.  tuniies  and  three  hogs- 
heads of  Oyle."  On  their  icliirn  they  look  with  theia  two  live 
young  Walruses,  on(!  of  which  lived  till  they  reached  London.* 

The  voyage  in  100(1  w;is  less  successful.  They  slew  at  one 
tiiiK!  eighty,  at  iinotlier  one  hundred  and  liity,  iind  id  siill  iin- 

"I'mcliii.s  liis  I'ilniiincs,  vol.  iii,  |i|i.  ri.">7-r)(j(). 


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76 


ODOB^NUS   ROSMARTJS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


other  time  forty-five;  but  they  lost  most  of  tliem  in  coiiseqiieuce 
of  bad  weiitber.  "  In  the  yeore  IGIO.  the  Coini>anie  set  out  iwo 
Ships,  viz.  the  Lionesse  for  CJicrie  Hand,  Thonun  IJdpe  Com- 
mander ;  and  the  Amitie,  for  a  Kortherne  Discoverie,  tlie  Mas- 
ter of  which  ship  was  Jonas  Foole :  who  in  the  moneth  of  May 
fell  with  a  Land,  and  called  it  Greenland,  this  is  the  Land  that 
was  discovered  by  Sir  Hugh  WiUonghby  long  before  [Spctsberg 
of  the  Hollanders],  which  Shij)  Anitie  continued  upon  the  coast 
of  Greenland,  discovering  the  Harbours  and  killing  of  Morces 
[the  first  killed  by  the  English  on  Spit>.bergen],  untill  the  moneth 
of  August,  and  so  returned  for  England,  having  gotten  about 
some  twelve  Tunnes  of  goods,  and  an  Unicornes  home. 

"In  the  yeere  1611.  the  Companie  set  foorth  two  Ships,  the 
Mark  Margaret  Admirall,  burthen  one  hundred  and  sixtie 
tunnes,  Thomas  Edge  Commander ;  and  the  Elizabeth,  burthen 
sixtie  tunnes,  Jonas  Poole  Master,  well  manned  and  furnished 
•with  all  necessarie  Provisions,  they  departed  from  Blackwall 
the  twentieth  of  Aprill,  and  arrived  at  the  Foreland  in  Green- 
land in  the  Latitude  of  79.  degrees,  the  twentieth  of  May  fol- 
lowing, the  Admirall  had  in  her  six  Biskayners  expert  men  for 
the  killing  of  the  Whale :  this  was  the  first  yeere  the  Compa- 
nie set  out  for  the  killing  of  Whales  in  Greenland,  and  about 
the  twelfth  of  June  the  Biskayners  killed  a  small  Whale,  which 
jeelded  twelve  Tunnes  of  Oyle,  being  the  first  Oyle  that  ever 
was  made  in  Greenland.  The  Companies  two  Shalops  looking 
about  the  Harbour  for  Whales,  about  the  five  and  twentieth  of 
June  rowing  into  Sir  Thomas  Smith  his  Bay,  on  the  East  side 
of  the  Sound  saw  on  the  shoare  great  store  of  Sea-horses:  after 
they  had  found  the  Morses  they  presently  rowed  unto  the  ship, 
being  in  crosse  Eoad  seven  leagues  off,  and  acquainted  the  Cap- 
tayne  what  they  had  found.  The  Captaync  i  nderstanding  of 
it,  gave  order  to  the  Master,  Stephen  Bennet,  that  he  should  take 
into  his  Ship  flftie  tunnes  of  emptie  Caske,  and  set  sayje  with 
the  Ship  to  goe  into  Foule  Sound.  The  Captayne  went  pres- 
ently aw{iy  in  one  Shallop  with  sixe  men  unto  the  Seamorse, 
and  tooke  with  him  L&nces,  and  comming  to  them  they  set  on 
them  and  killed  five  hundred  Morses,  and  kept  one  thousand 
Morses  living  on  shoare,  because  it  was  not  profitable  to  kill 
them  all  at  one  time.  The  next  day  the  Ship  being  gone  unto 
the  place  &  well  mored  where  the  Morse  were  killed,  all  the  men 
belonging  to  the  Ship  went  on  shoare,  to  worke  and  make  Oyle 
of  the  Morses ;  and  when  they  had  wrought  two  or  three  dayes, 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


77 


it  fortuued  that  a  small  quantitie  of  Ice  come  out  of  Foule 
Sound,  and  put  the  Ship  from  her  Moriiig,  .  .  .  The  Ship 
being  cast  away  without  hope  of  recoverie,  the  Commander 
Thomas  Edge  gave  order,  that  all  the  Morse  li^aug  on  shoare 
shoold  be  let  goe  into  the  Sea,  and  so  gave  over  making  of 
Oylc.  .  .  ."  Fitting  np  their  boats  as  Avell  as  they  could 
they  soon  after  abandoned  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen  ("  Green- 
land "),  and  set  sail  for  Cherie  Island,  ^\  here  they  found  the 
"Elizabeth"  and  returned  to  Spitzbergen  "to  take  in  such 
Goods  as  the  sayd  Edge  had  left  in  Foule  Sound,  woorth  flfteene 
hundred  pounds.'*" 

As  early  as  the  year  1611,  the  previous  persecutions  of  the 
Walruses  at  Cherie  Island  had  made  them  very  wary.  Thomas 
Finch,  in  his  account  of  a  visit  to  this  island  by  William  Gom'- 
don  in  August  of  that  year,  says:  "At  our  comming  to  the 
Hand,  wee  had  three  or  foure  dayes  together  very  fine  weather: 
in  which  time  came  in  reasonable  store  of  Morses,  .  .  .  yet 
by  no  meanes  would  they  go  on  those  beaches  and  places,  that 
formerly  they  have  been  killed  on.  But  fortie  or  flftie  of  them 
together,  went  into  little  holes  within  the  Eocke,  which  were  so 
little,  steepe  and  slipperie,  that  as  soone  as  wee  did  approach 
towards  them,  they  would  tumble  all  into  the  sea.  The  like 
whereof  by  the  Masters  and  William  Oourdons  leyort,  was  never 
done."t 

During  the  years  1612, 1613, 1614,  and  1615,  numerous  vessels 
were  sent  out  from  England  to  Spitzbergen  for  the  products  of 
the  Walruses  and  Whales,  but  generally  met  with  indifferent 
success,  being  much  troubled  with  Spanish,  Dutch,  and  Dan- 
ish "  interlopers."  '  '  •'     '        ■' 

"  In  the  yeere  1616,  the  Companie  set  out  for  Greenland  eight 
Sayle  of  great  ships,  and  two  Pinnasses  under  the  command  of 
Thomas  Edge,  v,  ho  following  his  course,  arrived  in  Greenland 
about  the  fourtii  of  June,  having  formerly  appointed  all  his 
ships  for  their  severall  Harbours,  for  their  making  of  their  Voy- 
age upon  the  Whale,  and  having  in  every  Harbour  a  sufficient 
number  of  expert  men,  and  all  provisions  fitting  for  such  a  Voy- 
age. This  yeere  it  pleased  God  to  blesse  them  by  their  labours, 
that  they  full  laded  all  their  ships  with  Oyle,  and  left  an  over- 
plus in  the  Countrey^  which  their  ships  could  not  take  in. 
They  imployed  this  yeere  a  small  Pinnasse  unto  the  East-ward 
part  of  Greenland,  Namely,  the  Hand  called  now  Edges  Hand, 


*  PurcluiH  his  Pilgrimes,  vol.  iii,  pp.  4(54,  465 


tlbid.,  p.  536. 


78 


ODOBiENUS  ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


and  other  Hands  lying  to  the  Korth-wards  as  farre  as  seventie 
eight  degrees,  this  Pinnasse  was  some  twentie  tunnes,  and  had 
t\.elve  men  in  her,  who  killed  one  thousand  Sea-horses  on 
^flges  Hand,  and  brought  all  their  Teeth  home  for  London^ 

In  1017,  they  "  employed  a  ship  of  sixtie  tunnes,  with  twenty 
men  in  her,  who  discovered  to  the  Eastward  of  Greenland,  as 
farre  J^  or th- wards  as  seventy-nine  degrees,  and  an  Hand  which 
he  named  Witches  Hand,  and  divers  other  Hands  as  by  the 
Map  appearoth,  and  killed  store  of  Sea-horses  there    .    .    ."* 

The  Dutch,  Danes,  and  Spaniards  began,  in  1612,  also  to 
visit  Spitzbergen  in  pursuit  of  Whales  and  Sea-horses,  but  axe 
reported  by  the  EngUsli  to  have  made  indifferent  voyages.  The 
company  soon  also  had  rivals  in  the  "  Hull-men,"  who,  as  well 
as  the  Dutch,  did  them  much  "ill  service."! 

About  the  years  1611  and  1612,  the  Whale-fishery  was  found 
to  be  more  profitable  than  Walrus-hunting,  and  subsequently 
became  the  main  pursuit,  not  only  by  the  English,  but  by  the 
Dutch  and  Danes.  Yet  the  Walruses  were  by  no  means  left 
wh  jily  unmolested,  having  been  constantly  hunted,  with  more 
or  less  persistency,  down  to  the  present  day,  and,  as  already 
shown,  were  long  since  exterminated  from  Oherie  Island  and 
other  smaller  islands  more  to  the  northward,  and  greatly  re- 
duced in  numbers  on  the  shores  of  Spitzbergen. 

Walruses  have  been  recently  reported  as  occurring  on  the 
outer  or  northwestern  coast  of  Nova.  Zembla,  but  as  not  exist- 
ing on  the  inner  or  southeastern  coast.  Von  Baer,  on  the  au- 
thority of  S.  G.  Gmeliu  and  others,  gave  the  eastern  lunit  of  the 
distribution  of  the  Atlantic  Walruses  as  the  mouth  of  the  Jene- 
sei  River,  though  very  rarely  single  individuals  wandered  as 
far  eastward  as  the  Piasina  Kiver.  He  even  regarded  the  Gulf 
of  Obi  as  almost  beyond  tlieir  true  home.|  Von  Middendorff, 
however,  considers  von  Baer's  eastern  limit  as  incorrect,  and 
cites  old  Eussian  manuscript  log-books  ("handschriftliche 
Schiftsbiicher")  in  proof  of  their  occurrence  in  numbers  in  Au- 
gust, 1736,  as  far  east  as  the  eastern  Taimyr  Peninsula,  and  of 
their  being  met  with  in  August,  1739,  as  far  east  as  Chatauja 
Bay.  Still  further  eastward,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  oi  the 
Lena  Elver,  he  gives  similar  authority  for  their  occurrence  in 
August,  1735,  and  says  that  Dr.  Figurin  attests  tlieir  presence 

*Purclia8  his  Pilgrimes,  vol.  iii,  p.  467.  tibid.,  pp.  472,  473. 

tMdni.  do  I'Acad.  des  Sci.  de  St.  P(5tersb..  vi°  8<5r.,  Sci.  math.,  phys.  etnat., 
tome  iv,  2''"  pars,  pp.  174,  184. 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


n 


-on  the  shores  of  the  delta-islands  of  the  Lena.  Eespecting  the 
move  easterly  coast  of  the  Siberian  Ice  Sea,  he  says  it  is  cer- 
tainly known  that  the  Walruses  of  B  iring's  Sea  extend  west- 
ward in  great  numbers  to  Koljutschiu  Island.  Only  the  males, 
however,  reach  this  limit,  th'j  females  not  extending  beyond  the 
Aicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the  Kolyma  Eiver.* 

It  lience  appears  that  about  1735  to  1739  Walruses  were 
met  with  as  far  eastward  as  the  mouth  of  the  Lena  Eiver;  but 
Wrangell,  nearly  a  century  later,  explored  quite  thoroughly 
this  whole  region  without  meeting  with  them,  and  I  have  found 
only  one  reference  to  their  existence  on  the  Siberian  coast  be- 
tween the  Kolyma  and  Jenesei  Elvers  later  than  those  cited  by 
von  Middendorff. 

According  to  a  recent  letter  t  from  Professor  iNordenskjold,  of 
the  Swedish  Northeast  Passage  Expedition,  "two  Walruses" 
T\ere  seen  in  August,  1878,  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  Jenesei 
River,  and  that  open  water  was  found  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
the  Lena.  From  this  it  would  seem  that  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent,  at  least  in  favorable  years,  the  W^alruses  from  passing 
eastward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Lena.  There  still  remains,  how- 
ever, a  breadth  of  some  thirty  degrees  of  longitude  (between 
13(P  and  3  60°)  where  as  yet  no  Walruses  have  been  seen.  They 
appear  to  have  been  only  verj^  rarely  met  with  to  the  eastward 
of  the  Jenesei  (longitude  82°  E.),  and  to  be  uncommon  east  of 
tlie  Gulf  of  Obi. 

At  present  the  Atlantic  Wiilrus  ranges  along  the  northeast- 
eru  coast  of  North  America  from  Labrador  northward  to  Ee- 
pulse  Bay  and  Prince  Eegent's  Inlet,  and  along  the  shores  of 
Greenland;  in  the  Old  World  only  about  the  islands  and  in 
the  icy  seas  to  the  northward  of  Eastern  Europe  and  the  neigh- 
boring portions  of  Western  Asia,  where  it  rarely,  if  ever,  now 
visits  the  shores  of  the  continent. 

On  the  easttmi  coast  of  North  America,  Walruses  have  been 
met  with  as  fiir  north  as  explorers  have  penetrated,  and  as  far 
as  the  Esquimaux  live.  They  winter  as  far  north  as  they  can 
find  open  water,  retiring  southward  in  autumn  before  the  ad- 
vance of  the  unbroken  ice-sheet.  Kane  speaks  of  their  remain- 
ing in  Eenssellaer  Harbor  (latitude  78°  37')  in  1853,  till  the  sec- 
ond week  of  September,  when  the  temperature  reached  zero 
of  Pahreuheit.  | 

*  Von  MiddeiKloiiPs  Sibiiischo  Reise,  Bd.  iv,  1867,  pp.  935,  936. 
t  Soo  Nature,  vol.  xix,  p.  102,  December  5,  1878. 
t  Arctic  Exploration,  vol.  i,  p.  140. 


80 


ODOB^NUS    ROSMARUS ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


Nomenclature. — Several  specific  ntunes  have  been  iii  moro 
or  less  current  use  for  the  Atlantic  Walrus,  or  rather  for  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  species  collectively.  Accepting  Odoba'nus 
as  the  proper  generic  name  of  the  group,  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  the  adoption  of  rosmarm  for  the  specific  name  of  the 
Atlantic  species.  It  Avas  used  for  this  species  exclusively  by 
Linn<;,  Erxleben,  and  other  early  systematic  writers,  the  Pacific 
Walrus  being  at  that  time  unknown  to  the  systematists.  If  lios- 
marus  be  used  as  the  geneiic  name  of  the  group,  as  it  lias  been 
by  a  few  late  writers,  as  a  substitute  for  the  wholly  untenable 
one  of  Trichechtis,  it  will  be,  of  course,  necessary  to  adopt  some 
other  name  for  the  si)ecies.  Dr.  Gill  has  used  obesus  of  Illiger ; 
but  as  this  was  applied  by  Illiger  exclusively  to  the  Pacific  Wal- 
rus, it  cannot  properly  be  used  for  the  Atlantic  species.  It 
would  be  difl&cidt  to  select  a  subsequent  name  that  would  not 
be  open  to  objection,  if  one  should  stop  short  of  trichechus,  used 
(inadvertently?)  in  a  specific  sense  {^^ Rosmarus  trichechus^')  by 
Lament  in  1861.  The  name  lonaidem  of  Fremery,  1831,  was 
based  on  what  subsequent  writers  have  considered  as  probably 
the  female,  but  the  name  is  highly  inai)propriate,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  the  Pacific  species,  and  not  the  Atlantic,  that  has  the  longer 
tusks.  There  are  left  virginianus  of  DeKay  and  dtMm  of 
Stannius :  the  first  is  objectionable  on  account  of  its  geograph- 
ical significance  ;  the  other  is  only  doubtfully  referable  to  the 
Atlantic  species.  Adopting  Odohcenus  for  the  genus,  leaves 
rosmartts  available  for  the  species,  thus  settling  the  whole  diffi- 
culty. 

As  aheady  noticed  [antea,  p.  20),  two  species  besides  virgi- 
nianus  have  been  based  on  fossil  remains,  and  have  been  made 
the  basis  of  new  genera.  The  first  of  these  is  the  Odobenothe- 
rium  lartetianum  of  Gratiolet,  since  referred  by  Defrance  to  the 
existi":'ig  species ;  the  other  is  the  Tricheeodon  huxleyi  of  Lan- 
kester,  which  there  is  perhaps  reason  for  regarding  as  the  large 
extinct  progenitor  of  the  existing  Walruses. 

Etymology. — The  term  rosmarm  was  originally  used  by 
Olaus  Magnus,  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in  a 
vernacular  sense,  interchangeably  with  morstis,  the  Latinized 
form  of  the  Eussian  word  niorsz  (or  morss).  It  was  used  in  tho 
same  way  by  Geaner  a  few  years  later,  as  well  as  by  numerous 
other  pre-Linnaean  authors.  Eespecting  the  etymology  of  the 
word,  von  Baer  gives  the  following :  "  In  dem  historisch-topo- 


ETYMOLOGY. 


m 


grapliischen  Werke :  Be  gentium  septentrionalium  conditionibus 
cet.  Komae  1555  lieisst  es :  Normgium  littns  maximoa  ac  grandes 
places  elephantis  hahet,  qui  morsi  seu  rosmari  vocantur,  forsitan 
oh  asperitate  mordendi  sic  appellati,  (Eine  recht  witzige  Etymo- 
logic !)  quia,  si  quem  hominem  in  maris  littore  viderint  apprehen- 
dereque  poterint,  in  eum  celerime  insiliunt,  ac  dente  lacerant  et  in 
momento  interimunty  * 

The  same  author  also  gives  the  following  from  Herbeistain 
(1567):  "Under  andern  ist  auch  ein  thier,  so  grosse  wie  ein 
ochs,  und  von  den  einwonem  Mors  oder  der  Tod  geheissen 
wird."  t  Hence,  either  from  superstitious  notions  of  the  terri- 
ble character  of  this  animal,  or  from  the  resemblance  of  the 
iiussian  word  morss  to  the  Latin  word  mors,  these  terms  be- 
came early  confounded,  and  rendered  by  the  German  word  Tod, 
or  death,  f 

In  the  account  of  the  exploits  of  the  Norman  Othere,  where 
the  Walrus  first  finds  its  place  in  literature,  it  is  termed  Horse- 
wael.  As  noted  by  Martens  §  and  other  writers,  equivalent 
words  in  other  languages  have  become  current  for  this  animal, 
as  Walross  or  Wallross  of  the  Germans,  Wallrus  of  the  Dutch, 

*In  an  early  (1658)  English  version  of  Olaus  Magnus's  work  ("A  Com- 
pendious > ''story  of  the  Goths,  Swedes,  &,  Vandals  and  other  Northern 
Nations.  .itten  by  Olaus  Magnus,  Arch-Bishop  of  Upsal,  and  Metropoli- 
tan of  Sweden",  i».  231),  this  passage  is  rendered  as  follows:  "The  Xorway 
Coast,  toward  the  more  Northern  parts,  hath  huge  great  Fish  as  big  as  Ele- 
phants, which  are  called  Morn,  or  Rosmari,  may  be  they  aiie  so  from  their 
sharp  biting ;  for  if  they  see  any  man  on  the  Sea-shore,  and  can  catch  him, 
they  come  suddenly  upon  him,  and  rend  him  with  their  Teeth,  that  they  will 
kill  him  in  a  trice."  From  this  it  would  appear  that  Morsua,  as  used  by 
Olaus  Magnus,  might  bo  simply  the  Latin  word  morsus,  from  mordere,  to  bite, 

tSee  von  Baer,  M^m,  de  Acad,  des  Sci.  do  St.  Pdtersb.,  vi«  8<5r.,  So. 
math.,  phys.  et  nat.,  tome  iv,  2^"  pars,  pp.  112,  113. 

^  Von  Baer  quotes  a  passage  from  the  "Rerum  Moscoviticarum  auctores 
varii,"  originally  published  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  in  which  occurs 
the  phrase  "  scandut  ex  mari  pisces  morss  nuncupati,"  which  he  regards  as 
the  first  introduction  into  Latin  of  the  Sclavic  name  MopiKb.  In  Western 
Europe  it  a  little  ^ater  became  current  in  the  form  oi  Morse,  whicii  was  soon 
written  Moras  or  Mors,  from  which  Buflfon  later  forme*'  the  name  Morse, 
which  has  since  been  the  common  appellation  of  this  animal  among  French 
^vrite^9.  Von  Baer  further  observes  that  the  accidental  resemblance  in 
sound  of  this  word  to  that  of  the  Latin  word  for  death  (mors)  appears  to 
have  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  strange  conception  of  the  torribleness  of 
this  animal  whicli  was  early  entertained  and  even  still  prevails  in  Western 
Europe,  although  the  Russian  accounts  do  not  speak  of  it. 

«Zoolog,  Garten,  Jahrg.  xi,  1870,  p.  283,  where  the  etymology  of  tho 
numes  of  tho  Walvus  is  briefly  discussed. 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 6 


82 


ODOBiENUS    R08MARUS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


and  Walrm  of  the  English.  By  the  early  Scandinavian  writer* 
it  was  termed  Bosmhvzlr,  which  later  became  resolved  into  Boa- 
mul,  from  which,  perhaps,  originated  the  Latin  term  Boamarm, 
which  has  the  same  significance,  introduced  by  Olaus  Magnus 
and  Gesner,  and  the  Norwegian  word  Boatungr.  Gesner  and 
several  subsequent  writers  also  used  the  word  Meerroaa,  and  we 
have  in  English  the  equivalent  term  Sea-horae^  as  one  of  the  ap- 
pellations of  the  Walrus,  and  also,  but  more  rarely,  Meerpferd 
in  German,  and  Clwval  marin  in  French. 

The  current  French  term  Morae  appears,  as  already  stated,  to 
have  been  introduced  by  Buffon  as  a  modification  of  the  Eus- 
sian  word  moraa,  used  by  Michow  (1517)  and  Herberstain  (1649). 
Among  other  old  vernacular  names  we  find  in  English  Sea 
Coic,  in  French  Vache  marine,  in  Latin  Boa  marinm^  etc.,  while 
by  the  early  French  settlers  in  America  it  was  commonly  termed 
Bete  f>  la  grande  dent.         ^ 

Literature. — 1.  General  Hiatory. — Passing  over  the  by  some 
supposed  allusions  to  the  Walrus  by  Pliny  as  too  vague  and 
uncertain  for  positive  identification,  *  we  meet,  according  to 
von  Baer,  with  ^^he  flist  positive  reference  to  the  present 
species  in  the  account  of  the  exploits  of  the  famous  Norman  ex- 
plorer Othere,  or  Octher,  who,  about  the  year  871  (890  accord- 
ing to  some  authorities),  made  a  voyage  to  some  point  beyond 
the  North  Cape,  where  he  met  with  large  herds  of  Walruses, 
some  of  the  tusks  of  which  he  is  said  to  have  taken  to  England 
as  a  present  to  King  Alfred,  t    Walruses  appear  to  have  been 

*  See  K.  E.  von  Baer,  M6in,  de  I'Acad.  Imp.  des  Sci.  de  St.  Pdtersb.,  vi'"" 
s^r.,  Sci.  math.,  pliys.  et  nat.,  tome  iv,  3™«  livr.,  1836,  (1837),  pp.  101, 102.  T .. 
this  admirable  monograph  I  am  greatly  indebted  for  information  respecting 
the  earlier  publications  bearing  upon  the  history  of  the  Walruses.  To  this 
exhaustive  memoir  the  reader  is  referred  for  a  full  exposition  of  this  part  of 
the  subject.  The  following  short  summary  is  based,  so  far  as  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  subject  is  concerned,  mainly  upon  von  Baer's  monograph,  an 
analysis  of  which  will  be  presented  at  a  subsequent  page.  (See  posted,,  p.  88, 
footnote.) 

t  Hakluyt's  rendering  of  this  account  is  as  follows:  "The  principall 
purpose  of  his  [Othere's]  traveile  this  way,  was  to  encrcase  the  knowledge 
and  discoverio  of  those  coasts  and  countreyes,  for  the  more  comoditie  of  fish- 
ing of  horsowhalcH,  which  have  in  their  teeth  bones  of  great  price  and  ex- 
cellcncio :  whereof  lie  brought  some  at  his  retume  unto  the  king.  Their 
skinnes  are  also  very  {\;ood  to  make  cables  for  shippcs,  and  so  used.  This 
kind  of  whale  is  much  lesse  in  quantitie  then  other  kindes,  having  not  in 
length  above  seven  elles." — Hakluyt's  Voyages,  vol.  i,  p.  5. 


i 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


88 


an  object  of  chase  on  the  coast  of  Finmark  as  early  as  980,  and 
must  have  been  met  with  by  the  Norsemen  when  they  visited 
Greenland  about  the  end  of  the  tenth  century.  Their  tusks 
were  an  article  of  commercial  value  among  the  Mongolian  and 
Tartar  tribes  as  early  as  the  twelfth  to  the  fifteenth  centuries. 
Aside  from  the  various  notices  by  Scandinavian  writers,  the 
earliest  unmistakable  reference  to  the  Walrus,  other  than  that 
connected  with  Othere,  as  above  mentioned,  was,  according  to 
von  Baer  (1.  c,  p.  108),  by  Albertuf^  Magnus,  in  the  first  half 
of  the  thirteenth  century. 

Says  this  writer  (as  quoted  by  von  Baer),  whose  account  is  here 
paraphrased :  The  hairy  Cetaceans  have  very  long  tusks,  by 
which  they  suspend  themselves  to  the  rocks  in  order  to  sleep. 
Then  comes  the  fisherman  and  separates  near  the  tail  as  much 
skin  as  he  can  from  the  underlying  fat,  and  then  attaches  a 
cord,  which  has  at  the  other  end  a  large  ring,  which  he  makes 
fast  to  a  post  or  tree.  Then  when  the  fish  awakens  (by  all  of 
these  operations  he  was  not  yet  awakened),  they  cast  a  huge 
sliug-stone  upon  his  head.  Being  aroused,  he  attempts  to  get 
away,  and  is  held  by  the  tail  near  to  the  place  and  captured, 
either  swimming  in  the  water  or  half  alive  on  the  shore.  This 
ludicrous  description  von  Baer  believes  had  for  its  foundation 
misunderstood  reports  of  the  Walruses'  habit  of  reposing  upon 
the  shore  or  upon  ice-bergs,  the  use  of  their  tusks  in  climbing 
up  to  these  places  of  rest,  and  their  deep  sleep,  and  that  the 
account  of  the  mode  of  capture  was  based  on  an  incorrect 
knowledge  of  the  use  of  the  harpoon;  and  that  the  account 
shows  that  as  early  as  the  thirteenth  century  the  Walrus  was 
harpooned  on  the  coast  extending  from  the  White  Sea  north- 
wards. * 

*  This  curious  legend  is  quoted  by  Gesner  in  his  Historia  Animalia  Aqua- 
tilia,  1558,  p.  254.  The  following  rendering  appears  also  in  the  above-cited 
English  version  of  Olaus  Magnus :  ' '  Therefore,  these  Fish  called  Boamari,  or 
MorA,  have  heads  fashioned  like  to  an  Oxes,  and  a  hairy  Skin,  and  hair  grow- 
ing as  thick  as  straw  or  corn-reeds,  that  lye  loose  very  largely.  They  will  raise 
themselves  with  their  Teeth  as  by  Ladders  to  the  very  tops  of  Rocks,  that 
they  may  feed  on  the  Dewie  Grasse,  or  fresh  'Vater,  and  role  themselves  in 
it,  and  then  go  to  the  Sea  again,  unless  in  the  mean  while  they  fall  very  fiat 
asleep,  and  rest  upon  the  Rocks,  for  then  Fisher-men  make  all  the  has.te 
they  can,  and  begin  at  the  Tail,  and  part  the  Skin  from  the  Fat ;  and  into 
this  that  is  parted,  they  put  most  strong  cords,  and  fasten  them  on  the  rug- 
ged Rocks,  or  Trees,  that  are  near;  then  they  throw  stones  at  his  head,  out 
of  a  Sling,  to  raise  him,  and  they  compel  him  to  descend,  spoiled  of  the 
greatest  part  of  his  Skin  which  is'fastened  to  the  Ropes :  ho  being  thereby 


84 


ODOB^NUS   R08MARUS— ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


The  Walrus  is  also  referred  to  by  Hector  Boethius  in  1526,  in 
bis  History  of  Scotland ;  *  by  Herberstain  (or  Herberstein,  as 
also  written)  in  1549;  by  Par6  about  the  year  1600;  and  by  Al- 
drovandus  in  1642. 

Herberstain  also  very  correctly  indicates  the  habits  of  these 
animals,  which,  he  says,  repair  to  the  shore  in  large  herds  to 
repose,  and  that  while  the  herd  sleeps  one  of  their  number 
keeps  watch.  He  compares  their  feet  to  those  of  the  Beaver, 
and  refers  to  the  value  of  their  tusks  tc  the  Russians,  Turks, 
and  Tartars,  and  observes  that  they  called  them  fish-teeth,  t 

Even  before  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Walruses 
had  been  met  with  on  the  eastern  shore  of  North  America.  In 
May,  1534,  they  were  seen  by  Cartier,  and  later  in  the  same 
century  by  Fischer,  Drake,  and  others,  on  the  coast  of  Nova 
Scotia  and  adjacent  islands,  and  later  still  by  other  explorers  on 
the  islands  in  the  Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence  (see  antecl,  p.  06),  in 
the  accounts  of  whose  voyages  |  occur  interesting  notices  of 
these  animals. 

In  the  year  1553,  Edward  VI  of  England  sent  an  expedi- 
tion under  Willoughby  and  Chancellor  to  the  White  Sea,  which 
resulted  in  still  further  increasing  our  knowledge  of  the  Wal- 
ruses, especially  of  their  distribution  eastward  along  the  Arctic 
coast  of  Europe  and  Asia.  Chancellor's  short  account  §  refers 
especially  to  the  uses  made  of  the  skins  and  tusks. 

The  earliest  delineations  of  the  Walrus  appear  to  have  been 
made  by  Olaus  Magnus  in  his  "  Tabula  Terrarum  Septentrio- 
nalium"  (1555),  where  he  has  portrayed  many  strange  and  fabu- 
lous animal  forms  which  there  is  reason  to  believe  were  based 
upon  this  animal.  1 1    Gesner  a  few  years  later  (1558),  in  his  "  His- 

debilitated,  fearful,  and  half  dead,  he  is  made  a  rich  prey,  especially  for  his 
Teeth,  that  are  very  pretious  amongst  the  Scythians,  the  Moscovites,  Eua- 
aiana,  and  Tartars,  (as  Ivory  amongst  the  Indians)  by  reason  of  its  hardness, 
whiteness,  and  ponderousnesse.  For  which  cause,  by  excellent  industry  of 
Artificers,  they  are  made  fit  for  handles  for  Javelins :  And  this  is  also  testi- 
f'ed  by  Mechovita,  an  Historian  of  Poland,  in  his  double  Sarmatia,  and 
FuuIm  Jovius  after  him,  relates  it  by  the  Relation  of  one  Demetrius,  that 
was  sent  from  the  great  Duke  of  Moscovy,  to  Pope  Clement  the  7th." — Loc. 
cit.,  pp.  231,232. 

"  "Scotorum  Regni  Descriptio,  p.  90,"  as  cit«d  by  various  writers. 

t  Herberstain,  as  cited  by  von  Baer,  1.  c,  p.  111. 

tSee  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  vol.  iii,  ed.  1810,  pp.  237,238,242,249,254,  etc. 

\S  See  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  vol.  i,  ed.  1599,  p.  237. 

II  Olaus  Magnus's  figures  will  be  noticed  later  under  the  section  devoted 
to  the  fi};ure8  of  the  Walrus  (posted,  p.  92  et  seq.). 


genp:ral  history. 


85 


toriuiii  Aiiiinalium"  (in  the  volnino  devoted  to  the  "  Animalia 
AquatiliJi "),  tiiitlifully  copied  all  ofOlaiis  Magnus's  figures  under 
the  heading  "De  Cotis,"  and  then  presents,  under  the  name 
Ensmonis,  the  figure  of  the  Walrus  from  Olaus  Magnus.  This 
figure,  however,  he  judiciously  criticises,  stating  that  the  tusks 
should  be  in  the  upper  Jaw,  and  not  in  the  lower,  as  they  were 
represented  by  Olaus  Magnus.  This  last-named  author,  in  the 
later  editions  of  his  work  "  De  Gentium  Septentrionalium  Con- 
ditionibus,"  etc.  (as  in  that  of  15G3),  rightly  places,  iiecording  to 
von  Baer,  the  tusks  in  the  upper  jaw.  Gesner  (continues  von 
Baer)  knew  only  the  first  edition  of  this  work,  and  took  his 
figure  from  the  above-mentioned  "  Tabula  Terrarum  Septen- 
trionalium." Also  were  unknown  to  him  the  aecounts  of  the  Wal- 
rus given  by  "Herberstain,  Chancellor,  and  Othere,"  so  that  he 
made  extracts  from  only  Michovius  and  Albertus  Magnus.  He 
also  knew  no  better  than  to  offer,  as  a  figure  of  the  Walrus,  a 
drawing  he  had  received  from  Strassburg,  representing,  pretty 
fairly,  the  head  and  tusks,  while  the  rest  was  purely  a  fabrica- 
tion. Some  rhymes,  which  he  further  inflicts  upou  his  readers, 
show  clearly  how  "  awful"  the  conceptions  of  the  Walrus  then 
were  (or,  as  von  Baer  puts  it,  "  Wie  schauerlich  nocli  die  Yor- 
stellungen  vom  Wallrossewaren").*  |,        >,        v      ;         . 

In  1008,  a  young  living  Walrus  was  taken  to  England,  having 
been  captured  on  Bear  or  Cherie  Island  off  the  coast  of  Nor- 
way, t  while  four  years  later  (1012)  another  yf  ung  Walrus,  with 
the  stuffed  skin  of  its  mother,  was  taken  to  Holland.  The  first 
appears  to  have  been  very  intelligently  described  by  ^lius  Ever- 
hard  Vorstius,  whose  description  is  quoted  by  De  Laet.  J  The 
specimen  taken  to  Holland  was  well  figured  by  Hessel  Gerard, 
the  young  one  doubtless  from  life,  the  figures  being  pu^^lished 
by  him  in  1613,  §  and  subsequently  repeatedly  copied  (as  will 
be  more  fully  noticed  later). 

In  1625,  Purchas,  in  his  history  of  the  voyages  of  the  English 
to  Cherie  Island  and  Spitzbergen  (then  called  "Greenland"), 
gives  much  interesting  information  respecting  the  chase  of  the 

*  To  ebow  what  these  conceptions  were,  von  Baer  cites  the  passages 
ahtady  quoted  (anted,,  p.  81),  in  reference  to  the  singular  misinterpretations 
given  in  Western  Europe  to  the  Russian  name  Moras.  See  von  Baer,  1.  c, 
p.  li:{.       . 

t  Recuoil  do  Voy.  au  Nord,  2^  6A.,  tome  ii,  p.  368. 

t  Nov.  Orb.  8.  Doscrip.  Ind.  Occ,  1633,  p.  41. 

^  See  von  Baer,  1.  c,  p.  128;  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1853,  p.  115. 


86 


ODOBiENUS  ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


Walnis  at  these  islands,  and  in  one  place  a  quaint  description 
and  some  very  curious  figures  of  the  animal.* 

In  J  07.5,  the  Walrus  was  again  described  and  wretchedly 
flgured  by  Martens,  t  who  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  "  natu- 
ralist" who  ever  saw  the  Walrus  in  its  native  haunts.  Zorg- 
drager,  |  in  1720,  supplied  by  fiir  the  fuliost  account  of  these 
animals,  as  observed  by  him  in  Spitzbergen,  that  had  appeared 
up  to  that  date.  He  gives  not  only  a  quite  detailed  and  truth- 
ful account  of  their  habits,  especially  under  persecution,  but  also 
of  their  wholesale  destruction  at  that  early  time  in  the  Spitz- 
bergen seas,  and  of  their  extermination  at  some  of  the  points 
at  which  they  had  formerly  been  accustomed  to  land  in  immense 
herds.  He  also  notes  the  increasing  difl&culties  of  their  capture 
owing  to  the  great  shyness  of  man  they  had  acquired  in  conse- 
quence of  persecution,  and  describes  the  manner  in  which  they 
were  captured,  and  also  their  products.  Copious  extracts  from 
Zorgdrager's  account  of  the  Walrus  are  given  by  Buffon  (trans- 
lated into  French  from  a  German  edition),  and  he  has  also  been 
extensively  quoted  by  even  much  later  writers. 

The  Greenland  Walrus  was  described  by  Egede§  in  1741,  by 
Anderson  II  in  1747,  by  Ellis  If  in  1748,  by  Cranz**  in  1765^ 
and  by  Fabricius  tt  in  1780,  some  of  whom  added  much  infor- 
mation respecting  its  habits  and  distribution,  its  usefulness  t'j 
the  natives  and  their  ways  of  hunting  it,  as  well  as  respecting 
its  external  characters. 

The  above-cited  accounts  of  the  Walrus  formed  the  basis  of 
numerous  subsequent  compilations,  and  most  of  those  last  given 
are  cited  by  the  early  systematic  writers,  few  of  whom,  as  pre- 
^^ou8ly  shown  (see  antea,  pp.  8-11),  had  any  just  appreciation 
of  even  its  most  obvious  external  characters.  Linn6,  as  already 
noted  {anted,,  p.  8),  profited  little  by  what  had  been  written 
by  preceding  authors,  while  Brisson,  Erxleben,  and  Gmelin 
manifest  a  scarcely  better  acquaintance  with  this  badly  misrep- 
resented and  poorly  understood  creature.  No  little  confu- 
sion has  hence  arisen  in  systematic  works  respecting  its  posi- 

*  See  anted,,  p.  74-78,  and.  posted. 
t  Spitzbergen,  pp.  78-83,  pi.  P,  fig.  h. 

t  Bloeyende  Opkonist  der  Alonde  en  Hedendaagscho  Groenlandsclio  Vis- 
Bchery,  etc.,  ed.  1720,  pp.  165-172. 

$  Det  gamle  Gr(^nland8  nye  Perlustration,  etc.,  1741,  p.  45. 

II  Nachrichten  von  Island,  Gronland  und  der  Straw e  Davis,  p.  258. 

IT  Voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay,  p.  134. 

**  Historie  von  Gronland,  pp.  165,  167. 

+t  Fauna  Groenl.,  p.  4. 


■I       ( 


GENERAL   niSTORY. 


87 


tion  and  aainities  (see  antca,  pp.  7-12).  The  accounts  by  Hoiit- 
tuyn,  Buftoii,  Pennant,  P.  S.  L.  Miiller,  and  Sclireber  are  excel- 
lent for  their  time.  These  authors  all  recofjnized  the  close 
relationship  of  the  Walrus  to  the  Seals,  and  (piite  con-ectly 
indicated  its  external  characters  and  habits.  Some  of  these 
accounts,  however,  include  references  to  both  species. 

Daubenton,  in  Buffon's  "Histoire  Naturelle,"*  gavo  a  de- 
scription and  figure  of  a  Walrus's  skull,  and  made  the  first 
contribution  to  our  knowledge  of  its  internal  anatomy,  based 
on  the  dissection  of  a  foetal  specimen. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  Walrus  liaa 
been  the  subject  of  almost  numberless  notices,  as  well  as  of  sev- 
eral elaborate  papers,  devoted  in  most  cases  to  special  points 
in  its  anatomy,  very  few  of  which  need  be  here  enumerated,  t 

The  elder  Cuvier,  beginning  with  his  "  Legons  d'Anatomie 
compar^e  "  (1800-1805),  and  ending  with  the  third  edition  of  his 
''Ossemens  fossiles"  (1825),  contributed  considerably  to  our 
general  knowledge  of  its  structure  and  affinities,  especially  of 
its  osteology ;  he  in  1825 1  first  figuring  and  describing  its  skel- 
eton. A  paper  by  Sir  Everard  Home,  §  in  1824,  figured  and  de- 
scribed the  stomach  and  feet  from  specimens  taken  to  England 
from  Hudson's  Bay,  preserved  in  salt.  This  paper  is  noteworthy 
mainly  on  account  of  the  singularly  erroneous  interpretation 
there  made  of  the  structure  and  functions  of  the  feet,  Home 
supposing  that  these  organs  were  provided  -with  sucking  discs, 
by  means  of  which  th«  creature  was  enabled  to  adhere  firmly 
to  the  ice  in  climbin  ^.  The  skeleton  of  the  Walrus  was  again 
figured  and  described  by  Pander  and  d'Alton||  in  182G,  and 
still  later  by  BlainviUe  ^  about  1840.  Von  Baer,  **  in  1835, 
published  some  account  of  the  axterial  system  of  the  Walrus, 
based  on  a  dissection  of  a  young  specimen.  Its  general  anato- 
my, especially  its  limb-structure,  myology,  vascular  and  respi- 
ratory syste.     ,  viscera  and  generative  organs,  and  external  cha- 

*  Tome  xiii,  17*',  pp.  415-424,  pll.  liv,  Iv.  The  skull  had  been  previously 
figured  by  Houttuyu  (in  1761),  as  will  be  noticed  later. 

t  Those  relating  to  its  dentition  have  been  already  noticed  in  detail  (see 
anted,  pp.  47-57) ;  several  others  have  also  been  specially  referred  to,  and 
nearly  all  are  cited  in  the  references  given  at  pp.  23-26. 

t  Ossom.  Foss.,  3«  dd.,  tome  v,  ii™"  pt.,  pp.  521-523,  pi.  xxxiii. 

$  Phil.  Trans.,  1824,  pp.  233-241,  pi.  iv. 

II  Skeloti  der  Robben  und  Lamantine,  pll.  1,  ii. 

IT  Osteographie,  Des  Phoques,  pll.  i  and  iv. 

**  M6m.  de  I'Acad.  St.  Pdtersb.,  vi""  s4r.,  Sci.  mpt?i.,  phys.  et  nat.,  tome 
')■"«.  1835,  pp.  199-212. 


88 


ODOB^.NUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC   WALRUS. 


racters,  Avere  quite  fully  and  satisfactorily  treated  by  Dr.  J. 
Murie*  in  1872. 

lUiger,  in  1811,  in  a  paper  on  the  geographical  distribution  of 
the  mainmals  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere  (see  antea,  p.  18),  first 
nominally  r  cognized  the  Pacific  Wah'us  as  a  species  distinct 
from  tie  Atlantic  animal,  while  Fremery,  in  1831,  recognized 
three  species,  and  Stannius,  in  1842,  admitted  two,t  but,  as 
already  noticed,  only  one  species  of  Walrus  has  been  commonly 
recognized.  The  matter  of  variation  dependent  upon  sex,  age, 
and  individual  peculiarities,  has  received,  as  already  noticed 
(see  anteu,,  pp.  38-43),  special  attention  at  the  hanas  of  Wieg- 
mann,  Stannius,  Jaeger,  and  other  writers. 

Unquestionably,  the  most  important  paper  relating  to  the  lit- 
erature, geographical  distribution,  and  habits  of  the  Walruses 
is  the  well-known  an<l  justly  celebrated  memoir  by  von  Baer,| 

*  Trans.  Lond.  Zool.  Soc,  voL  vii,  pp.  411-462, 8  woodcuts,  and  pll.  li-lv. 

t  For  a  notice  of  the  literature  of  this  part  of  the  subject  see  anted,  pp. 
17-23. 

}  Anatomische  imd  zoologische  Untcrsuchungen  iiber  das  Wallross  {Triche- 
clius  rosmaruM)  und  Vergleichung  dieses  Thiers  mit  andern  See-Siiugethieren. 
Von  Dr.  K.  E.  v.  Baer.  Gelesen  den  6.  Nov.  1835.  <^M^ni.  de  I'Acad.  Im- 
p(?r.  des  Sciences  de  Saint-Pdtersljourg,  vi""'  sor.,  Sc.  math.,  phys.  ct  nat., 
tome  iv'"",  pp.  96-236.  [Mit  ciner  Tafel.]  Publid  par  ordre  de  I'Acaddmie. 
En  Fdvrier,  1837. 

The  paper  has  the  following  contents : 

I.  Zoologische  Abtlieilung. 

Cap.  I.  Vcranlassung  und  luhalt  diesor  Untcrsuchungen  (pp.  97-100). 
^  1.  Veranlassung.  ^  2.  Anatomische  Untersuchung.  ^  3.  Zoologische 
Nachlbrschungen.     ^  4.  Alter  des  lebend  beobachteten  Thiers. 

Cap.  II.  Geschichte  der  Kenntniss  des  Wallrossea  und  kritische  Muste- 
rung  der  bisher  gelieferten  Abbildungen  (pp.  100-130).  $  1.  Urzeit  und Alter- 
thum.  §  2.  Mittelalter.  ^  3.  Vom  Sclilusse  des  fiinfzehnteu  Jahrhnnderts  bis 
auf  Linnd  und  Bnffon.  ^  4.  Von  Linnd  und  Buffon  bis  jetzt.  ^  5.  Uebersicht 
der  bisher  gelieferten  Abbildungen  vom  Wallrosse. 

Cap.  III.  Beobachtungen  an  dem  lebenden  Thiere  (pp.  130-148).  $  1.  Frii- 
Lere  Fiille  von  der  Anweseuheit  lebender  Wallrosse  in  mittleren  Breiten.  $  2. 
Allgemoines  Ansehen  des  Thiers.  $  3.  Der  Kopf.  $  4.  Die  Bewegungen.  $  5. 
Blasen  oder  Ansspritzeu  von  Wasser.  ^  5  {^bis^  Wartung  des  jungen  Wall- 
rosses.  ^  6.  Geistiges  Naturel  des  Thiers.  $  7.  Bildsamkeit  und  Auhang- 
lichkeit. 

Cap.  IV.  AUgemeino  Betrachtungen  iiber  die  Bildsamkeit  der  See-Silugc- 
thiere  und  iiber  die  Anhtinglichkcit  der  ludividuen  Einv;r  Art  unter  einander 
(pp.  148-17) ).  §  1.  Aufgabe.  J  2.  Geziihmto  Wallrosse.  i>  3.  Geziihmte  Rob- 
ben.  §  4.  Wahro  Cetaceen.  ^^  .'>.  Gesellschaftliches  Leben.  ^  6.  Liebe  dei' 
Aeltem  zu  den  JuugCii  und  dor  Jungon  gegen  die  Aelteru.  ^  7.  Gatten- 
liiebe.     $  8.  Allgemeine  Begriinduug  dieser  Verhaltnisse. 

Cap.  V.  Verbreitung  dor  Wallrosso  (pp.  172-204).  ^1.  Sio  wohnen  in  zwci 
getrcnnten  Verbreituugs-Bezirken.    'J  2.    Ocstlicher  Verbreituugs-Bezirk. 


GENERAL    HISTORY, 


89 


published  in  1837.  This  elaborate  memoir,  so  often  already 
cited  in  the  prescsut  article,  gives  a  general  summary  of  nearly 
all  papers,  referenees,  and  figures  relating  to  the  Walruses  that 
api)cared  prior  to  1835,  the  date  of  its  presentation  to  the  Impe- 
rial Academy  of  Sciences  of  Saint  Petersburg  for  publication. 
It  also  contains  iiumy  original  biological  and  anatomical  ob- 
servations, based  on  a  young  living  specimen  brought  to  Saint 
Petersbmg  in  1828,  which,  surviving  for  only  a  week  after  its 
arrival,  soon  fell  into  his  hands  for  dissection.  * 

Von  Baer,  after  a  few  preliminary  remarks  respecting  the 
occasion  and  objects  of  his  paper,  and  a  few  words  on  the 
anatomy  of  the  Walnis,  devotes  some  thirty  pages  to  a  critical 
and  exhaustive  historical  resume  of  the  literature  relating  to  the 
general  subject.  Then  follow  some  eighteen  pages  detailing 
his  observations  on  the  living  animal,  in  which  he  gives  some 
account  of  the  few  young  indiAiduals  that  had,  up  to  that  time, 
been  taken  alive  to  Middle  Europe ;  also  a  detailed  account  of 
the  external  appearance  of  the  specimen  he  had  examined  in 
life.  lie  notes  especially  its  attitudes,  movements,  and  limb- 
structure,  and  compares  it  in  these  points  with  the  Seals.  After 
describing  the  position  and  character  of  the  limbs  in  the  Seals, 
and  the  restriction  of  their  movements  on  land  to  a  wriggling 
movement,  with  the  belly  lying  on  the  ground,  he  refers  to  the 
freer  use  of  the  extremities  possessed  by  the  Walrus,  Avhich  he 
found  was  able  to  truly  stand  upon  its  four  feet,  and  says  that, 

i  'S.  Westlicher  Verbreituugs-Bezirk.  $  4.  Periodische  Wanderuugen  der 
Wallrosse.  ^  5.  Pliysischo  VerliuUnisse,  welcho  die  Verbreitung  der  Wall- 
roHse  bedingou. 

Cap.  VI.  Ehemalige  Verbreitung  der  Wallrosse  (pp.  20.'>-228).  $  1.  Mei- 
uuugen  hieriiber.  ^  2.  Veriinderungen  ini  Vorkommeu  der  Wallrosse  in  den 
drei  letzten  Jahrhunderten.  $  3.  Ob  an  den  Orkadischen  Inseln  Wallrosse 
bis  ins  16te  Jalirhundert  sich  aufgebalten  haben  1^4.  Beweiss,  dass,  so  weit 
liistorische  Nachrichton  zuriickgehen,  kein  Wallrossfang  an  der  Kiiste  von 
Lappland  getrieben  worden  ist.  $  5.  Ob  die  Wallrosse  im  Mittelalter  bei 
Island  liiiufig  waren.  $  6.  Verbreitung  der  Wallrosse  zur  Zeit  der  Romer 
uud  Griechen.  $  7.  Ehemaliges  Vorkommen  an  der  Nordkiiste  der  Conti- 
uente.  .  t ,        ,      . 

Cap.  VII.  Paarung  (pp.  228-230). 

Cap.  VIII.  Nabrung  der  Walbosso  (pp.  231-233). 

Cap.  IX.  Stellung  des  Wallrosses  im  Systeme,  oder  Verwandtscbaft  mit 
andorn  Thieren  (pp.  234, 2.35). 

*  He  seems,  however,  to  have  never  published  in  full  the  results  of  his 
observations  upon  it.s  anatomy,  he  apparently  reserving  the  anatomical 
part  of  his  memoir  in  the  liope  of  perfecting  it  through  the  study  of  addi- 
tional m.aterial. 


90 


ODOBiEXUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


in  respect  to  the  use  of  its  limbs,  it  occupies  an  intermediate 
place  between  the  Pinnipeds  and  the  ordinary  Ibnr-lboted  IMam- 
mals,  amony  which  latter  its  less  pliant  feet  jiive  it  the  appear- 
ance of  a  crijiple.  If  we  should  call,  he  says,  the  Seal  a  crawler 
or  slider,  we  should  have  to  term  the  Walrus  a  waddler,  since  in 
walking  it  throws  its  pluuij)  body  to  the  right  and  left.  Here  avc 
have  fairly  described,  lor  the  first  time,  the  tlexibility  of  the  ex- 
tremities,— the  bending  of  the  hind  feet  sometimes  forward, 
sometimes  backward,  and  the  free  turning  of  the  fore  feet, — 
although  an  allusion  was  made  to  this  by  Vorstius*  two  centu- 
ries before,  yet  the  fact  of  flexibility  remained  generally  unre- 
cognized till  1853,  when  a  young  living  specimen  reachetl  London, 
Yon  Baer  points  out  the  fallacy  of  Sir  Everard  Home's  notion 
that  the  feet  of  the  Walrus  are  provided  with  suction -discs,  ami 
the  "blowing-'  of  the  Walrus  mentioned  by  Martens,  \.-ho  de- 
scribed it  as  throwing  wattr  from  its  nostrils  like  a  whale. 

Following  this  chapter  on  its  external  features,  movements, 
temperament,  behavior,  etc.,  is  an  interesting  dissertation  of 
some  twenty  or  more  pages  on  the  domesticability  of  the  marine 
mammals  in  general,  which  is  devoted  largely  to  a  history  of 
the  behavior  of  the  Seals  in  captivity,  with  a  short  notice  of 
the  different  examples  of  the  Walrus,  the  Sireniaus,  and  the 
smaller  Cetaceans  that  had  been  observed  in  confinement.  The 
next  thirty  pages  are  given  to  a  discussion  of  the  geogTaph- 
ical  distribution  of  the  Walruses,  the  treatment  of  which  subject 
is  marked  by  the  same  pains-taking  research  that  characterizes 
the  other  parts  of  this  learned  monograph.  He  shows  that 
Walruses  are  confined  to  two  widely  separated  habitats,  and 
not,  as  previously  supposed,  found  all  along  the  Arctic  coasts. 
He  describes  them  as  limited  to  two  regions,  an  eastern  and  a 
western,  the  first  including,  the  northwestern  coast  of  North 
America  from  the  Peninsula  of  Aliaska  northward,  and  the 
corresponding  parts  of  the  neighboring  Asiatic  coast.  To  the 
eastward  he  could  trace  them  only  to  the  \icinity  of  Point  Bar- 
row, and  to  the  w^estward  only  to  a  few  degrees  beyond  East 
Cape. 

The  western  region,  he  affirmed,  embraces  only  the  Arctic 
coast  of  Europe  eastward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Jenesei  Biver, 

*  "Pedes  nnterioreH  antrorsum,  posteriores  retrorsum  siiectabant  cmii  iii- 
grederetur,"  says  Vorstius  as  quoted  by  De  Laet  (see  anted,  p.  37).  The  hind 
feet  are  also  represeutcd  as  turned  forward  in  Hessel  Gerard's  figure,  pulj- 
lished  in  1C13  (see  posted). 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


91 


and,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  shores  of  Greenland 
and  Arctic  America  westward  to  the  western  shores  of  Hudson's 
Bay  a  'd  Fox  Channel.  There  is  thus  left  between  these  two 
regions  nearly  the  whole  of  the  coast  of  Asia  bordering  on  the 
Polar  Sea  on  the  one  hand,  and  almost  the  whole  of  the  coast 
of  Xorth  America  formed  by  the  Arctic  Sea  on  the  other. 

In  the  later  portion  of  his  chapter  an  the  distribution  of  the 
Walruses  he  devotes  a  few  pages  to  a  consideration  of  their 
migrations,  and  the  physical  causes  which  limit  their  distribu- 
tion. Their  migrations,  he  believes,  are  very  imperfectly  known, 
but  he  inclines  to  the  opinion  that  they  only  periodically  visited 
such  points  in  their  former  range  as  Sable  Island  and  other 
southerly  lying  islands.  The  causes  which  limit  their  range  he 
considers  to  be  mainly  temperature,  since  he  finds  the  southern 
boundary  of  their  distribution  is  deflected  northward  and  south- 
ward in  accordance  with  the  curves  of  isothermal  lines. 

The  former  range  of  the  Walruses  is  also  considered  at  length, 
to  which  subject  are  devoted  nearly  twenty-flve  pages.  A  short 
account  is  given  of  their  reproduction  and  food,  the  paper  clos- 
ing with  an  inquiry  into  their  systematic  relationship  to  other 
animals.  The  map  accompanying  his  memoir  shows  not  only 
the  distribution  of  the  Walruses  as  at  that  time  known,  but 
indicates  also  the  region  over  which  they  are  known  to  have 
formerly  occurred,  and  also  the  habitat  of  the  Bhytina,  or  Sea- 
cow  of  Steller. 

The  reception  in  London,  in  1853,  of  a  young  living  Walrus 
gave  rise  to  a  paper  by  Owen*  on  its  anatomy  and  dentition, 
and  another  by  Gray,t  "  On  the  Attitudes  and  Figures  of  the 
Morse."  A  short  paper  was  contributed  by  Sundevall  J  in  1859 
on  its  general  history. 

Leidy,  in  1860,  published  an  important  paper  on  the  fossil 
remains  of  Walruses  found  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the  United 
States,  while  Gratiolet,  Defrance,  Lankester,  and  Van  Beneden 
have  also  written  about  those  that  have  been  met  with  in 
France,  England,  and  Belgium.§ 

Malmgren,  in  1864,  in  a  paper  on  the  Mammalian  Fauna  of 

•Proc.  Zoijl.  Soc.  Lond.,  1853,  pp.  103-106. 

tibicl.,  pp.  112-116,  figs.  1-10. 

tOm  Walrosseu,  Ofversigt  K.  Vet.  Akad.  Forb.  (Stockh.),  xvi,  Ib.j'J,  pp. 
441-447 ;  also  translated  in  Zeitschr.  gesammt.  Natnrw.  Halle,  xv,  1860,  pp. 
270-275. 

ij  See  anted,  pp.  61-65. 


92 


ODOB^NUS   ROSMARUS ATLANTIC   WALRUS. 


Fiumark  and  Spitzbergen,*  jiublisbed  many  interesting  notes 
relating  to  its  babits  and  food,  and  biter  a  special  paper  on  its 
dentition  (noticed  anteu,  p.  Hi.)  Malmgren's  observations  on 
tbeii"  bal)its,  distribution,  etc.,  also  appear  in  tbe  history  of  the 
Svredisb  Expedition  to  Spitzbergen  and  Bear  Island  in  the  year 
1801,t  together  with  a  somewhat  detailed  and  very  interesting 
general  history  of  the  animal,  with  several  illustrations. 

Brown,  in  1808,  in  his  "  J^^otes  on  the  History  and  Geogi'aph- 
ical  Kelations  of  thePinnipedia  frequenting  the  Spitzbergen  and 
Greenland  Seas,"^  devotes  several  pages  to  the  Walruses  (pi). 
427-435),  in  which  he  considers  especially  their  habits  and  food, 
geographical  distribution,  and  economic  value. 

In  addition  to  the  special  papers  cited  in  the  foregoing  pages, 
their  general  history  has  been  more  or  less  fully  presented  in 
several  general  works  treating  of  the  mammalia,  and  in  several 
faunal  pubhcations,  §  Much  information  respecting  their  general 
history  may  also  be  I'oiind  in  the  narratives  of  various  Arctic 
€xi)lorer8,  as  Parry.  Wrangell,  Keilhau,  Kane,  Ilayes,  Lamont, 
and  others,  whose  co"tributions  will  be  more  fully  noticed  in  the 
following  pages  relat  i    ;  to  the  habits  of  the  Walruses. 

2.  Figures. — As  von  Baer  fiicetiously  remarlcs,  no  animal 
has  had  the  honor  of  being  depicted  in  such  strange  and  widely 
diverse  representations  as  the  Walrus.  These,  as  has  been 
previously  stated,  began  with  Glaus  Magnus,  about  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  who  opened  the  series  with  half  a 
dozen  phantastic  flgui'es,  based  apparently  upon  this  animal, 
only  one  of  which,  however,  bore  the  name  liosmarus  {Bosnia- 

*  lakttagelser  och  antcckuiugar  till  Finmarkcns  och  Spetsbergens  Diigg- 
<ljnrsfauna.  Ofversigt  af  Kongl.  Vetensk.-Akad,  Forhandl.  1863,  (1864),  pp. 
127-155.  [Walruses  noticed,  PI).  130-134.]  Also  republished  iu  German  in 
Wiogniann's  Arch.  fUr  Naturgesch.,  1864,  pp.  63-97. 

tl  have  seon  only  Passarge's  Gennan  translation,  entitled  "  Die  schwe- 
dischen  Expeditioneu  nach  Spitzbergen  und  Baren-Eiland  ausgefUhrt  iu 
den  Jahren  1861,  1864,  und  1868,  unter  Leitung  von  0.  Torell  und  A.  E. 
Nordenskiold.  Aus  dem  Schwedischen  ilbersotzt  von  L.  Passarge.  Nebst  9 
grossen  Ansichteu  in  Tondruck,  27  Illustrationcn  in  Holzschnitt  und  eiuor 
Karte  von  Spitzbergen  in  Farbendruck.  Jena,  Hermann  Costenoble,  1869." 
See  pp.  131-143  (general  history),  147,  151,  etc. 

tProc.  Zotil.  Soc.  Lond.,  18(58,  pp.  405-440. 

ij  See,  among  others,  Macgillivray,  British  Quad.,  1838,  pp.  219-224 ;  Ham- 
ilton, Amphib.  Carnivora,  etc.,  1839,  pp.  103-123;  Nilsson,  Skaud.  Faun.,  i, 
1847,  pp.  318-325;  Giobd,  Siiugethiere,  1855,  pp.  127-129;  Lilljeborg,  Fauna 
Sveriges  och  Norgoa  Diiggdj.,  1874,  pp.  G54-()67 ;  etc.,  etc. 


FIGURES. 


93 


ru8  seu  Morms  Norvegicm).*    This  figure  t  ropresents  an  auimal 
standinji:  half  erect,  resting  against  a  rock,  having  four  feet, 


-.f^ ~zrP 

FiQ.  4. — "Roamarwi  seu  Moraus  Norvegicus.    Olaus  Magnus,  15fi8,  p.  789." 

a  long,  thick,  cylindrical  tail,  terminating  abruptly  in  an  irreg- 
ular expansion,  with  a  low  dorsal  spiny  crest,  and  two  rather 
long  porcine  tusks  projecting  downward  from  about  the  middle 
of  the  mouth.    Another,  J  a  prone  figure,  called  Porctis  mon- 


Fig.  5. — "PwciM  monstroam  Oceani  Germanid.    Olaus  Magnus,  1568,  p.  788." 

strosus  Oceani  Germaniei,  has  a  thick,  short  body,  a  fish-like 
tail,  and  a  swine's  head,  ears,  and  tusks;  the  latter  placed 
only  in  the  lower  jaw  and  directed  upward.  Behind  tlie  prom- 
inent pointed  ears  are  two  horns.  The  body  is  covered  with 
heavy  scales,  among  which  are  placed  three  eyes.  The  back  is 
crested  with  large,.somewhat  recurved,  spines  of  irregular  size, 
and  the  feet  are  webbed  and  fin-like,  esi>ecially  the  anterior. 
Another,  called  Vacca  marina,  represents  the  head  of  an  ox, 
with  a  long  beard  on  the  chin.  A  fourth  represents  a  dolphin- 
like  body,  with  four  feet,  a  fish's  tail,  a  pair  of  long,  ascending, 

*My  remarks  respecting  Olaus  Magnus's  figures  are  based  on  Gesnei's 
(Hist.  Animal.  Aquat.,  1558,  pp.  247-249),  and  Gray's  copies  of  tbem  (Proc. 
Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1853,  p.  113),  Olaus  Magnus's  work  not  being  accessible  to 
iiM'.  The  figures  herewith  given  (Figs.  4-12)  are  from  electros  of  Gray's 
lignrt's. 

t  Sec  Fig.  4,  copied  by  Gray  from  Ohu.<s  JIaguus. 

t  See  Fig.  5,  copied  by  Gray  from  Olaus  Magnus. 


94 


ODOILENl'S    ROSM Alius ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


curved  tusks  near  tlic  jMistorior  aiigU^  of  the  mouth,  and  long 
spines  from  the  cliin,  tli  oat,  head,  and  back.*    A  fifth  t  is  a 


Pig.  C}.—"  l{oitmarn8i    Gesner,  Addfiidn,  :U58,  Ifi,  15fiO.     (Reduced  one- 
ninth.)" 

creature  liaving^  a  swinish  head,  with  lou}?,  ascending  tusks  in 
the  lower  jaw,  four  short,  chiAved  feet,  and  a  rather  long,  cyliu 


Pig.  7. — "Vacca  viarina.    Gesnor,  Addenda,  p.  369,  1560." 

drical  body  wr.apped  in  armor !  Another  is  a  monstrous  sea 
animal,  Avith  a  circle  of  long  spines  around  the  head,  and  tufts 
of  spines  from  the  nostrils  and  (Hiin,  four  feet,  the  anterior  only 
■with  clsiws,  a  forked  tail  with  the  points  laterally  recurved,  and 

*See  Fig.  6,  copied  by  Gray  from  Gesner. 
t  Sec  Fig.  7,  c-tpied  by  Gray  from  Gesner. 


FIGURES. 


95 


two  great  tmks  iu  the  upper  jaw,  but  uo  other  resemblance  to 
the  Walrus.* 

The  figures  published  by  Glaus  Magnus  were,  according  to 
vou  Baer,  all  faithfully  copied  by  Gesner,t  who  added  to  them 


Fig.  8. — ^' lloaniariis.    Gcsuer,  Icnnos  Aninialinm,  1560,  p.  178.    De  Cotis, 
Old.  xii.     (Keduced  two-tbirds.)" 

another,  which  he  received  from  Strassburg.  Thisij:  represents, 
as  von  Baer  terms  it,  the  "  morphological  paradox"  of  a  verte- 
brate with  two  pairs  of  feet,  a  pair  of  wings  or  floats  ("Flossen"), 
and  a  fish's  tail.  Tlie  liead  has  considerable  resemblance  to  that 
of  a  Walrus,  with  tlie  large  tusks  properly  situated  in  the  upper 
jaw,  and  tlio  eyes  and  nose  are  passably  represented.  The  feet 
are  all  directed  backward,  in  a  swimming  i)osture,  and  armed 
witli  strong  claws.  The  Seal-like  body  has  engrafted  upon  it  the 
tail  of  a  fish,  while  at  the  shouhler  is  .seen  a  sort  of  wing-like 
appendage.  The  figure  of  the  head  is  said  to  have  been  drawn 
in  Strassburg  from  an  actual  specimen  afterward  sent  by  the 
bishop  of  Drontheim  to  the  Pope,  but  to  this  was  added  a 
wholly  imaginary  figure  of  the  body.  Gesner's  figure  was  sev- 
eral times  copied,  among  others  by  Ambrosinus  in  1642,  in 
his  Addenda  to  Aldrovandus's  work,  §  and -also  by  JonstonH  in 
1G57. 

In  1598,  De  Veer,  in  a  work  entitled  "  The  JiTavigatiou  into 
the  North-Seas,"^  gave  an  illustration  entitled  "The  Portrait- 
ure of  our  boats  and  how  we  nearly  got  into  difficulty  with  the 
Seahorses."    In  this  picture  are  depicted  several  Seal-liko  ani- 

"This  tifjcnro  is  not  included  in  Gray's  serios. 

+  looucs  Aninialinm,  I'^'i,  and  Historia  Aniinalinin,  1558.    , 

t  Seo  Fig.  8,  copied  by  Gray  from  Gesner. 

iS  " Piiralipomena,  etc.,  adnoxa  ad  Aldrovandi  Historiam  Monstronnn, 
p.  100,"  according  to  von  Baer. 

lIDePi.seibnH,  pi.  xUv.  . 

HAinstcrdani,  VtOS;  translated  and  ropnblisbcd  in  London  in  1609,  and 
r.'iirintcd  from  tbo  London  edition  by  tlio  Haklnyt  Society  in  1853,  tho  last- 
named  being  tlie  edition  bore  quoted. 


9G 


ODOBJENUS    ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC   WALRUS. 


mal.s  stPiiding  on  tlit  ice,  witl«  long  tusks  and  an  arched  body, 
.supported  on  a  docurved  bifurraio  tail  and  the  fore  limbs,  while 
the  heads  of  several  others  are  seen  in  the  water.  They  are 
represented  as  having  distin<;t  pointed  ears  and  no  hind  feet, 
unless  the  tail-like  e.iding  of  the  body  may  be  snpi)ose(l  to  rep- 
resent the  hind  limbs.*    An  explanation  of  tlie  inaccnvaey  of 


Fio.  9.— "Sea  Horse,  1()09." 

these  figures  is  evidently  afforded  by  the  context  (pp.  218-219 
of  the  Hakluyt  edition),  in  which  we  find  the  following:  "And 
passing  along  by  it  ["Admiralty  Island"],  we  saw  about  two 
hundred  seahorses  lying  ui)on  a  flake  of  ice,  and  we  sailed 
close  by  them  and  draue  them  from  there,  which  had  almost 
cast  us  doun ;  for  they  being  mighty  strong  fishes  [Zee-mon- 
sters, the  editor  says  is  the  term  used  in  the  original  Dutch], 
and  of  great  force  swam  towards  us  (as  if  they  would  revenge 
on  us  for  the  despight  that  we  had  done  them)  round  about 
our  scuts  [boats]  with  a  great  noyse,  as  if  they  would  have  de- 
voured us;  but  we  escaped  from  them  by  reason  of  a  good  gale 
of  wind ;  yet  it  was  not  wise  of  us  to  wake  sleeping  wolves." 


Fig.  10. — "  Walruss,   Ad  vivum  delineatum  ab  HcBselo  G.  A.  161?     (Reduced 

four-sevenths. ) " 

In  1G13  a  very  correct  and  in  many  ways  admirable  repre- 
sentation of  the  Walrus  was  i)ublished  by  Hessei  Gerartlt  (or 

**  One  of  these  tigures  lias  been  copied  by  Gi.  y  (Proc.  Z(»ol.  Soc.  Loudon, 
1853,  p.  114,  fig.  6),  but  omitting  the  ears  and  somewhat  reduced  in  size. 
Gray's  figure  is  here  reproduced  (see  Fig.  9). 

t " Histoire de  Spitsberghe,"  as  cried  by  Gray.  Bhimeubach  and  vou Bati' 
cite  doubtfully  "Descriptio  ac  delincatio  geographica  detectionis  freti,  s. 
transitus  ad  occasum  supra  terras  Amcricanas  in  China  atquc  Japonem  duc- 
turi,  etc."    Von  Hessei  Gerard.    Amsterdam,  1013.    4^\ 


FIGURES. 


07 


(Jc'rrai(l,as  also  written),  drawn  from  life  from  a  younj.?  animal, 
wliicli,  with  the  stuffed  skin  of  its  mother,  arrived  in  II  )llaiul  in 
1(»1l;.  This  representation  consists  of  two  fljjnres,  one  of  a  fnll- 
•irowii  animal,  the  other  of  a  young  one  a  few  months  old.*  The 
hind  portion  of  the  larger  animal  is  partly  hidden  by  the  figure 
of  the  smaller  one.  The  general  form  of  the  body,  the  tusks, 
and  extremities  are  all  faithlully  portrayed,  the  hind  limbs  being 
turned  forward  in  their  natural  position, — the  first  figure,  and 
tlic  only  one;  for  the  next  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  in  which 
the  hind  lindis  are  placed  in  a  natural  position.  This  figure 
has  been  numy  times  copied, — first  by  De  Laiitt  in  1033,  and  sub- 
sequently from  De  Laet,  by  Wormiu8|  in  1665,  by  Jou8ton,§ 
Shaw,i;  Schinz,^]  Gray,**  and  doubtless  by  many  others.  Most  of 
the  early  authors,  as  Wormius,  Jonston,  and  others,  copied,  not 
directly  from  Gerard,  but  from  De  Laet,  while  Shaw  copied 
from  Jonston,  and  Schinz  from  Blumenbach,  in  several  cases 
these  second  and  third  hand  representations  doing  great  injus- 
tice to  Gerard's  original  figure.  Blumenbach,tf  through  the 
kindness  of  his  friend  Forster,  was  enabled  to  take  his  from 
Gerard's  original  imprint,  and  it  is  a  much  finer  illustration 
than  that  afforded  by  De  Laet,  the  one  usually  copied.  Yon 
Baer  Jf  also  refers  to  a  colored  copy  of  Gerard's  figure,  which  he 
obtained,  with  a  collection  of  natural-history  illustrations,  from 
a  bookseller  in  Leipsic,  in  which  the  coloring  was  truthftdly 
executed,  agreeing  closely  with  the  color  of  the  young  animal 
he  saw  alive  in  St.  Petersburg.  §  §    Gerard's  often-copied  drawing 

*  See  Fig.  10,  copied  by  Gray,  .and  here  reproduced. 

tNovus  Orbis,  seu  Descrip.  Ind.  Occident.,  1633,  p.  38. 

tMua.  Worm.,  p.  289. 

$  De  Piacibus  et  Cetis,  1649,  pi.  xliv  (also  in  subsequent  editions). 

11  General  Zool.,  i,  1800,  pi.  Ixviii*. 

UNaturgesch.  und  Abbild.  der  Siiuget.,  pi.  ixv,  lower  figure. 

*^Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1553,  p.  115,  fig.  9  Gray's  figure  is  here  given 
(see  Fig.  10). 

tt  Abbild.  naturhist.  Gegenstiinde,  1796-1810,  No.  15  (plate  and  text). 

ULoc.  cit.,  p.  129. 

H  Von  Baer's  account  of  this  important  early  figure  is  as  follows :  "  Diese 
vortrefiUche  Zeichnung  wurdo  iu  Kupfer  gestochen  vnd  einigon  Exemplaren 
von  dem  Abdrucke  der  Deacriptio  ao  delineatio  geogruphica  detectionia  freti,  a. 
tranaiiua  ad  occasum  aupra  terraa  Americanaa  in  Chinam  atque  Japonem  dttcturi 
etc.,  der  von  Hessel  Gerard  in  Amsterdam  1613,  4°.  besorgt  ist,  beigegeben. 
In  dio86M  Buche  wurdo  der  Originalkupferstich  von  Forster  gefundon  und 
Blumenbach  mitgetheilt.  Da  er  sich,  wie  Blumenbach  sagt,  in  keiner  an- 
(leru  Ausgabo  desselben  Werkes  und  auch  in  dieser  nnr  in  den  wenigsteu 
Exemplaren  flndet,  so  ist  wohl  wahrscheinlich,  dass  er  gar  nicht  zu  dem 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 7 


98 


ODOBiENUS   R0SMARU8 — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


was  well  worthy  of  ropotitiou,  being  incouipuiubly  better  thau 
any  other  made  prior  to  ^hose  taken  from  the  living  specimen 
received  at  the  Zoological  Gardens  in  London  in  1853. 

Purchas,  in  his  '*  Pilgrimes,"*  gives  some  very  interesting, 
and  in  many  respects  excellent,  representations  of  the  Walrus, 
to  which  I  find  no  reference  in  the  writings  of  von  Baer  or  Gray, 
or,  in  fact,  anywhere.  In  the  principal  of  these  figures,  the 
general  form  of  the  Walrus  is  more  correctly  delineated  than 
in  any  figure,  except  Gerard's,  that  appeared  prior  to  1857. 
.'Barring  its  facial  expression,  and  the  presence  of  what  seems 
to  be  a  mane,  it  is  excellent.  The  general  outline  of  both  the 
body  and  the  limbs  are  surprisingly  truthful,  as  is  likewise  the 
attitude.  The  hind  feet  are  turned  forward,  and  the  size  and 
position  of  the  tusks  are  con'ectly  represented.  The  fsice,  how- 
ever, has  a  most  ludicrous  half-leonine,  half-human  expression, 
which  is  heightened  by  the  addition  of  an  ear  having  the  gen- 
eral form  of  a  human  ear.    In  addition  to  this,  the  creature  is 

Wt'ike  geliGrt  uii«l  niir  von  tlcni  Heranagober  oder  von  don  Kiinfern  einigen 
Excniplaren  bcigebundeu  ist.  Ich  habo  nicht  Gelcgenheit  gcliabt,  das  bier 
genannto  Werke  zu  scbeu  uud  darnaeh  zu  bestimmcn,  ob  das  Kupfer  zii  dcui 
Bucho  gebort,  vcrmutbo  aber  eines  Tbeils  aiis  dcr  angegcbenen  Scltcubeit 
seines  Vorkoiuiueus  iind  audern  Tbeils  aus  dem  Unistande,  dass  die  Figiir 
in  inebreren  Werken  des  17.  Jabiliunderts  wiederbolt  wurde,  dass  sie  damals 
bekannter  war,  als  im  18tcn.  Ja,  ich  besitzo  selbst  eiu  colorirtcs  Blatt,  das  ich 
in  einer  Sammlung  natnrbistorlscber  Abbildnngcn  in  Leipzig  ans  dem  Nacb- 
lasse  eines  Naturalienbiindlers  kanfte  uud  welcbes,  zwar  uicbt  dor  Original- 
Kupferstich,  docli  eine  Copie  dcsselbeu  ist.  Die  Farbe,  welcbo  beido  Tbiere 
auf  moinem  Blatto  haben,  ist  ganz  Ubereinstimmeud  mit  der  Farbo  des 
jungen  "Wallrosses,  das  bier  zu  soben  war.  Da  nun  die  erwachsonen  Wall- 
rosse  in  der  Regcl  heller  sind,  so  ist  es  mir  wahrscheinlich,  dass  auch  die 
Coloriruug  damals  uach  dem  jungen  Thiero  gemacht  ist." — VON  Baer,  I.  c, 
pp.  128,  129. 

Gray  says:  "In  a  small  quarto  tract,  called  the  'Histoiro  du  Pays  nomm6 
Spitsborgho,  dcrit  par  H.  G.  A.,  Amsterdam,  chez  Hessel  Gerrard  A.',  1613,  a 
plate  at  page  20  contains  an  e  scellent  figure  of  the  Morso  and  its  young,  '  ad 
vivum  delineatum  ab  Hessolo  6.  A.'  This  figure  was  repeated  in  De  Laofw 
'Amer.  .Descript.',  p.  28,  1633,  by  Jonston,  'Pisces',  t.  44,  in  1657,  and  by 
Shaw,  'Zoology',  t.  68*,  from  Jonston."  Gray  copies  this  figure  with  the 
following  title:  "Fig.  9.  Walrtias.  Ad  vivum  delineatum  ab  Hesselo  G.  A. 
Histoiro  do  Spitsberghe,  by  H.  G.  A.,  1613.  Another  edition,  sanio  date. 
(Reduced  four-sevenths.)" — Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  I.ond.,  1853,  p.  115. 

It  would  thus  appear  that  either  Gerard's  figure  was  pul)Iished  simulta- 
neously iu  sever.al  different  works,  since  that  mentioned  by  Grey  is  not  the 
one  cited  l)y  von  Baer,  or  else  that,  ;i8  von  Baer  8U8i)ected,  and  as  seems 
more  probable,  the  plate  did  not  really  I  elong  to  the  work  von  Baer  cites, 
hut  merely  happened  to  l.o  bound  with  ic. 

*Vol.  iii,  pp.  472-473  bis. 


FIGURES. 


99 


represented  as  having  a  heavy  mane,  extending  from  the  heatl 
to  the  middle  of  the  baek.  The  flgnre  bears  the  quaint  legend, 
*^TIic  Scamorce  is  in  quantity  as  bigg  as  an  oxe.''^  Another  illustra- 
tion on  the  opposite  page  shows  "  The  nmnner  of  killing  y" 
Seamorces,"  and  represents  a  small  herd  of  Walruses  attacked 
by  a  party  of  hunters  armed  with  lances.  The  Walruses  are 
all  headed  toward  the  water,  the  men  being  between  them  and 
the  sea.  The  Walruses  are  depicted  in  the  attitude  of  walking, 
all  having  the  hind  feet  turned  forward,  these  figures  giving 
apparently  a  correct  idea  of  the  Walrus's  manner  of  progres- 
sion on  land.  These  two  illustrations  fonn  part  of  a  series  that 
embellish  a  map  of  "Greenland"  (Spitzbergen),  the  others  rep- 
resenting different  scenes  in  Whale-llshing  and  "  the  manner 
of  killing  Beares." 

Zorgdrager,*  in  1720,  gave  a  figure  of  a  Walrus  which  has  a 
Seal-like  head  with  two  long  tusks  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  the 
general  body-contour  of  a  Walru  ».  The  posterior  third  of  the 
body  and  hind  limbs  are  fortunately,  to  judge  by  the  rest  of  the 
figure,  left  to  the  imagiinition,  being  hidden  behind  the  figure 
of  a  Seal  ("Zee  Eob");  the  fore  limbs  bear  no  resemblance  to 
those  of  a  Walrus. 

In  1741,  Egedet  gave  a  Seal-like  figure  of  a  AYalrus,  with  its 
calf,  confronting  a  Polar  Bear.  The  open  mouth  displays  a 
series  of  long  sharp  teeth,  looking  even  less  like  Walrus  tusks 
than  the  general  form  of  the  animal  does  like  the  outline  of  a 
Walrus.  This  figure  of  the  Walrus  is  surprisingly  poor,  con- 
sidering the  excellent  description  Egede  gives  of  the  animal. 

In  1748,  Ellis  I  further  enriched  the  iconograT>nic  literature  of 
the  Walrus  by  furnishing  a  figure,  respecting  which  he  says : 
"I  shall  not  detain  the  Reader  with  an  Account  of  a  Creature 
["  Sea  Horse"]  so  often  described,  b*t  refer  him  to  the  Cut,  in 
which  he  will  find^it  very  truly  repre8ented."§  The  figure,  how- 
ever, is  one  of  the  worst  imaginable,  considering  the  oppor- 
tunity Ellis  evidently  had  for  observation.  In  some  respects 
it  bears  some  resemblance  to  that  given  by  De  Yeer.  EUis's 
figure  combines  a  Lynx-Uke  face  withlldon-liko  fore  limbs,  short, 

*  IJloeycndo  Opkonift  der  Aloude  cu  Hedendaagsche  Groenlandscho  Vis- 
schciy,  1720,  plate  facing  p.  1()2,  upper  left-hand  figiu-e. 

tBfscLrcibung  inid  Natnrgeschichto  von  GriJnland,  1763,  p.  106,  pi.  vi, 
lower  left-hand  ligiirc,  Knniitz's  German  translation.  The  wo  .:  appeared 
in  Danish  as  early  as  1741. 

{ Voyage  to  Hudson  Bay,  pi.  facing  p.  134,  middle  figure. 

$Loc.  cit.,  p.  236. 


100 


ODOBiENUS    ROSMAUUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


roiiiid,  pi'oiiiiiH'iit  fill's,  Miiiall,  [jointcd,  inwardcurviii^'  tUMkH,  no 
liitHl  t'(\  ',,  jind  a  body  tapeiiii};  to  a  doubly  t'liiaiyiiiatc  tish-liko 
tail,  poH^iblv  intended  to  i'(^]ueHt'.it  hind  lind)s. 

J'ontoppidon,  in  liis  Natnral  J  li story  of  Norway,  published 
in  IT.')!,  ^ave  a  tljfuie  of  the  WaLns  in  whieh  the  resenibhniee 
consisted  mainly  in  the  presenei!  of  two  huge  tusks  in  the  upper 
jaw.  Only  tlu!  head,  neek,  and  upper  portion  of  the  body  are 
re]uesented ;  but  the  {general  outline,  as  far  as  seen,  is  sug- 
gestive «)f  the  animal  it  was  intended  to  represent. 

Houttuyn,*  in  17(Jl,  gave  a  very  fair  figure  of  the  skull  and  os 
I)enis  of  a  Walrus.  As  1*.  L.  S.  Miiller,  in  1773,  used  Houttnyn's 
plates  in  his  "  Natursystem,"  these  llgures  are  there  again  called 
into  service,  to  which  was  added  a  noteworthy  representation 
of  the  animal.t  This  represents  an  apparently  young  Walrus 
as  lying  partly  on  the  side,  with  the  diminutive  hind  feet 


Fig.  11.—"  Wall-Iioaa,  Marten's  Spitzbergen,  &c.  1675,  t.  P,  tig,  ft.    (Reduced 

threo-tenths.)" 

turned  foricard.  The  general  outline  of  the  body  indicates 
the  obese  form  of  the  Walrus;  but  the  head,  with  its  small, 
short  tusks,  has  scarcely  the  faintest  resemblance  to  the  head 
of  that  animal. 


*  Natuurlyke  Tlistorie  of  oitvoerige  Beschryving  der  Dieren,  Planten  en 
Mineraalon,  volgens  het  Samenstel  van  den  Heer  Linnaeas.  Met  naaw- 
keurige  Af  beoldingeu.    Eerste  Deels,  tweede  Stuk,  1761,  pi.  xi,  figg.  1,  4. 

t  Des  Hitters  Carl  von  LinntS  Koniglich  Schwedischen  Leibarztes,  &c.  &c. 
vollstUnih^'is  Natursystem  nacb  der  z  wolf  ten  lateiuisclieii  Ausgabe  und  nacb 
Anleitung  des  holliindisclien  Houttuynischen  Werks  mit  einer  ausfUhrliohen 
Erklarnng  ausgefertiget  von  Philipp  Ludwig  Statins  Miiller,  etc.  Erster 
Theil.    Niimberg,  1773.    PI.  xxix,  fig.  2.    This  is  one  of  the  few  original 


plates  added  by  Miiller  to  Houttnyn's  series 


FKirUKS. 


101 


111  170.'),  ii  most  wrotc'lu'd  iiiid  IndicrouH  cariciitiirc  of  tho 
Wiilriis  was  coiitrihutcMl  l).v  ^Murtciis.*  In  tills  lijiuro,  tlio  iiiucli- 
alms«'(l  Walrus  is  iepivs(Mito«l  as  liaviiif,'  an  oiHnnioiisly  largo 
and  sliap«'less  head,  in  which  tho  small  tusks  are  sot  widely 
up  "t :  it  has  small  Seal-like  tore  feet,  and  no  hind  lindis,  or,  if 
prf  M  tit.  lliey  are  directed  backward,  and  look  more  like  a  fish's 
tail  tiian  distinct  limbs.  The  tusks  alone  give  tho  figure  any 
suggestion  of  what  it  wa,«  intended  to  represent. 

The  next  figure  of  which  I  have  knowledge  was  published  by 
Buffon,t  also  in  170a,  and  soon  after  copied  by  Schreber.J    This 


Fig.  12.— "y.c  Morse,  Huffon,  xili,  t.  548,  1765.     (Reauced  two-fifths.)" 


was  evidently  drawn  from  a  stuft'ed  specimen,  to  which  the  taxi- 
dermist had  given  the  attitude  cand  general  form  of  a  common 
Seal.  In  1827,  a  very  fair  figure  of  tho  head  (the  animal  being 
sup])osed  to  be  in  the  water,  with  only  the  head  visible)  was 
published  in  Griffith's  Animal  ICiugdom  (vol.  ii,  pi.  v),  which 
was  later  repeated  by  lIamilton,§  and  also  elsewhere.  In  1830, 
a  very  fiiir,  colored  figure  (evidently  from  a  stuffed  specimen), 
barring  the  posterior  direction  of  the  hind  limbs,  appeared  in  the 
"  Disciples  edition ''  1 1  of  Cuvier's  E6gne  Animal,  copied  from  Pal- 

*  Spitzbergische  Eeisebesclireibiuig,  pi.  P,  fig.  i.  This  fig.  is  also  repro- 
duced by  Gray  (1.  c,  fig.  7),  and  is  here  copied  as  Fig.  11. 

tHistoire  Niturelle,  t.  xiii,  pi.  liv. 

t  Siiuget.,  pi,  Ixxix. 

$  Amphibious  Caiaivora,  p.  106,  in  Jard.  Nat.  Library,  Mam.,  vol.  viii. 

II  Le  E^gne  Animal,  etc., par  Georges  Cuvier.  "Edition  accompagn^e  des 
planches  gravies,  ....  par  une  reunion  de  disciples  de  Cuvier,"  etc.  Paris, 
1836  et  seq. 

The  Walrus  is  figured  in  "Mammif feres,"  pi,  xliv.  The  history  of  the 
figure  is  given  as  follows:  "  Figure  dessiii^e  d'apriis  cello  qu'a  donn^e  Pal- 
las dans  la  Zoographia  Rosso  -Asiatica,  et  r^formde,  pour  lo  pose,  d'aprfes  un 
croquis  in<5dit  de  Choris;  an  vingtifeme  environ  de  la.  gi-andour  uaturelle," 

The  only  copy  of  Pi^Uas's  "Icones"  accessible  to  me  i.?  imperfect,  and  has 
not  the  figure  here  copied.  There  i,;,  however,  a  quite  dLforent  one,  which 
will  bo  noticed  later  in  another  connection.  Whether  Fallas's  figure  hero 
copied  represents  tho  Atlantic  or  the  Pacific  species  cai:not  well  be  deter- 
mined. 


102 


ODOBiENUS   EOSMAEUS — ATLANTIC    WALEUS. 


las.  Another  much  like  it  was  publislied  soon  after  in  Macgil- 
livray's  British  Quadrupeds,  *  and  still  another,  also  quite  simi- 
lar, in  Hamilton's  Marine  Carnivora.t  The  vignette-titlepage  of 
the  last-named  Avork  also  rei)resents  a  "Walrus  hunt,"  in  which 
a  boat's  ciew  are  depicted  as  attacking  a  gioup  of  live  old  Wal- 
ruses. The  plate  in  Hamilton's  "Amphibious  Carnivora  "  pui'- 
ports  to  have  been  drawn  from  a  specimen  in  the  Edinburgh 
Eoyal  Museum,  and  seems  to  be  essentially  the  some  as  that 
in  Macgillivray's  British  Quadrupeds,  with  a  somewhat  altered 
position  and  different  background.  In  each  of  these  plates 
are  represented  two  other  distant  figures  of  the  Walrus.  In 
each,  the  tusks  are  long,  and  seem  to  represent  the  Pacific 
rather  than  the  Atlantic  species,  as  is  also  the  case  in  the  "Dis- 
ciples edition"  of  the  Eegne  Animal.  In  all  these  last-named 
figures,  the  hind  limbs  are  directed  posteriorly,  but  in  other 
respects  they  are  fair  representations. 

Dr.  Kane,  |  in  1856,  gave  several  illustrations  of  the  annual, 
and  also  of  its  breathing-holes,  and  of  the  implements  employed 
by  the  Innuits  in  Walrus-hunting.  In  Sonntag's  "Narrative 
of  the  Grinnell  Exploring  Expedition,"  §  published  in  1857,  a 

*  Jardiue's  Nat.  Library,  Mam.,  vol.  vii,  1838,  pi.  xx. 

tibid.,  vol.  viii,  1839,  pi.  i. 

t Arctic  Exploration,  vol.  i,  jip.  141  ("Walrus  Sporting"),  142  ("Wah-us- 
hole),  419  (''portrait") ;  vol.  il,  plate  facing  p.  214  ("Walrus  Hunt  off  Pi- 
kantlik" — a  nearly  full  tigure. 

$Thi8  curious  and  apparently  little  known  brochure,  by  the  eminent 
astronomer  of  the  Expedition,  is  well  worthy  of  attention,  notwithstanding 
the  ludicrously  sensational  character  of  the  titlepage  affixed  by  the  en- 
terprising publishers.  The  titlepage,  transcribed  in  full,  is  as  follows: 
"Professor  Sonntag's  Thrilling  Narrative  of  the  Grinnell  Exploring  Expe- 
dition to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  in  the  years  1853,  1854,  and  1855,  in  search  of 
Sir  John  Franklin,  under  the  command  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  U.  S.  N.  Con- 
taining the  History  of  all  previous  explorations  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  from 
the  year  1618  down  to  the  present  time ;  showing  how  far  they  advanced 
northward,  what  discoveries  they  made  and  their  scientiiic  observations. 
The  present  whereabouts  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  party,  if  they  are 
still  alive.  A  statement  of  the  only  practicable  method  by  which  the  North 
Pole  may  be  reached;  the  reasons  why  all  exploring  expeditions  have 
hitherto  failed  to  penetrate  the  icy  barriers  of  the  Polar  Eegions.  Highly 
important  astronomical  observations,  jiroving  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
apparent  time  at  the  North  Pole ;  sulferings  of  Dr.  Kane's  exploring  party; 
how  they  Avere  buried  for  two  years  in  the  ice,  enduring  a  degree  of  cold 
never  experienced  by  any  human  being  before;  their  miraculous  escapes 
and  unprecedented  hardships ;  their  abandonment  of  the  ship ;  and  perilous 
journey  of  four  hundred  miles  over  the  ice.  With  nearly  one  hundred 
Bplendid  engravings.     By  Professor  August  Sonntag,  Astronomer  to  the 


FIGURES. 


103 


yioui)  of  four  old  AValruses  is  figured  (full-page  woodcut,  p.  113). 
The  animals  are  disposed  in  various  attitudes,  and  represent 
admirably  tlie  grim  visage,  postures,  and  uncouth  proportions 
of  the  Atlantic  Walrus.  The  figure  in  the  foreground  is  pre- 
sented in  inoflle,  with  both  fore  and  hind  limbs  in  a  natural 
pimtion;  behind  this  are  two  old  veterans  seen  in  half-profile, 
and  behind  these  a  third  lying  on  its  back  with  the  hind  limbs 
thrust  upward.  Tliis  illustration,  evidently  a  study  from  life,  is 
by  far  the  best  representation  of  the  adult  Atlantic  "Walrus  with 
which  I  am  acquainted.  In  1857,  ;!>i'.  Gray  reproduced,  as  pre- 
viously detailed  {antea,  pp.  93-100),  i  series  of  the  early  figaires 
from  Olaus  Magnus,  Gesner,  Jonston,  Gerard,  Martens,  Buffon^ 
and  Cook. 

The  next  original  figures  of  the  Walrus  with  which  I  am 
acquainted  were  drr.wn  from  the  living  specimen  in  the  Gar- 
dens of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London  by  Mr.  Wolf,  and 
appear  in  Wolf  and  Sclater's  "  Zoological  Sketches,"*  published 
in  18G1.  In  plate  xviii  is  represented  a  group  of  Walruses  in 
various  attitudes.  Those  in  the  foreground  are  young  and  tusk- 
less,  with  a  heavy  array  of  long  mystacial  bristles,  and  much 
thinner  necks  and  shoulders  than  the  Walrus  is  commonly  repre- 
sented as  having,  doubtless  owing  to  the  very  emaciated  condi- 
tion of  the  Uving  original. 

At  about  this  date  (1861),  some  very  good  pictures  of  groups 
of  Walruses  were  published  by  Mr.  Lamont  ir  his  entertaining 
and  instructive  book  entitled  "  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses." 
In  a  spirited  plate  (called  "  Chase  of  the  Walrus"),  facing  the 
titlepage,  is  portrayed  a  group  of  Walruses  in  the  sea,  attacked 

Expedition,  formerly  of  the  Royal  Observatory  at  Vienna,  and  late  of  the 
U.  S.  National  Observatory,  Washir,  ^n  City,  D.  C.  Philadelphia,  Penn. : 
Jas.  T.  Lloyd  &  Co.  Cincinnati,  Ohio:  Jas.  T.  Lloyd  &  Co."  No  date. 
Large  8vo,  pp.  176,  paper.    Copyright  dated  1857. 

The  publishers  state:  "The  undersigned  having  purchased  Professor 
Sonntag's  Narrative  of  the  Grinnell  Expedition,  some  months  sinco,  have 
used  their  best  judgment  and  abilities  in  preparing  this  thrilling  nairativo 
for  the  press,  to  make  it  as  acceptable  to  tlio  .  ^idiug  public  as  possible,"  etc. 

The  name  of  the  author  is  alone  suflQcient  guaranty  of  the  trustAvorthy 
and  iustructive  character  of  the  work,  which,  despite  the  dime-novel  aspect 
of  its  exterior,  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  Arctic  Re- 
gions. Pages  80  to  85  are  devoted  to  a  general  account  of  the  Walrus  At 
page  83  is  a  sketch  of  a  "Desperate  attack  of  Walruses  on  the  English 
Boat,"  based  apparently  on  Captain  Becchey's  account  of  an  adventure  with 
these  animals. 

*Vol.  i,  pi.  xviii. 


104 


ODOIJ^ENUS    ROSMAKUS ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


by  a  boat's  crew,  oue  of  the  poor  animals  having  been  already 
harpooned.  Another  plate,  facing  page  72,  entitled  "  Walruses 
on  the  Ice,"  represents  it  .-erd  on  the  ice  in  various  attitudes, 
most,  but  not  all,  of  which  have  the  hind  feet  extended  back- 
wartV  in  the  manner  of  Seals.  In  his  later  work,  "  Yachting  in 
the  Arctic  Seas,"  he  has  given  (plate  opposite  p.  50)  a  very  flue 
side-view  of  the  head,  and  on  p.  221  a  large  vignette  figure  of 
the  head  seen  in  front. 

Mr.  Brown  also  refers  to  "  the  excellent  figures  of  the  Wal- 
rus taken  by  the  artist  of  the  Swedish  Expedition,"  namely,  a 
"chromolithograph  and  head,  both  drawn  by  Herrvon  Yhlen," — 
"  under  the  direction  of  such  well-informed  naturalists  as  Torell, 
Malmgren,  Smith,  Goes,  Blomstrand,  &c.,"  in  which  "the  fore 
flippers  are  represented  as  rather  doubled  back,  and  the  hind 
flippers  extended."  This  work  ("Svenska  Expeditioner  til 
Spetsbergen  ar  1861,  pp.  168-182,  pi.  facing  p.  169,  and  head 
p.  308  ")  I  have  been  unable  to  see,  but  presume  the  figures  are 
the  same  as  those  in  the  German  translation  of  this  work, 
which  appeared  in  1869.  *  The  frontispiece  of  this  work  repre- 
sents a  group  of  ioiu*  old  Walruses  resting  on  the  ice.  with  a 
fifth  in  the  water  in  the  foreground.  A  woodcut  of  the  head  of 
a  young,  or  mote  probably  a  female,  is  given  on  p.  132,  and  on 
p.  130  a  hunting-scene. 

In  1867  appeared  figures  of  the  second  living  specimen 
received  at  the  Zoological  Society's  Gardens.  According  to  Dr. 
Murie  t  these  were  published  in  "  The  Field,"  "  Laud  and  Water," 
"  Illustrated  London  News,"  and  elsewhere.  The  figure  origi- 
nally appearing  in  "  The  Field"  (drawn  by  Mr.  Wood)  is  repub- 
lished by  Dr.  Murie  in  his  "  Memoir  on  the  Anatomy  of  the 
Wah'us  "  f  from  the  original  wood-block.  This  is  a  rather  more 
robust  figure  than  those  published  by  Wolf  and  Sclater,  but  is 
likewise  tuskless  (being  also  that  of  a  very  young  animal),  and 
shows  similarly  the  long,  descending,  curved  mystacial  bris- 
tles. 

In  1870,  Dr.  Gilpin  figured  a  male  Walrus  killed  in  March, 
1869,  in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  Labrador.  In  this  figure,  the 
general  form  of  the  body  is  very  well  represented,  but  the  hind 


*  Dio  Hchwedischen  Expeditiouen  nach  Spitzbergeu  iind  Btircn-Eiland, 
ausgefUbrt  iu  deu  Jalircu  1861,  1864  und  1868,  otc.  (for  full  trauscript  of 
the  titlepago  sec  ante^,  p.  92). 

t  Trans.  Zool.  Soc.  Lend.,  vol.  vii,  1872,  p.  413. 

t  Loc.  cit.,  p.  416. 


riGl'RKS. 


105 


limbs  are  tniiied  l)a('kwurd,  as  in  the  coiiunoii  Seals.  A  view 
of  tlu!  muzzle  forms  a  second  liguie,  and  the  I'oim  of  one  of  the 
fore  limbs  is  given  in  outline. 

Wells,  in  liis  "Gateway  to  the  Polynia,"'  iniblislied  hi  1S73, 
gives  a  plite  (faeing  page  201)  in  illustration  of  the  Wakus. 
The  ligure  in  the  foreground  represents  an  individual  tlat  on 
its  belly  with  all  the  limbs  directed  i)osteriorly.  Other  figures 
represent  other  individuals  reijosing  in  various  attitudes. 

The  above-enumerated  figures  of  the  Walrus  embrace  all  the 
original  figures  of  the  Atlantic  si)ecie8  thus  far  knoAvn  to  me,  and 
all  to  which  I  have  seen  references,  so  far  as  figure^  of  the  entire 
animal  are  concerned.  In  recapitulation,  it  may  be  stated  that, 
Gesners  figure,  published  in  1558,  is  the  first  that  had  an  actual 
foundation  in  nature,  all  t^e  preceding  (the  mythical  ones  of 
Olaus  Magnus)  being  purely  fictitious  or  based  on  erroneous 
conceptions.  Gesner's,  as  already  noticed,  was  a  curious  combi 
nation  of  reality  with  myth,  the  head  only  being  drawn  from 
nature,  and  a  fanciful  body  added !  The  first  really  drawn  from 
nature  ("ad  vivum")  was  Hcssel  Gerard's  excellent  figure  pub- 
lished in  IGIS.  Subsequently  appeared  numerous  figures  in  the 
works  of  travellers,  drawn  apparently  either  from  memory  or  by 
artists  who  had  never  seen  the  aninml  they  so  confidently 
attempted  to  depict. 

The  first  representation  based  on  a  museum  specimen  api)ears 
to  have  been  Bufton's,  in  1705,  which  has  been  aptly  described 
as  being  merely  a  common  Seal  with  tusks.  Other  figures  fol- 
lowed later,  as  those  in  the  so-called  "  Discip'es  edition"  of  Cu- 
vier's  Regue  Animal,  and  in  the  two  already  cited  volumes  of 
Jardine's  Naturalist's  Library,  drawn  also  from  stuft'ed  speci- 
mens, in  which  the  hind  limbs  were  always  placed  in  a  whoUy 
false  attitude,  though  in  other  re8i)ects  passably  fair  figures.  I^^ot 
until  a  living  specimen  reached  London,  in  1853,  did  the  cor- 
rect attitudes  of  the  animal  and  the  natural  position  of  the  hind 
limbs  become  generally  known  to  naturalists,  and  not  until 
then  was  the  tnithfulness  of  Gerard's  early  figure  duly  recog- 
nized and  appreciated,  notwithstanding  that  von  Baer,  nearly 
twenty  years  earlier,  testified  to  its  excellence,  and  correctly 
described  the  flexibility  of  the  limbs.  Now,  through  the  two 
living  specimens  seen  and  figured  in  London,  and  through 
excellent  recent  figures  of  tlie  Pacific  Walrus,  the  attitudes  and 
oxternr.l  bearing  of  few  of  our  marine  mammalia  are  better 
uiown  than  thoi-,e  of  the  Walruses. 


.UG 


( )])OI{^E\L'.S    I{( )SMA1{U.S ATLANTIC    WALIUIS. 


In  Jidditioii  to  the  iibovtMlcsi'ribcd  ti;;iiros  of  the  general  ani- 
niiil,  rcpresentiitions  of  viirious  iinatoniiciil  details,  both  of  the 
osteohtgy  and  the  soft  parts,  have  been  from  tinu^  to  time  ])ub- 
lished.  As  early  as  17(51,  the  skull,  as  previously  stated,  was 
liyured  by  llouttuyn,  and  ajiain  by  Daubenton*  in  ITO.j,  these 
boinj;'  the  earliest  liyin-es  of  the  skull  to  vhieh  I  find  referen(X'. 
Goethe,  in  his  "Morphoh),';ie"  (see  antca^  V''^^)i  gave  impcutant 
figures  illustrati\'e  of  tlie  dentition  and  strueture  of  the  ante- 
rior portion  ot  the  skull. 

Home,  t  in  1824,  published  a  series  of  exeellent  figures  of  the 
extremities  and  stomach.  G.  Cuvier,  f  in  1jSL»5,  figured  skulls 
and  the  skeleton,  his  figures  of  the  skull  being  also  reprodueed 
in  the  "Diseiples"  edition  of  Cuvier's  liegne  Animal.  §  Pan- 
der and  d'Alton,  in  1820,  in  their  "  Vergleichende  Osteolo- 
gie,"||  gave  an  excellent  figure  of  the  skeleton  and  detail  illns- 
trations  of  the  skull  and  limbs.  In  the  figure  of  the  skeleton, 
the  hind  feet  are  turned  forward  in  a  plantigrade  position,  and 
the  fore  limbs  are  given  their  natural  jiose.  Von  Baer,^]  in 
1835,  figured  the  blood-vessels  of  the  limbs,  and,  in  ISIO. 
De  Blainville  •*  figured  the  skeleton  and  the  skull.  Gray,  tt 
in  1850,  gave  a  view  of  the  skull,  the  same  figure  being  re 
peated  in  some  of  his  later  works.  ||  Owen,  in  1845,  figured 
the  dentition  in  his  "  Odontograi)hy "  (pi.  cxxxii,  fig.  8),  tlu' 
skull  and  dentition  in  1854,  §§  and  gave  another  figure  in 
1868.  nil  In  1857,  Walrus  skulls  were  figured  by  Blasius, HJI  ami 
Leidy***  the  same  year  figured  a  fossil  skull  from  Monmoutli 
County,  New  Jersey.  Later,  as  already  noticed  {atttea,  p.  .")4). 
the  milk  dentition  was  figured  by  Malmgren,  and  also  by 

*  Buft'on's  Histoire  Nat.,  tome  xiii,  pi.  Iv.  An  artistically  inucli  improvtil 
(but  unaccredited)  copy  of  Daubeuton's  figures  appears  in  Hamilton's  "Am- 
phibious Caniivora"  (Jardine's  Naturalist's  Library,  Mam.,  vol.  viii,  jip. 
100,101). 

t  Phil.  Trans.,  1824,  pp.  2:i5-241,  pll.  iv-viii. 

t  Ossem.  Fossiles. 

ij  Mam.,  pi.  xliv. 

II  Lieferuiij;  xi.  Die  llobbeu  und  Lauiantiue,  pll.  1,  ii. 

f  Mdm.  de  I'Aead.  St.  Pdtersb.,  Sci.  Nat.,  vi'n«  s6r.,  1835,  t.  ill,  pi.  — . 

**Ostdoj^.,  De.H  Phoqiies,  pll.  i  (skeletou)  and  iv  (skull);  eight  figures. 

tt  Cat.  Mam.  Brit.  Mus.,  p.  lU,  fig.  11  (small  woodcut). 

tt  Cat.  Seals  and  Wliales.  IHOli,  p.  3,'),  tig.  12. 

ijij  EueyeJ.  Brit.,  artic^le  Odoutogr.apliy,  p.  4(i;J,  fig.  112. 

nil  Comp.  Anat.  and  Phys.  Verteltr.,  vol.  iii,  p.  3;]8,  fig.  '2  ^5. 

Hlf  Fauna  Wirbelth.  Deut.schl.,  ]ti>.  2{)l,  2()2,  figg.  14.5-150. 

***  Trans.  Amcr.  Pliil.  Sor.  Phila.,  (2),  vol.  xi,  pll.  iv,  v. 


HABITS   AND   THE   CHASE. 


107 


Peters.  Dr.  Murie,  in  1874,  gave  immorous  figures  illustrative 
of  its  external  characters,  myology,  dentition,  generative,  di- 
gestive, and  vocal  organs,  based  on  a  dissection  of  the  young 
AValrns  that  died  in  the  Garden  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  Lon- 
don in  1SG7,  tliese  being  the  only  figures,  so  far  as  known  to  me, 
dii voted  to  the  general  anatomy.  Doubtless  other  figures  of  the 
skull,  and  possibly  of  the  dentition,  have  appeared  that  are  not 
here  noted. 

Habits  and  the  Chase. — The  Walruses  are  at  all  times  more 
or  less  gregarious,  occurring  generally  in  large  or  small  compa- 
nies, according  to  their  abundance.  Like  the  Seals,  they  are  ^ 
restricted  in  their  wanderings  to  the  neighborhood  of  shores  or  | 
large  masses  of  floating  ice,  being  rarely  seen  far  out  in  the  open  I 
sea.  Although  moving  from  one  portion  of  their  feeding-grounds- 
to  another;  they  are  said  to  be  in  no  true  sense  a  migratory  ani- 
mal.* They  delight  in  huddling  together  on  the  ice-floes  or  on 
shore,  to  which  places  they  resort  to  bask  in  the  sun,  pressing  one 
against  another  like  so  many  swine.  They  are  also  said  to  repair 
in  large  herds  to  favorable  shores  or  islands,!  usually  in  May 
and  June,  to  give  birth  to  their  young,  at  which  times  they  some- 
times remain  constantly  on  land  for  two  weeks  together,  with- 
out ever  taking  food.|  They  are  believed  to  be  monogamous, 
and  to  bring  forth  usually  but  a  single  young  at  a  time,  and 
never  more  than  two.  The  period  of  gestation  is  commonly  be- 
lieved to  be  about  nine  months.  The  young  are  bom  from  April 
to  June,  the  time  probably  varying  with  the  latitude.  Malm- 
gren  states  that  the  pairing  of  the  Walnises  takes  place  about 
the  end  of  May  or  the  beginning  of  June ;  that  the  female  gives 
birth  to  a  single  young  in  May  or  June ;  and  that  the  period  of 
pregnancy  lasts  probably  for  a  year.  He  states  that  Dr.  A.  von 
(loes  found  a  month-old  foetus  in  the  uterus  of  a  female  on  the 
Sth  of  July,  in  latitude  80°  N.,  but  adds  that  females  with  ma- 
ture young  in  the  uterus  have  been  taken  as  late  as  the  end  of 

*  Sco  Browu,  Proc.  Zotil.  Soc.  Loncl.,  1868,  p.  433. 

t  Says  Zorgdrager  (writiug  in  1750),  as  quoted  by  Buft'ou,  in  referring  to 
tills  habit :  "  Aucieunenient  &  avant  d'avoii-  6t6  pers6cnt<^s,  lea  morses  s'avau- 
voltiit  fort  avant  dans  les  terres,  de  sorto  que  dans  les  bautes  mardes  ils 
1  idii'iit  asst'z  loin  do  I'eaii,  &  quo  dans  le  touq)s  dc  la  basse  mer,  la  distance 
jt'tupt  fiicoro  beaucoup  plus  grande,  on  le  ubordoit  aisdmeut. "—Ifisf.  Xaf., 
Utinv  xlii,  p.  IWG. 

{  Soe  SUuldham,  Pliil.  Trans.,  vol.  Ivi,  1777,  p.  249,  quoted  anteH,  p.  C7. 


X 


108 


ODOBiENUS    UOSMAUl  S ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


June  or  July.  The  females,  he  believes,  suckle  tlieir  young  for 
two  years,  and  that  hence  not  less  than  three  years  elapse  be- 
tween each  birth.  The  feuuiles  with  their  newly-born  5'ouiig 
are  said  to  keep  alocf  from  the  society  of  other  AValruses,  and 
that  females  are  never  found  to  be  pregnant  daring  the  year 
following  the  birth  of  their  young.  Females  in  the  second  year 
of  suckling  their  young  collect  in  large  herds  and  live  apart 
from  the  full-grown  males.  Of  thirty  full-grown  Walruses  killed 
by  Malmgren's  harpooner  in  Henlopen  Straits,  in  the  month  of 
July,  not  one  was  a  male.  Where  the  full-grown  males  were  at 
this  time  was  unknown,  but  they  were  believed  by  the  hunters 
to  be  "  on  the  banks,"  remote  from  the  land,  while  the  females 
with  their  young  sought  the  bays  and  open  sea  near  the  shores, 
the  two  sexes  thus  living  in  separate  herds.* 

Notwithstanding  the  explicitness  of  Malmgren's  account, 
who  no  doubt  correctly  details  his  own  experience  in  the 
matter,  there  is  much  rebutting  testimony,  most  observers 
reporting  that  both  sexes  and  the  young  occur  in  the  same 
herds,  t    The  only  detailed  account  of  the  pairing  and  repro 

*  Sco  further  Malmgren's  paper,  as  translated  in  Arch,  fiir  Naturgescb., 
1804,  pp.  70-72. 

t  Says  Dr.  Kane :  "  The  early  spring  is  the  breeding  season,  ...  at 
Avliicli  time  the  female  with  her  calf  is  accompanied  by  the  grim-visageil 
father,  surging  in  loving  trios  from  crack  tc  crack,  sporting  around  the  berg- 
water,  or  basking  in  the  sun." — Ardic  Exploration,  vol.  ii,  jt.  13L 

Dr.  Hayes,  referring  to  a  herd  upon  which  he  made  an  attack,  thus  ob- 
serves :  "  Besides  the  old  bulls,  the  group  contained  several  cows  and  a  fev 
calves  of  various  sizes — some  evidently  yearlings,  others  but  recently  boru, 
and  others  but  half  or  three  quarters  grown.  Some  were  without  tusks. 
while  on  others  they  were  just  sprouting ;  and  above  this  they  were  of  vari- 
ous sizes  up  to  those  of  the  big  bulls,  which  had  great  curved  cones  of  ivory 
nearly  three  feet  long." — Open  Polar  Sea,  p.  406. 

Lament  also  refers  to  the  presence  of  young  and  old,  males  and  females. 
in  the  same  herd,  and  to  the  custom  of  the  Walrus-huutcrs  of  striking  a  j 
young  one  in  order  to  detain  the  herd,  which,  through  sympathy,  join  cod- 
certedly  in  its  defense,  thus  aflfording  the  hunters  opportunity  for  furthot  | 
slaughter. — Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  — . 

Through  the  kindness  of  Prof.  Henry  A.  Ward,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y,,  I  am  ! 
in  receii)t,  in  answer  to  inquiries  respecting  +ho  habits  and  reproduction  of  | 
the  Walrus,  of  the  following  information  from  the  i)en  of  Captain  Adams. 
of  the  whaling-steamer  "Aretiirus,"  from  Dundee  to  Baffin's  Bay.    Captain  j 
Adams,  writing  from  long  experience  in  Walrus-hunting,  says:  "I  am  of 
opinion  that  the  female  Walrus  prefers  low  flats  of  land  on  which  to  biinf 
forth  her  young.     The  time  is  in  mid-spring.    In  early  May  I  have  seen  vcrj 
young  Walruses  on  the  ice  with  their  mothers.    I  have  also  seen  afterbirths 
on  the  ice,  but  atill  think  that  low  flat  land  ispreferrcd  when  attainable.  I  d" 


HABITS    AND    THE    CHASE. 


109 


(lu(;tlon  of  the  Walrus  is  that  long  since  given  by  Shulrtliaui, 
l>as('«l  on  ()l)scrvations  made  a  century  ago  at  the  Magdalen 
Islands  in  tlie  Gulf  of  St.  LavTcnce  (•  .e  autcCt,  p.  07),  to  which 
he  says  they  repair  "  early  in  spring  "  and  immediately  bring 
fortli  their  young.  Captain  Parry  states  that  he  met  with 
females  a<'Comi)anied  by  their  young  in  Fox  Channel,  Jidy  13, 
and  Mr.  Iianu)nt  speaks  of  meeting  with  y<mng  accompanied 
by  their  i»arents  at  the  same  season  (July  15)  in  the  vicinity  of 
Spitzbergen.  Captain  Hayes  refers  to  meeting  with  "calves 
newly  born  "  as  early  as  Julj'  3  in  Frobisher's  Bay.  Captain 
I'arry  says  that  W-alruses  killed  by  the  Esquinuiux  in  March  (in 
I  the  years  1822  and  1823)  were  observed  to  be  with  young.  * 

When  repairing  to  the  land  or  to  the  ice-floes  to  rest,  those 
I  tirst  arriving  are  described  as  generally  composing  themselves 
for  a  nap  at  the  place  where  they  first  land,  but  their  cc  mules 
still  in  the  water  having  a  strong  desire  to  land  at  the  same 
spot,  the  latter  force  those  already  on  shore  higher  up,  while 
they  in  turn  are  pushed  forward  by  later  comers,  their  habits  in 
jthis,  as  well  as  in  many  other  respects,  resembling  those  of  the 
jSea  Lions  and  Sea  Bears. 

The  Walrus,  like  the  common  Seals,  is  said  to  have  its  breath- 
ling-holes  in  the  ice.    These  are  described  by  Dr.  Kai  e  as  being 
jsiniilar  to  those  of  the  Seals,  having  "the  same  circular,  cleanly- 
inished  margin,"  but  made  in  much  thicker  ice,  with  the  "  radi- 
iting  lines  of  fracture  round  them  much  more  marked."    The 
[ice  around  the  holes  is  much  discolored,  while  near  them  are 
lumbers  of  broken  clam-shells,  and  in  one  instance  Dr.  Kane 
found  "  gravel,  mingled  with  about  half  a  peck  of  coarse  shin- 
gle of  the  beaeh. "  t    Kane  says  the  Walrus  often  sleeps  in  the 
water  between  the  fields  of  drift-ice.    "  In  this  condition,"  he 
relates,  "  I  frequently  surprised  the  young  ones  whose  mothers 
core  asleep  by  their  sides."  J    Other  writers  refer  to  the  same 
labit. 

aot  tliink  that  the  females  and  young  live  in  separate  herds  from  males,  but 
Ihe  males  herd  alone  in  early  spring.  In  the  middle  of  summer  both  sexes 
|i(Td  together ;  then  the  males  are  very  wild.  I  have  seen  many  females 
^lone  in  the  autumn.  I  do  not  think  the  females  nurse  their  young  over 
Iwelve  months."— ComwiMntcaferi  6y  Prof.  H.  A.  Ward  in  a  letter  of  date  March 
)l,  1878. 

*  Narrative  of  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  415. 

t  Arctic  Exploration,  vol.  i,  185C,  pp.  141,  142.  On  page  142  is  a  figure 
11"  ii  ' '  Walrus  hole."  Mr.  Robert  Brown  gives  a  similar  account  (Proc.  Zool. 
Jill'.  Loud.,  18C8,  p.  429),  using,  in  fact,  in  part  the  same  phraseology. 

{ ll)id.,  vol.  i,  p.  141. 


110        ODOB^NUS    UOSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 

The  voice  of  the  Wakus  is  a  loud  roaring  or  "hiicking,"  and 
can  be  heard  to  a  great  distance,  often  giving  notice  of  the  pres- 
ence of  a  herd  long  before  they  can  be  seen.  "  Like  some  of  the 
higher  or<ler  of  beings  to  which  he  has  been  compared,"  says  Dr, 
Kane,  ho  "  is  fond  of  his  own  music,  and  will  lie  for  hours  hst- 
ening  to  himself.  His  vocalization  is  something  between  the 
mooing  of  a  cow  and  the  deepest  baying  of  a  mastiff:  very  round 
and  full,  with  its  bark  or  detached  notes  repeated  rather  quickly 
seven  to  nine  times  in  succession."  *  Other  writers  speak  of  the 
roaring  of  a  herd  as  being  distinguishable  at  the  distance  of  j 
several  miles. 

The  Walrus,  unless  molested,  is  represented  as  inoffensive  | 
and  harmless,  but  as  exhibiting  when  attacked  great  fierceness, 
and  even  vindictiveness,  proving  a  powerful  and  often  dan 
gerous  antagonist.    Their  strong  affection  for  their  young  and 
their  sympathy  for  each  other  in  times  of  danger  are  strong  j 
traits  in  their  character,  in  which  qualities  they  are  rarely  ex 
ceeded  by  any  members  of  the  mammalian  class.    When  ont  j 
of  their  number  is  wounded,  the  whole  herd  usually  join  in  an 
intelligent  and  concerted  defense.    With  their  enormous  size 
and  threatening  tusks  it  is  little  Avonder  that  they  inspired  the 
early  voyagers  with  terror,  and  that  their  powers  and  ferocity  | 
were  to  some  degree  overestimated.    Their  aspect    ■!,  in  short. , 
as  affirmed  by  recent  intelligent  observers,  little  less  than  ter 
riDle.    That  the  accounts  given  by  the  early  navigators  of  the 
fierce  attacks  made  upon  them  by  the  "Sea  Horses,"  as  then 
commonly  termed  them,  are  not  to  be  by  any  means  wholljl 
attributed  to  the  superstitious  fears  so  prevalent  respecting 
sea-monsters  in  the  early  times,  is  evident  from  the  trustworthv 
accounts  given  us  of  these  creatures  by  the  intrepid  explorers  j 
of  the  Arctic  region  in  our  own  times,  as  will  be  shown  by 
the  copious  testimony  presently  to  be  given.    That  there  i'j 
much  in  his  aspect  that  is  tndy  formidable  is  evident  from  3Ir.j 
Lament's  graphic  description,  wlio  says:  "The upper  lip  of  tliej 
Walrus  is  thickly  set  with  strong,  transparent,  bristly  hairsj 
about  six  [?]  inches  long,  and  as  thick  as  a  crow-quill-,  audthi< 
terrific  mustache,  together  Avitli  his  long  white  tusks,  and  fierce  | 
looking,  blood-shot  eyes,  gives  Eosmarus  trichectis  altogether  a  j 
most  unearthly  and  demoniacal  appearance  as  he  rears  his  head  j 
above  the  waves.    I  think  it  not  unlikely  that  the  old  fable* 
the  mermaid  may  have  originated  by  their  grim  resemblance  to  j 

*  Arctic  Exploration,  vol.  i,  1856,  p,  410. 


riMH 


HABITS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


Ill 


the  head  of  ii  human  being  when  in  this  position."*  The 
toul'oiuuUug,  in  early  times,  of  the  EuBsiau  name  Morss  by  the 
jjeoples  of  Western  Europe  with  the  Latin  word  Mors  and  the 
(lerinan  word  Tod,  as  already  alluded  to  {anted,,  p.  81),  finds  its 
♦  xplaiiation  doubtless  in  exaggerated  accounts  of  its  terrible 
aspect  and  power. 

The  Walrus,  either  through  confidence  in  its  own  power,  or 
th rough  ignorance  of  the  character  of  it«  human  foes,  is  generally 
not  easily  alarmed,  and  permits  a  near  approach  before  manifest- 
ing uneasiness  or  fear,  sometimes,  indeed,  treating  its  human 
\isitors  with  quiet  indifference.  When  found  reposing  on  land, 
it  is,  in  fact,  easily  dispatched,  unle  s  it  has  been  previously 
subjected  to  repeated  attacks,  when  it  profits  by  dearly-bought 
experience  and  makes  a  timely  retreat  to  the  water,  and  thus 
comnionly  escapes  its  pursuers.  With  due  caution,  however, 
the  AValrus-hunters  succeed  in  cutting  off  their  retreat  to  the 
sea,  wlien  luindreds  of  the  then  helpless  creatures  fall  victims 
to  the  hunter's  rapacity.  Says  Zorgdrager,  as  translated  by 
JJutfon :  "On  niarchoit  de  front  vers  ces  animaux  jwur  leur  cou- 
\h'V  hi  retraite  du  cote  de  la  mer ;  ils  voyoient  tous  ces  prepara- 
tils  sans  aucune  crainte,  &  souvent  chaque  chasseur  en  tuoit 
uu  avaiit  qu'il  put  rengagner  I'eau.  On  laisoit  une  barritrc  de 
k'lu's  eadavres  &  on  laissoit  quelques  gens  lY  I'assut  jiour  assom- 
iiier  ceux  qui  restoient.    On  en  tuoit  quelquefois  trois  ou  qua- 

tre  cents On  voit  par  la  prodigieuse  quantity  d'os- 

seinens  de  ces  animaux  dont  la  terre  est  jonchC^e  qu'ils  out  6t6 
autrefois  tr6s  nombreux."t  This  manner  of  attack  was  also 
well  described  a  httle  later  by  Lord  Shuldham,  his  detailed  ac- 
count of  their  destruction  at  the  Magdalen  Islands  during  the 
last  century  being  fully  corroborated  by  scores  of  modern  ob- 
servers at  numerous  other  localities.  According  to  Lord  Shnld- 
hani,  the  hunters  allowed  t'em  to  come  on  shore  to  the  number 
of  several  hundred,  and  then  cautiously  approaching  them  from 
the  seaward,  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  night,  would  en- 
deavor, by  the  aid  of  well-trained  dogs,  to  cut  oft'  their  retreat 
to  the  water  and  drive  them  further  inland.  These  attacks 
were  sometimes  so  successful  that  fifteen  or  sixteen  hundred 
have  been  killed  in  a  single  attack.f  A  similar  wholesale  de- 
struction of  Walruses  was  carried  on  by  the  English  in  the 

•Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  141,  142. . 
tBuffou's  Hist.  Nat.,  torn,  xiii,  pp.  ;$6t),  367.       ' 
tFor  Lord  Slmlubam's  account  in  full  see  «»<«),  p.  67. 


112 


ODOB^NUS   R08MAKr.S — ATLANTIC   WAI.UUS. 


early  jiart  of  th(i  soventeeiitli  (tentury  iit  Cht'iie  or  Bear  Island, 
as  already  related  {aniea,  pp.  73-78).  ^[r.  Lainoiit,  in  his  "Sea- 
sons with  »Sea -horses,"  gives  a  similar  aceount  of  their  recent 
destruction  in  tin;  Spitzberyen  Seas,  where  he  says,  by  a  similar 
mode  of  attack,  two  ships' crews  killed  nine  hundred  in  a  single 
day.* 

The  liabits  of  the  Walruses  as  met  w'ith  in  their  native 
waters. — their  strong  aft'ection  for  their  young  and  for  each 
other,  inducing  the  whole  h'ird  to  join  in  defense  of  a  wounded 
comrade,  and  their  power  and  courage  in  the  water  in  repelling 
the  attacks  of  man, — I  have  chosen  to  detail  in  the  language  of 
actual  observers,  belie\nng  the  vivid  portrayal  of  a  few  scenes 
from  real  life,  by  trustworthy  eye-witnesses,  to  be  far  preferable 
to  any  epitomized  account  of  the  subject,  however  well  and 
carefully  elaborated.  The  personal  incidents  involved  and  the 
circumstances  of  pursuit  are  necessarily  important  accessories 
to  a  correct  appreciation  of  the  scenes  described. 

As  stated  in  several  of  the  earliest  accounts  of  these  animals, 
they  are  always  more  or  less  wary,  and  at  times  difficult  to  ap- 
proach, usually  keeping  a  sentinel  on  guard  while  the  herd  is 
asleep.  Respecting  their  habits  at  such  times,  Mr.  Eobert  Brown 
observes  as  follows :  "  On  the  floes,  lying  over  soundings  and 
shoals,  the  Walruses  often  accumulate  in  immense  numbers, 
and  lie  huddled  upon  the  ice.  More  frequently,  in  Davis's  Strait 
and  Baffin's  Bay,  they  are  found  floating  about  on  pieces  of  drift 
ice,  in  small  family  parties  of  six  or  seven ;  and  I  have  even  seen 
only  one  lying  asleep  on  the  ice.  Whether  in  large  or  small  par- 
ties, one  is  always  on  the  watch,  as  was  long  ago  observed  by 
the  sagacious  Cook :  the  watch,  on  the  approach  of  danger,  will 
rouse  those  next  to  them ;  and  the  alarm  being  8prea<l,  presently 
the  whole  herd  will  be  on  the  qui  vive.^i 

Mr.  Lamont  thus  describes  a  scene  in  the  Spitzbergen  waters: 
"At  3  a.  m.  this  morning  [July  13,  1859],  we  were  aroused  by 
the  cheering  cry  of  'Hvalruus  paa  Ysen'  (Walruses  on  the  ice). 
We  both  got  up  immediately,  and  from  tae  deck  a  curious  and 
exciting  spectacle  met  our  admiring  gaze.  Four  large  flat  ice- 
bergs were  so  densely  packed  with  Walruses  that  they  were 
sunk  awash  with  the  water,  and  had  the  appearance  of  being 
solid  islands  of  Walrus  ! 

"  The  monsters  lay  with  their  heads  reclining  on  one  another's 

*Mr.  Lamont's  account  will  be  given  later  in  full.     (See  p.  114.) 
t Eobert  Brown  in  Proc.  Zooi.  Soc.  Lend.,  1868,  p.  429. 


HAKITS   AND    THK    CHASi:. 


113 


biU'lvs  and  sterns,  Jiint  as  I  have  seeu  lihiiioceroses  lying  asleep 
in  llic  Al'ri<*an  forests:  or,  to  use  a  more  fanjiliar  simile,  like  a 
lot  of  fat  hogs  in  a  British  straw-yard.  I  shonld  think  there 
were  about  eighty  or  one  hnndred  on  the  ice,  and  many  more 
swam  grunting  and  sponting  around,  and  tried  to  elamber  up 
amonii  their  friends,  who,  like  surly  people  in  a  full  omnibus, 
grunted  at  them  angrily,  as  if  to  say,  'Confound  you,  don't  you 
see  that  we  are  I'ulir  There  were  plenty  more  good  Hat  ieebergs 
about,  but  they  always  seem  to  like  being  paeked  as  eloselj' 
as  possible  for  mutual  warmth.  These  four  islands  were  several 
hundred  yards  apart,    .    .    .     ."• 

.Mr.  Laniont  thus  refers  to  the  number  seen  on  another  ocea- 
sion,  and  incidentally  to  their  watchful  habits:  "We  had  a 
pleasant  row  of  four  oi-  Ave  miles  over  calm  water  quite  free  of 
ice,  and  were  cheered  for  the  latter  half  of  the  distance  by  the 
sonorous  bellowing  and  trumpeting  of  a  vast  number  of  Wal- 
ruses. We  soon  came  in  sight  of  a  long  line  of  low  flat  icebergs 
crowded  with  Sea-horses.  There  were  at  least  ten  of  these  bergs 
so  packed  with  the  Walruses  that  in  some  places  they  lay  two 
deep  on  the  ice.  There  can  not  have  been  less  than  three  hun- 
dred in  sight  at  once ;  but  they  were  very  shy  and  restless,  and, 
although  we  tried  every  troo]>  in  succession  as  carefully  as  pos- 
sible, we  did  not  succeed  in  getting  within  harpooning  distance 
of  a  single  Walrus.  Many  of  them  were  asleep ;  but  there  were 
always  some  moving  about  who  gave  the  alarm  to  their  sleep- 
ing comrades  by  flapping  them  with  their  fore  feet,  and  one  troop 
after  another  manage  to  shuffle  into  the  sea  always  just  a  second 
or  so  in  time  to  avoid  a  deadly  harpoon."  t 

''With  reference  to  the  Walrus,"  says  Captain  Hall,  "  Mr. 
Kogers  told  me  that  one  day,  when  out  cruising  for  Whales,  he 
went,  with  two  boats  and  crews,  half  way  across  Frobisher  Bay, 
and  then  came  to  an  iceberg  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea, 
and,  mounting  it,  with  a  spy-glass,  took  a  look  all  around. 
Whales  there  were  none ;  but  Walrus — 'Why',  to  use  his  figu- 
rative but  expressive  words, '  there  were  millions  out  on  the 
pieces  of  ice,  drifting  with  the  tide — ^Walrus  in  every  direc- 
tion— millions  on  millions '."J  While  these  numbers  are  not, 
doubtless,  to  be  taken  literally,  they  certainly  imply  an  immense 
number  of  Walruses.   The  context  states  that  while  the  whalers 

*  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  p.  73. 

tibid.,  pp.  80,  81.  ;  ^ ■,:.!; 

t  Arctic  Researches,  etc.,  p.  234. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 8 


114        ODOUiENUS   R0.SMARU8 — ATLANTIC   WALlvi;... 


in  Frobisher'H  IJtiy  liad  met  with  no  VVlniU's,  "Waliais  in  any 
numbers  could  l»e  obtained,  and  many  liad  been  secured  for 
their  Hkins  and  tnsk.s." 

The  WahiiscM  in  the  Spit/.bergcn  waters,  according  to  Mr. 
Lamont,  usually  conpegate  in  August  in  great  niunbers  on 
hmd,  "  sometinu's  to  the  number  of  several  thousands,  and  all 
lie  down  in  «ome  secluded  bay  or  some  rocky  island,  and  there 
remain  in  a  semi-toii)id  sort  of  state,  for  weeks  together,  with- 
out moving  or  feeding."  They  do  not  usually  do  this,  he  adds, 
till  near  the  end  of  August,  or  some  nu)nths  later  than  thoy 
were  found  to  do  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  ou 
the  shores  and  islands  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  This  is 
possibly  owing  to  the  difference  in  tlie  climate,  although  it 
seems  hardly  i>rol)able  that  this  can  be  the  whoh;  cause  of  the 
difl'ereiu'e.  ]Mr.  Lamont,  in  this  connection,  makes  no  reference 
to  the  time  of  bringing  forth  of  the  young,  and  does  7,iot  gi>'e 
this  as  one  of  the  reasons  for  tlieir  ^•isiting  the  land.  lie  alludes, 
however,  to  their  sudden  disappearance  at  this  time  from  the 
ice-lloes.  lie  says  the  Wahus-hunters  consider  themselves 
fortunate  if  they  lind  one  of  these  resorts,  as  then  they  can  kill 
in  a  few  hours  a  "  small  fortune'cj-worth  of  them."  His  account 
of  these  "  trysting-places,"  however,  is  mainly  at  second  hand, 
and  possibly  the  date  is  not  carefully  given.* 

3Ir.  Lamont's  account  of  ^A)e  great  havoc  the  hunters  often 
make  with  the  then  helpless  beasts,  destroying  many  hundreds 
in  a  few  hours,  is  quite  similar,  so  far  as  the  destruction  of  hfo 
is  concerned,  to  the  account  given  by  Lord  Shuldham  of  theii- 
destruction  a  century  and  a  half  ago  at  the  Magdalen  Islands. 
Referring  to  one  of  the  southwesternmost  of  the  Thousand 
Islands,  Mr.  Lamont  says :  "  It  seems  that  this  island  had  long 
been  a  very  celebrated  place  for  Walruses  going  ashore,  and 
great  numbers  had  been  killed  upon  it  at  different  times  in  by- 
gone years.  In  August,  1852,  two  small  sloops  sailing  in  com- 
pany approached  the  island,  and  soon  discovered  a  herd  of  Wal- 
ruses, numbering,  as  they  calcidated,  trom  three  to  four  thousand, 
reposing  upon  it.  Four  boats'  crews,  or  sixteen  men,  proceeded 
to  the  attack  with  spears.  One  great  mass  of  Walruses  lay  in 
a  small  sa  '.dy  bay,  with  rocks  enclosing  it  on  each  side,  and  on 
a  little  mossy  flat  above  the  bay,  but  to  which  the  bay  formed 
the  only  convenient  access  for  such  unwieldy  aninmls.  A  great 
many  hundreds  lay  on  other  parts  of  the  island  at  a  little  dis- 

*  Seasons  with  tho  Soa-horses,  pp.  173,  174. 


HABITS   AND    TUF.    CHASK. 


115 


taiico.  Tlio  boiitH  liiii(U'«l  u  little  way  oil",  tso  iia  not  to  liis'iten 
tlioni,  and  tlit;  Nixtcon  men,  crccpinjLf  alonj^  slioro,  not  lu'twoen 
the  sea  and  tlu^  bay  lull  of  Walruses  betbro  mentioned,  and  ini- 
iiu'diately  ((Uiunenced  stabbinj;'  the  animals  next  them.  The 
Waliiis,  althou**!!  so  active  ami  fierce  in  the  water,  is  vi-ry  nn- 
M  ieldy  and  helpless  on  shore,  and  those  in  front  soon  sueeund)ed 
to  the  lances  of  their  assailants;  the  i)assa<;e  to  the  shore  soon 
jjot  s()  Idocked  uj*  with  the  dead  and  dyiu^'  that  the  unfortunate 
wretches  belli u«l«',ould  not  pass  over,  and  were  in  a  manner  bar- 
ricaded by  a  wall  of  carcasses.  Considering"'  that  every  thrust 
of  a  lance  \>'as  worth  twenty  dollars,  the  scene  must  have  been 
one  of  terrific  excitement  to  men  who  had  very  few  or  no  dol- 
lars at  all;  and  my  informant's  eyes  si)arkled  as  he  related  it. 
lie  said  the  Walruses  were  then  at  their  mercy,  ami  they  slew, 
and  stabbed,  and  slauj-htered,  and  butchered,  and  murdered 
until  most  of  their  lances  were  renderetl  useless,  and  them- 
selves were  drenched  with  blood  and  exhausted  Avith  iatigue. 
They  went  on  board  their  vessels,  ground  their  lances,  and  had 
their  dinners,  and  then  returned  to  their  sangninary  work; 
nor  <lid  they  cry  'Hold,  enough!'  nntil  they  hrd  killed  nine 
hundred  Walruses,  and  yet  so  fearless  or  so  lethargic  were  the 
animals,  that  many  hun«lreds  more  remained  sluggishly  lying  on 
other  parts  of  the  island  at  no  great  distance.  .  .  .  When  I 
visited  the  island  six  years  afterward,  there  still  remained  abun- 
dant testimony  to  corroborate  the  entire  tnitli  of  the  «">cory. 
The  smell  of  the  island  was  perceptible  at  several  miles'  dis- 
tance, and  on  landing  w^e  found  the  carcasses  lying  as  I  have 
described  them,  and  in  one  place  two  and  three  feet  deep.  The 
skin  and  flesh  of  many  remained  tolerably  entire,  notwithstand- 
ing the  ravages  of  Bears,  Foxes  and  Gulls.  So  many  Wal- 
ruses have  been  killed  on  this  island  at  different  times  that  a 
ship  might  easily  load  with  hones  there.  .  .  ."*  The  worst 
feature  of  this  wholesale  slaughter  was  the  fact  that  their  small 
vessels,  aheady  parily  loaded,  could  carry  away  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  spoil.  A  subsequent  attempt  to  reach  the  island 
later  in  the  season  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  rest  failed, 
owing  to  its  being  surrounded  by  impenetrable  ice. 

Respecting  the  parental  affection  displayed  by  the  Walruses, 
Mr.  Lament  relates  the  following :  "  1  never  in  my  life  witnessed 
anything  more  interesting  and  more  affecting  than  the  wonder- 
ful maternal  affection  displayed  by  this  poor  Walrus.    After  she 
'  Seasons  -with  tlio  Sea-horses,  pp.  175-177. 


116 


ODOBiENUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC   WALRUS. 


was  fast  to  the  barpoon  ami  was  dragging  the  boat  furiously 
through  the  ict  oergs,  I  was  going  to  shoot  her  through  the  head 
that  we  might  have  time  to  follow  the  others ;  but  Christian 
called  to  me  not  to  shoot,  as  she  had  a  'junger'  ■  ith  her.  Al- 
though I  did  not  understand  liis  object,  I  reserved  my  fire,  and 
upon  Jooking  closely  at  the  Walrus  when  she  came  up  to  bre.ithe, 
I  then  i)erceived  that  she  held  a  very  young  calf  imder  her  right 
arm,  and  I  saw  that  he  wanted  to  harijoon  it ;  but  whenever  he 
poised  the  Aveapon  to  throw,  the  old  cow  seemed  to  watch  the 
direction  of  it,  and  interposed  her  own  body,  and  she  seemed 
to  receive  with  pleasure  several  harpoons  which  were  intended 
for  the  young  one.  At  last  a  well-aimed  dart  struck  the  calf, 
and  we  then  shortened  up  the  lines  attached  to  the  cow  and 
finished  her  with  the  lancet..  Christian  now  had  time  and  breath 
to  explain  to  me  why  he  was  so  anxious  to  secure  the  calf,  and 
he  proceeded  to  give  me  a  i)ractical  illustration  of  his  meaning 
by  gently  '  stirring  up '  the  unfortunate  junger  with  the  butt 
end  of  a  harpoon  shaft.  This  caused  the  poor  little  animal  to 
emit  a  peculiar,  plaintive,  grunting  cry,  eminently  expressive  of 
alarm  and  of  a  desire  for  assistance,  and  Christian  said  it  would 
bring  all  the  herd  round  about  the  boat  immediately.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  we  had  been  so  long  in  getting  hold  of  om* 
poor  decoy  duck  that  the  others  had  all  gone  out  of  hearing, 
and  they  abandoned  their  young  relative  to  his  fate,  which 
quickly  overtook  him  in  the  shape  of  a  lance  thrust  from  the 
remorseless  Christian. 

"  I  don't  think  I  shall  ever  forget  the  faces  of  the  old  Walrus 
and  her  calf  as  they  looked  back  at  the  boat !  The  countenance 
of  the  young  one,  so  expressive  of  abject  terror,  and  yet  of  con- 
fidence in  its  mother's  power  of  protecting  it,  as  it  swam  along 
under  her  wing;  and  the  old  cow's  face  showing  such  reckless 
defiance  for  all  that  we  could  do  t;0  herself,  and  yet  such  terrible 
anxiety  as  to  the  safety  of  her  calf! 

"  This  plan  of  getting  hold  of  a  junger  and  making  him  grunt 
to  attract  others  is  a  well-known  'dodge'  among  hunters;  and, 
although  it  was  not  rewarded  on  this  occasion,  I  have  several 
times  seen  it  meet  with  the  full  mo-asure  of  success  due  to  its 
hiunanity  and  ingenuity."* 

WTien  in  the  water,  to  again  quote  from  Mr,  Lamont, "  the  herd 
generally  keep  close  together,  and  the  simultaneousness  with 
which  they  dive  and  reappear  again  is  remf»jrkable ;  one  moment 

*  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  70,  71. 


HABITS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


117 


you  see  a  hundred  grisly  heads  and  long  gleaming  white  tnsks 
ahove  the  waves;  they  give  one  spout*  from  their  blow-holes, 
take  one  breath  of  fresh  air,  and  the  next  moment  you  see  a 
hundred  bro^\ni  hemispherical  backs,  the  next  a  hundred  i)air  of 
hind  liippers  flourishing,  and  then  they  are  all  down.  On,  on, 
goes  the  boat  as  hard  as  ever  we  can  pull  the  oars ;  up  come 
the  Seahorses  again,  pretty  close  this  time,  and  before  they  can 
draw  breath  the  boat  rushes  into  the  midst  of  them :  whish ! 
goes  the  harpoon:  birr!  goes  the  line  over  the  gunwale:  and  a 
luckless  junger  on  whom  Christian  has  kept  his  eye  is  'fast': 
his  bereaved  mother  charges  the  boat  instantly  with  flashing 
eyes  and  snorting  with  rage ;  she  quickly  receives  a  harpoon  in 
the  back  and  a  bullet  in  the  brains.,  and  she  hangs  lifeless  on 
the  hne:  now  the  junger  begins  to  utter  his  plaintive  grunting 
bark,  and  flfty  furious  Walruses  are  close  round  the  boat  in  a 
few  seconds,  rearing  up  breast  high  in  the  water,  and  snorting 
and  blowing  as  if  they  would  tear  us  all  to  pieces.  Two  of  these 
auxiharies  are  speedily  harpooned  in  th*^ir  turn,  and  the  rest 
hang  back  a  little,  when,  as  bad  luck  would  have  it,  the  junger 
gives  up  the  ghost,  owing  to  the  severity  of  his  harpooning,  and 
the  others  no  longer  attracted  by  his  cries,  retire  to  a  more  pru- 
dent distance.  But  for  the  '  untoward '  and  premature  decease 
of  the  junger,  ihe  men  tell  me  we  should  have  had  more  Wal- 
ruses on  our  hands  than  we  could  manage.  We  now  devote  our 
attention  to  '  polishing  oft"'  the  two  live  WaLruses — well-sized 
young  l)ulls — who  are  still  towing  the  heavy  boat,  with  theu' 
two  dead  comrades  attached,  as  if  she  were  behind  a  steam-tug, 
and  straggling  mad' ,'  to  drag  us  under  the  icebergs:  a  vigor- 
ous appUcatiou  of  the  lances  soon  settles  the  business,  and  we 
now,  with  some  difl&culty,  tow  our  four  dead  victims  to  the  near- 
est flat  iceberg  and  fix  the  ice-anchor,  by  which,  ^vith  the  pow- 
erful aid  of  block  and  tackle,  we  haul  them  one  by  one  on  the 
ice  and  divest  them  of  their  spoils.    .    .    . 

"  While  we  were  engaged  in  cutting  up  these  ^/^alruses,  there 
were  at  least  fifty  more  surrounding  the  iceberg,  snorting  and 
bellowing,  and  rearing  up  in  the  water  as  if  smelling  the  blood 

*It  is,  perhaps,  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  "  spouting"  hero  relx^rred 
to  is  merely  the  spray  thrown  upward  by  the  forcibly  expelled  breath  as  they 
rise  to  the  surface,  although  a  "spouting  from  their  blow-holes"  has  ujca- 
sionally  been  attributed  to  them  since  the  time  of  Martens,  who  says  they 
"  blow  water  from  their  lostrils  like  a  whale."  See  on  this  point  von  Baer 
(1.  c,  pp.  ISO-l'i?),  who  has  discussed  the  matter  at  length  in  his  above- 
cited  memoir  on  the  Walruses. 


118        ODOBiENUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC   WALRUS. 

of  their  slaughtered  liiend.s,  and  curious  to  sec  what  we  were 
doing  to  them  now.  They  were  so  close  that  I  might  have  shot 
a  dozen  of  them ;  but,  as  they  would  have  heeu  siu'e  to  sink  be- 
fore the  boat  could  get  to  them,  I  was  not  so  cniel  as  wantonly 
to  take  their  lives.  AVhen  the  AValruses  were  all  skinned,  we 
followed  the  herd  again  with  success ;  and  when  W{?  left  oft",  in 
consequence  of  dense  fog  suddenly  coming  on,  we  had  secured 
nine  altogether — a  very  fair  morning's  bag  we  thought.  .  .  . 
During  this  morning's  proceedings  I  realized  the  immense 
ad\'antage  of  striking  a  junger  lirst,  when  inacticable.  This 
curious  (tlanuish  practice  of  coming  to  assist  a  calf  in  distress 
arises  from  their  being  in  the  habit  of  combining  to  resist  the 
attacks  of  the  Polar  Bear,  which  is  said  ofteu  to  succeed  in  kill- 
ing a  Wahiis.  If,  however.  Bruin,  pressed  by  hunger  and  a 
tempting  opportunity,  is  so  illadvised  as  to  snap  a  calf,  the 
whole  herd  come  upon  him,  drag  him  under  water,  and  tear 
him  to  pieces  with  their  long  sharp  tusks.  I  am  told  this  has 
been  seen  to  occur,  and  I  quite  believe  it."* 

Capt.  William  Edward  Parry,  in  his  narrative  of  his  second 
voyage  for  the  discovery  of  a  northwest  passage,  makes  frequent 
reference  to  the  Walrus,  and  his  report  of  encounters  with  them 
shows  that  serious  and  even  fatal  consequences  sometimes  re- 
sult to  the  boats'  crews  who  venture  to  attack  them. 

"  In  the  course  of  this  day  [July  15,  1822,  in  Fox  Channel] 
the  Walruses,"  says  Captain  Parry,  "became  more  and  more 
numerous  every  hour,  lying  in  large  herds  ui)on  loose  pieces  of 
(kift-ice ;  and  it  having  fallen  calm  sit  one  r.  M.,  we  despatched 
our  boats  to  endeavor  to  kill  some  for  the  sake  of  the  oil  they 
afford.  On  approaching  the  ice  our  people  found  them  huddled 
in  droves  of  from  twelve  to  tiiirty,  the  whole  number  near  the 
boats  being  i)erhaps  about  two  hundred.  Most  of  them  waited 
quietly  to  bo  fired  at,  and  even  after  one  or  two  discharges  did 
not  seem  to  be  greatly  disturbed  but  allowed  the  people  to  land 
on  the  ice  near  them,  and,  when  approached,  shewed  an  evident 
disposition  to  give  battle.  After  they  had  got  into  the  water, 
three  were  struck  with  harpoons  and  kille«l  from  the  boats. 
When  first  wounded  they  became  (juite  furious,  and  one,  which 
had  been  struck  from  Captain  Lyon's  boat,  made  a  resolute 
attack  upon  her,  iuuX  injured  several  of  the  planks  with  its  enor- 
mous tusks.  A  nuiul)er  of  the  others  canu;  round  them,  also 
repeatedly  striking  the  wounded  animals  with  their  tusks,  with 

*  y«'ii8oii!s  with  tlio  tsea-horses,  pp.  81-8;},  84. 


msmm 


IIAIJITS    AND    THP:    CHASE. 


119 


the  intention  of  either  gettinj;-  tliem  iiway  or  else  of  joining  in 
the  attaek  npon  them.  Many  of  these  animals  had  young-  ones 
wliich,  Avhcn  assaulted,  they  either  took  between  their  fore-tlip- 
])('is  to  carry  off,  or  bore  away  on  their  hacks.  Both  of  those 
Idllcd  by  the  Fury's  hoats  were  females,  and  the  weight  of  the 
larjii'st  Avas  lifteen  hundred-Aveight  and  tAvo  quarters  nearly; 
but  it  was  by  no  means  remarkable  for  the  largeness  of  its 
dimensions.  The  peculiar  barking-noise  nmde  by  the  Walrus, 
when  irritated,  may  be  heard,  on  a  calm  day,  with  great  dis- 
tuictness  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  at  least.  We  found  raus- 
(luet-balls  the  most  certain  and  expeditious  way  of  despatching 
them  after  they  had  been  once  struck  with  the  hai-poon,  the 
thickness  of  the  skin  being  such,  that  whale-lances  generally 
bend  without  penetrating  it.  One  of  these  creatures,  being 
accidentally  touched  by  one  of  the  oars  of  Lieutenant  Nias's 
boat,  took  hold  of  it  between  its  flippers  and  forcibly  twisting 
it  out  of  the  man's  hand,  snapped  it  in  two."* 

Again,  says  the  same  writer,  "  The  Heckla's  two  boats  had 
one  day  a  very  narrow  escajjc  in  assaulting  a  herd  of  these  ani- 
mals [Walruses] ;  for  several  of  them,  being  wounded,  made  so 
fierce  an  attack  on  the  boats  with  their  tusks,  as  to  stave  them 
in  a  number  of  places,  by  which  one  was  immediately  swamped 
and  the  other  much  damaged.  The  Fury's  being  fortunately 
in  sight  prevented  any  further  danger ;  two  of  the  Walruses 
were  killed  and  secured,  and  the  damaged  boats  lightened  and 
towed  to  the  shore,  from  which  they  had  been  several  miles  dis- 
tant." t 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  testimony  respecting  the  power 
and  courage  of  these  animals  when  in  the  water,  I  add  the  fol- 
lowing :  Mr.  Lamont  states  that  "  a  boat  belonging  to  a  sloop 
from  Tromsoe  had  been  upset  two  or  three  days  before,  in  our 
imniQdiate  vicinity,  and  one  of  the  crew  killed  by  a  W.alrus.  It 
seemed  that  the  Walrus,  a  large  old  bull,  charged  the  boat,  and 
the  harpooner,  as  usual,  received  him  with  his  lance  full  in  the 
chest;  but  the  shaft  of  the  lance  broke  all  to  shivers,  and  the 
Walrns,  getting  inside  of  it,  threw  himself  on  the  gunwale  of 
the  boat  and  overset  it  in  an  instant.  While  the  men  were  floun- 
dering  in  the  water  among  their  oars  and  tackle,  the  infuriated 
animal  rushed  in  among  them,  and,  selecting  the  unlucky  har- 
pooner, who,  I  fancy,  had  fallen  next  him,  he  tore  him  nearly 

*Nuirutivo  of  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  268.     tibid.,  p.  4159. 


120 


ODOBiENUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


into  two  halves  with  Iiis  tusks.  The  rest  of  the  men  save«l  them- 
selves by  clambering  on  to  the  Ice  until  the  other  boat  came  to 
their  assistance. 

"Upon  another  occasion  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  skyp- 
par  of  a  sloop  who  had  been  seized  by  a  bereaved  c<''\  Walrus, 
and  by  lier  dragged  twice  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  but  without 
receiving  any  injury  beyond  being  nearly  drowned,  and  having 
a  deep  scar  plowed  in  each  side  of  his  forehea<l  by  the  tusks  of 
the  animal,  which  he  thought  did  not  wish  to  hurt  him,  but  mis- 
took him  for  her  calf  as  he  floundered  in  the  water. 

"  Owing  to  the  great  coolness  and  expertness  of  the  men  fol- 
lowing this  pursuit,  such  mishaps  are  not  of  very  frequent  oc- 
currence, but  still  a  season  seldom  passes  without  two  or  three 
lives  being  lost  in  one  way  or  another."* 

Among  the  numerous  writers  who  have  described  a  "  Walras 
hunt,"  no  accounts  that  I  have  seen  more  vividly  portray  the 
scene,  or  give  more  information  respecting  the  nature  find 
habits  of  the  Atlantic  species,  than  Dr.  1. 1.  Hayes,  for  which 
reason  I  deem  no  apology  is  necessary  for  transcribing  his 
lengthy  account  in  full.  Under  date  of  July  3, 1801  (the  scene 
being  in  Frobisher's  Bay),  he  says: 

"  I  have  had  a  Walrus  hunt  and  a  most  exciting  day's  sport. 
Much  ice  has  broken  adrift  and  come  down  the  Sound,  during 
the  past  few  days ;  and,  wiien  the  sun  is  out  bright  and  hot, 
the  Walrus  come  up  out  of  the  water  to  slee])  and  bask  in  the 
warmth  on  the  pack.  Being  upon  the  hilltop  this  mornhig  to 
select  a  place  for  building  a  cairn,  my  ear  caught  the  hoarse  bel- 
lowing of  numerous  Walrus;  and,  upon  looking  over  the  sea,  1 
observed  that  the  tide  was  carrying  the  iiack  a(!ross  the  outer 
limit  of  the  bay,  and  that  it  was  alive  Avith  the  beasts,  which 
were  tilling  the  air  with  such  uncouth  noises.  Their  numbers 
appeared  to  be  even  beyond  conjectui-e,  for  they  extended  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  almost  every  piece  of  ice  being  covered. 
There  must  have  been,  indeed,  many  hundreds  or  even  thou- 
sands. 

"  Hurrying  from  the  hill,  I  called  for  volunteers,  and  quickly 
had  a  boat's  crew  ready  for  some  sport.  Putting  their  rifles,  a 
hari)oon,  and  a  line  into  one  of  the  whale  boats,  Ave  dragged  it 
OA'er  the  ice  to  the  open  water,  into  whi<'Ji  it  Avas  s])eedily 
laimched. 

"We  had  two  juiles  to  pull  before  the  margin  of  the  pack 

'Seasons  with  ilio  Soa-liorscH,  ])p.  84,  8"). 


HABl'lVS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


12J 


"•■vas  ]'oa('hed.  On  the  cake  of  i(!e  to  wliich  we  tiist  eaine,  there 
voie  perched  about  two  ihrAvu  animals;  and  these  we  selectc«l 
for  the  attack.  Tliey  covered  the  raft  ahiiost  co!ni>letely,  l.viny 
huddled  tofi'ether,  h)uu,i>iiij'-  in  the  sun  or  hizily  roUinj;-  and 
twistiiiji'  themselves  about,  as  if  to  ex])ose  some  fresh  part  of 
their  uuwichly  bodies  to  the  warmth — }>r«'at,  uj;iy,  wallowing' 
sea-hoys,  they  were  evidently  enjoyinj?  themselves,  and  were 
Avitliuut  ai>i)rehension  of  a])i>ioachiny'  danger.  We  lunired  them 
slowly,  with  nuiffled  oars. 

"As  the  distance  between  us  and  the  game  steadily  narrowed, 
we  began  to  realize  that  we  were  likely  to  meet  with  rather 
formidable  antagonists.  Their  aspect  was  forbidding  in  the 
extreme,  and  our  sensations  were  perhai^s  not  unlike  those 
which  the  young  soldier  experiences  who  hears  for  the  first  time 
the  order  to  charge  the  enemy.  We  should  all,  very  i)0S8ibly, 
have  been  quite  willing  to  retreat  had  we  dared  own  it.  Their 
tough,  nearly  hairless  hides,  which  are  about  an  inch  thick,  had 
a  singularly  iron-plated  look  about  them,  peculiarly  suggestive 
of  defense ;  while  their  huge  tusks,  which  they  brandished  with 
an  appcaran(;e  of  strength  that  their  awkwardness  did  not 
diminish,  looked  like  Aery  formidable  weajmns  of  offense  if 
apphed  to  a  boat's  idanking  or  to  the  human  ribs,  if  one  should 
happen  to  find  himself  Uoundering  in  the  sea  among  the  thick- 
skiiuied  brutes.  To  <-oinplete  the  hideousiu^ss  of  a  facial  exi)res- 
sion  which  the  tusks  rendered  formidable  enough  in  appearance, 
Xature  had  endowed  them  with  broad  flat  noses,  which  were 
covered  all  over  with  stiff  whiskers,  looking  much  like  porcu 
pine  <iuills,  and  extemling  up  to  the  edge  of  a  pair  of  gaping 
nostrils.  The  use  of  these  whiskers  is  as  obscure  as  that  of  the 
tusks;  though  it  is  probable  that  the  latter  may  be  as  well 
weaj)ous  of  oft'ense  and  defense  as  for  the  more  useful  purpose 
of  grubbing  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  the  mollusks  which 
<'onstitute  their  principal  fbod.  Therii  were  two  tdd  bulls  in  the 
herd  who  appeared  to  be  di\iding  their  time  between  sleeping 
and  Jamming  their  tusks  into  each  other's  faces,  although  they 
aj)peared  to  treat  the  matter  with  pei-fect  indifference,  as  they 
<lid  not  seem  to  make  any  impression  on  each  other's  thick  hides. 
As  we  ajjproached,  these  old  fellows — neither  of  which  (tould 
lia\-e  been  less  than  sixteen  feet  long,  nor  smaller  in  girth  than 
a  hogshead — raised  u])  their  heads,  and,  after  taking  a  leisurely 
survey  of  us,  seemed  to  think  us  unworthy  of  further  notice ; 
and,  then  punching  each  other  again  hi  the  face,  fell  once  more 


122 


ODOIM•:^•T^s  i?os>rAKUs — att.antic  walrus. 


asleep.  This  was  exliibitiiifja  degree  ol'eoolness  rather  alarming. 
If  they  had  slioAved  tlie  least  timidity,  we  should  have  found  some 
exeitemeut  in  extra  caution  ;  but  tln'y  seenu'd  to  nudce  so  light 
of  our  ai)])roa<'h  that  it  was  not  easy  to  keep  up  the  bold  front 
with  wiiich  we  had  eonuneneed  the  adventure.  But  we  liad 
come  (|uite  too  far  to  thiidc  of  baeking  out;  so  we  judled  in  and 
made  i-eady  for  tlu>  fray. 

''  Beside  the  old  bulls,  the  group  contained  several  cows  and 
a  lew  calves  of  various  sizes, — some  evidently  yearlings,  others 
but  recently  born,  and  others  half  or  three  quarters  grown. 
Some  were  without  tusks,  while  on  others  they  were  just  sprout- 
ing; and  above  this  they  were  of  .ill  sizes  u])  to  those  of  big  bulls, 
which  had  great  curved  cones  of  ivory,  nearly  three  feet  long.  At 
length  we  were  within  a  few  boat's  lengths  of  the  ice  raft,  and 
the  game  had  not  taken  alarm.  They  had  prol)ably  never  seen 
a  boat  before.  Our  jireparations  were  made  as  we  approached. 
The  Walrus  will  always  sink  when  dead,  unless  held  by  a  harpoon 
line ;  and  there  were  therefore  but  two  chances  for  us  to  secure 
our  game — either  to  shoot  the  beast  dead  on  the  raft,  or  lo  get 
a  harpoon  well  into  him  after  he  was  wounded,  and  hold  on  to 
him  until  he  was  killed.  As  to  killing  the  animal  where  he  lay, 
that  was  not  likely  to  happen,  for  the  thick  skin  destroys  the 
force  of  the  ball  before  it  can  reach  a  vital  part,  and  indeed,  at 
a  distance,  actually  Hattens  it;  and  the  skull  is  so  heavy  that 
it  is  hard  to  penetrate  with  an  ordinary  bullet,  unless  the  ball 
hapi>ens  to  strike  through  the  eje. 

"  To  Miller,  a  cool  and  spirited  fellow,  w  ho  had  been  after 
whales  on  the  'nor- west  coast',  was  given  the  hariwon,  and  he 
took  his  station  at  the  bows;  while  Kuorr,  Jensen,  and  myself 
kept  our  places  in  the  stern-sheets,  and  held  our  rifles  in  readi- 
ness. Each  selected  his"  aiumal,  and  we  fired  in  concert  over 
the  heads  of  the  oarsmen.  As  soon  as  the  rifles  were  discharged, 
I  ordered  my  men  to  'give  way',  and  the  boat  ^hot  right  among 
the  8tartle<l  animals  as  they  rolled  off"  pell-mell  into  the  sea. 
Jensen  had  ttred  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  bulls,  and  hit  him  in 
the  neck ;  Knorr  killed  a  young  one,  which  was  pushed  off"  in 
the  hasty  scramble  and  sank;  while  I  planted  a  minie-ball 
.somewhere  in  the  head  of  the  other  bull  and  drew  from  him  a 
most  frightful  bellow, — louder,  T  venture  to  say,  than  ever  came 
from  wild  bull  of  Bashan.  When  he  rolled  over  into  the  water, 
which  he  did  with  a  splash  that  sent  the  spray  flying  all  over 
lis,  he  almost  touched  the  bows  of  the  boat  and  gave  Miller  ii 


HABITS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


123 


good  opportunity  to  get  in  his  harpoon,  which  he  did  in  capital 

style. 

"  Tlie  alarmed  herd  seemed  to  make  straight  for  the  bottom, 
and  the  lino  spun  out  over  the  gunwale  at  a  fearful  pace;  but, 
having?  several  coils  in  the  boat,  the  end  was  not  reached  before 
the  animals  began  to  rise,  and  we  took  in  the  slack  and  got 
ready  lor  what  was  to  follow.  The  strain  of  the  line  wliipped 
the  boat  around  among  some  loose  fragments  of  ice,  and  the 
line  having  fouled  among  it,  we  should  have  been  in  great  jeo- 
pardy had  not  one  of  the  sailors  promptly  sprung  out,  cleared 
the  line,  and  defended  the  boat. 

•'  In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  herd  appeared  at  the  surface, 
about  flfty  yards  away  from  us,  the  harpooned  animal  being 
among  them.  Miller  held  fast  to  his  line,  and  the  boat  was 
started  with  a  rush.  The  coming  up  of  the  herd  was  the  signal 
for  a  scene  which  baffles  description.  They  uttered  one  wild 
concerted  shriek,  as  if  an  agonized  caU  for  help;  and  then  the 
air  was  tilled  with  answering  shrieks.  The  *  hulc!  htik!  huk!^  of 
the  wounded  bulls  seemed  to  find  an  echo  everywhere,  as  the 
cry  was  taken  up  and  passed  along  from  floe  to  floe,  like  the 
bugle-blast  passed  from  squadron  to  squadron  along  a  line  of 
battle ;  and  down  from  every  piece  of  ice  plunged  the  startled 
beasts,  as  quickly  as  the  sailor  drops  from  his  hammock  when 
the  long-roll  beats  to  quarters.  With  their  ugly  heads  just 
above  the  water,  and  with  mouths  wide  open,  belching  forth 
the  dismal  ^huJc!  link!  huk!^  they  came  tearing  toward  the  boat. 

"  In  a  few  moments  we  were  completely  surrounded,  and  the 
numbers  kept  multiplying  with  astonishing  rapidity.  The  water 
soon  became  alive  and  black  with  them. 

"  They  seemed  at  first  to  be  frightened  and  irresolute,  and  for 
a  time  it  did  not  seem  that  they  meditated  mischief;  but  this 
pleasing  prospect  was  soon  dissipated,  and  we  were  forced  to 
look  well  to  our  safety. 

"  That  they  meditated  an  attack  there  could  be  no  longer  a 
doubt.  To  escape  the  onslaught  was  impossible.  We  had  raised 
a  hornets'  nest  about  our  ears  in  a  most  astonishingly  short  sj)ace 
of  time,  and  we  must  do  the  best  we  could. 

"•  It  seemed  to  be  the  purpose  of  the  Walrus  to  get  their  tusks 
over  the  giuiwale  of  the  boat,  and  it  was  evident  that,  in  the 
event  of  one  such  monster  hooking  on  us,  that  the  boat  would 
bo  torn  in. pieces,  and  we  would  bo  hJ't  floating  in  the  sea  help- 
less.    We  had  good  motive  therefore  to  be  active.      Miller 


Ill 


124 


ODOBiENUS    ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


plied  his  lance  from  the  bows,  jumI  gave  many  a  serious  wouiul. 
The  iiicu  pushed  back  the  onset  with  their  oars,  while  Knorr, 
Jensen,  and  myself  loaded  ami  fired  our  rifles  as  rapidly  as  wo 
could.  Several  times  Ave  were  in  great  jeopardy,  but  the  timely 
thrust  of  an  oar,  or  the  lance,  or  a  bullet  saved  us.  One'  I 
thought  we  were  surely  gone.  1  had  fued  and  was  hastening 
to  load ;  a  wicked-looking  brute  was  making  at  us,  and  it  seemed 
probable  that  he  would  be  upon  us.  I  stopped  loading,  and  was 
preparing  to  cram  my  rifle  down  his  throat,  when  Knorr,  Avho 
had  got  ready  his  weapon,  sent  a  fatal  shot  into  his  head. 
Again,  an  immense  animal,  the  largest  that  I  had  ever  seen, 
and  with  tusks  apparently  three  feet  long,  was  observed  to  be 
makiug  his  way  through  the  herd,  with  mouth  Avide  open,  bel- 
lowing dreadfully.  I  was  now  as  before  busy  loading ;  Knorr 
and  Jensen  had  just  discharged  their  pieces,  and  the  men  were 
well  engaged  Avith  their  oars.  It  Avas  a  critical  moment,  but, 
happily,  I  was  in  time.  The  monster,  his  head  high  above  the 
boat,  Avas  within  two  feet  of  the  gunwale,  Avhen  I  raised  my 
piece  and  fired  into  his  mouth.  The  discharge  killed  him  in- 
stantly and  he  Avent  down  like  a  stone. 

*'  This  ended  the  fray.  I  knoAV  not  AA'hy,  but  the  Avhole  herd 
seemed  suddenly  to  take  alarm,  and  all  doAe  doAvu  Avith  a  tre- 
juendous  splash  almost  at  the  same  instant.  When  they  came 
up  again,  still  shrieking  as  before,  they  were  some  distance  from 
us,  their  heads  all  noAV  pointed  seaAvard,  making  from  us  as  fast 
as  they  could  go,  their  cries  groAving  more  and  more  faiut  as 
they  retreated  in  the  distance. 

"  We  must  have  killed  at  least  a  dozen,  and  mortally  Avouuded 
as  many  more.  The  Avater  Avas  in  places  red  Avith  blood,  and 
several  half-dead  and  dying  animals  lay  floating  aboui  us.  The 
bull  to  which  we  Avere  made  fast  pulled  aAvay  Avith  all  his  might 
after  the  retreating  herd,  but  his  strength  soon  became  ex- 
hausted ;  and,  as  his  speed  slackened,  we  managed  to  haul  iu 
the  line,  and  finally  approached  him  so  nearly  that  our  rifle-balls 
took  effect  and  Miller  at  length  gave  him  the  coup  de  grace  %.  ith 
his  lance.  We  then  di*ew  him  to  the  nearest  piece  of  ice,  and  I 
had  soon  a  fine  specimen  to  add  to  my  Natural  History  collec- 
tions. Of  the  others  Ave  secured  only  one ;  the  rest  had  died 
and  sunk  before  avc  coidd  reach  them. 

''  I  haA^e  never  before  regarded  the  Walrus  as  a  formidable 
animal ;  but  this  contest  convinces  me  that  I  have  done  their 
courage  great  injustice.    They  are  full  of  fight ;  and,  had  Ave  not 


■■■■■■i 


HM 


HABITS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


125 


been  very  active  and  self -possessed,  our  boat  would  have  been 
torn  to  itieces,  and  we  either  drowned  or  killed.  A  more  fierce 
attack  tlian  that  which  they  made  n])on  u.s  could  liardly  be 
iiuajiiiicfl,  and  a  more  formidable  hjokinj;'  enemy  than  one  of 
these  liujic  monsters,  with  liis  immense  tusks  and  beUowing 
throat,  wouhl  be  ditticult  to  lind.  Xext  time  I  try  them  I  will 
arm  iny  boat's  (;rew  with  Lmces.  The  rifle  is  a  poor  reliance, 
and.  but  tor  the  oars,  the  hertl  would  have  been  on  top  of  us  at 
any  time."* 

('ai>fain  llall,  in  his  "Arctic  llesearches,"  also  thus  nuikes 
reference  to  a  Walrus-fight  in  Frobisher  Bay:  "On  their  way 
back,  ^Ir.  Lamb,  in  charge  of  the  second  boat,  had  a  fight  with 
some  Walrus  in  the  following  manner.  Approaching  a  piece  of 
ice  on  wiiich  some  of  these  creatures  were  basking,  he  attacked 
one  <tf  them,  whereupon  all  the  rest  immediately  rushed  toward 
tlie  boat,  and  vigorously  set  upon  him  and  his  crew.  For  a 
time  it  seemed  necessary  to  fly  for  safety ;  but  all  hands  resisted 
the  attack,  and  would  have  got  off  very  well,  but  that  one  of 
the  Walrus  herd  pierced  the  boat's  side  with  his  tusks,  and 
made  the  invaders  retreat  to  repair  damages.  Mr.  Lamb  had 
to  drag  his  boat  upon  an  ice-floe  near  by,  and  stuff  in  oakum 
to  stop  a  serious  leak  thus  caused.  Finally  he  succeeded, 
though  with  some  difficulty,  in  getting  back,  and  thus  ended  his 
encounter  with  a  shoal  of  Walrus."! 

Dr.  Kane,  in  describing  the  Innuit  method  of  attacking  the 
Walrus  from  the  ice,  says :  "When  wounded,  he  rises  high  out 
of  the  water,  plunges  heavily  against  the  ice,  and  strives  to 
raise  himself  with  his  fore-flippers  upon  its  surface.  As  it 
breaks  under  his  weight,  his  countenance  assumes  a  still  more 
vindictive  expression,  his  bark  changes  to  a  roar,  and  the  foam 
pours  from  his  jaws  till  it  froths  his  beard.  ...  He  can 
strike  a  fearful  blow ;  but  prefers  charging  in  a  soldierly  man- 
ner. I  do  not  doubt  the  old  stories  of  the  Spitzbergen  and  Che- 
rie  Island  fisheries,  where  the  Walrus  put  to  flight  the  crowds 
of  European  boats.  Awuk  [Walrus]  is  the  lion  of  the  Esqui- 
maux and  they  always  speak  of  him  with  the  highest  respect. 

"  I  have  heard  of  oomiaks  being  detained  for  days  at  a  time 
at  a  crossing  of  straits  and  passages  which  he  infested.  Gov- 
ernor Flaischer  told  me  that,  in  1830,  a  brown  Walras,  which 
according  to  the  Esquimaux  is  the  fiercest,  after  being  lanced 

•  The  Open  Polar  Sea,  pp.  404-411. 

tArctic  Researches  and  Life  among  the  Esquimaux,  pp.  334,  335. 


12(i 


ODOUiTiNUS    KOSMAKl'S ATLANTIC    WALUl'S. 


siiid  iiiiiiined  iit  IJporiiiivik,  routed  his  nnnicrous  assnilants. 
anil  drove  them  in  fear  to  seek  for  lielp  IVoin  the  settU'iacnt. 
lliy  movements  were  so  violent  as  to  jerk  out  tiu'  hurjjoous  that 
were  stuck  into  him.  The  ^jovernor  slew  him  with  j^n'at  difli- 
culty  after  several  ritie-shots  an<l  hmee-wcmnds  from  his  whaU'- 
boat. 

'•On  mother  occasion,  a  younfj;  and  adventurous  Inuit 
ldun{i;ed  his  nah^fjeit  into  a  brown  Wahiis;  but,  startled  by  the 
savage  demeanor  of  tlu;  beast,  called  for  lu'lj)  before  usiujji:  iiis 
lance.  The  older  men  in  vain  cautioiu'd  him  to  desist.  '  It  is  a 
brown  Walrus,'  sai<l  they;  '■Aiirel-Kaiok!'  'Ilohl  back!'  l^Mml 
iufj:  the  caution  disrcj^arded,  his  only  brother  rowed  forward 
and  plunjii'd  the  second  harpoon.  .Vlniost  in  an  instant  the 
animal  <!har<;ed  upon  the  kayacker,  ri|tpin}i'  him  u]>,  as  the  de 
scription  went,  after  the  fashion  of  his  sylvan  brother,  the  wild 
boar.  The  st<u'y  was  t«)ld  me  with  much  animation;  how  the 
brother  remainin}f  rescued  the  (!orpseof  the  brotiier  dead;  tand 
how,  as  they  hauled  it  u\>  on  the  ice-Hoes,  the  ferocious  beast 
])hui}4cd  in  foaminji'  cinles.  si-ekinji'  fresh  victims  in  that  part 
of  the  sea  which  was  discolored  by  his  blood. 

"  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  lerocity  of  the  AValrns," 
continues  Dr.  Kane,  "  from  \\w  fact  that  the  battle  which 
3Iortou  witnessed,  not  without  sharinj;'  some  of  its  danger, 
lasted  four  hours;  duriufi;  which  the  animal  rushed  continually 
at  the  Esquunaux  as  they  ap]noached,  tearing  off  great  tables 
of  ice  with  his  tusks,  and  showing  no  indication  of  fear  what- 
ever. He  received  upward  of  seventy  lance-wounds,— Morton 
counted  over  sixty;  and  even  then  he  remained  hooked  by 
his  tusks  to  the  margin  of  the  ice,  unable  or  unwilling  to  retire. 
His  female  fought  in  the  same  manner,  but  tied  on  receiving  a 
lance-wound.  The  Es(iuimaux  seemed  to  be  fully  aware  of  the 
danger  of  venturing  too  near;  for  at  the  lirst  onset  of  the  Wal- 
rus they  jumped  back  far  enough  to  be  clear  of  the  l)roken  ice. 
Morton  described  the  last  three  hours  as  wearing,  on  both 
sides,  the  aspect  of  an  unbroken  and  seendngly  doubtful  com- 
bat."* 

From  the  foregoing  it  appesws  that  the  early  accounts  of  the 
courage  of  the  Walrus  and  its  attacking  and  ev<»n  destroying 
boats  in  defense  of  its  young,  or  in  retaliation  for  an  assault, 
finds  ami)le  corroboration.  I  conclude  the  abundant  evidence 
on  this  subject  by  the  following  from  the  ])en  of  ]VIr.  llobert 

*  Arctic  Kxploiation,  vol.  i,  pp.  414-417. 


HABITS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


127 


Brown,  who  sa,v«:  "When  attacked,  unliko  the  othcT  Seals 
(uiih'ss  it  be  the  Vyntophora  [Iloodel  Seal]),  it  [the  WalniSj  will 
not  retreat  but  boldly  meet  its  enemies.  I  wa8  one  of  a  party 
ill  a  boat  whieli  harpooned  a  solitary  Walrus  asleep  on  a  i)iece 
oi"  i('«'.  It  immediately  divetl,  but  jnesently  arose,  and,  not- 
witlistandinj;'  all  our  exertions  with  lance,  axe,  and  rille,  stove 
ill  the  bows  of  the  boat ;  indeed  wo  were  only  too  };lad  to  (ait 
the  line  adrift  and  save  ourselves  on  the  tloe  which  the  Walrus 
had  left,  until  assistance  could  rejich  us.  Luckily  for  us  the 
eiirafietl  ]\lorse  was  nmj^nanimous  enough  not  to  attack  its 
oli()i)-falleu  enemies,  but  made  otf  j>runting  iiulignantly,  with  a 
;> an  harpoon  and  a  new  whaleliue  danyliuf"-  from  its  bleeding 
llauk^."* 

TIh^  foreyoiny  i)ayes  sufliciently  indicate  the  methods  and  im- 
lileiiients  commonly  employed  in  destroyinj,' the  Walrus  for  com- 
mercial or  other  ])uri)ctses.  To  com])lete  the  aecount  of  the 
«liase  it  is  only  necessiuy  to  note  the  special  equij)ment  of  a 
Walrus-hunter,  and  to  desciibe  the  iiiannev  of  disimsinj;"  of  the 
aiiinial  when  captiuvd,  with  a  1»rief  account  of  its  products  and 
tlieii  uses.  This  will  be  jiiven  from  Mr.  Lamont's  work,  already 
s(i  often  ([noted,  who,  in  a  (jhapter  devot(»d  to  the  subject,  has 
riiniished  the  only  connected  and  detailed  account  known  tome. 
I'l'om  this  1  ('onde'is(^  the  following': 

A  well-api)ointe(l  Walrus-boat  for  Ave  men  is  twenty-one  feet 
lonji  by  five  feet  beam,  haviu};'  her  main  breadth  about  one-third 
from  the  bow,  and  strongly  built.    She  is  how-shaped  at  both 
ciuls,  and  should  be  light,  swift,  and  strong,  and  easy  to  man- 
ajic,  and  hence  has  the  keel  well  depressed  in  the  middle.    She 
is  always  "  carvel-built,"  being  thus  much  less  liable  to  injury 
from  ice  or  the  tusks  of  the  Wa'  uses  than  if  "'clinker-built,'' 
and  easier  to  repair  when  daumged.    She  is  braced  with  thick 
and  strong  stem-  and  stern-pieces,  to  resist  con(5U8sions  with  the 
ice.    There  is  a  deep  notch  in  the  centre  of  the  stem-piee^,  and , 
three  others  in  a  block  of  hard  wood  on  each  side  of  it,  for  the^ 
lines  to  run  through,  in  addition  to  which  there  is  also  some- 1 
times  an  upright  post  on  the  bow  for  making  fast  the  lines,  but 
usually  the  foremost  thw  art  is  iiied  for  this  purpose.    Each  nmn 
rows  with  a  i)air  of  oars  hung  in  grumniets  to  single  stout  thole 
pins.    The  steersman  rows  with  his  face  to  the  bow,  and  steers 
with  his  pair  of  oars  instead  of  Avith  a  single  oar  or  rudder ;  and 
each  man  rowing  with  a  pair  of  oars  enables  the  crew  to  turn 

*  Proc.  Zooi.  Soe.  Loud.,  WiS,  p.  4'^ 


■■■i 


128 


f)UOH/ENUS    HOSMAUrS — ATLANTIC    WAIiRUS. 


tho  boat  much  (flicker  tlmii  it  could  be  done  otlu'rwiw,  while 
the  Mhortness  of  tlu;  oars  renders  them  easier  to  handler  and  less 
in  the  way  amonj;the  ie«'  than  lon;;'erones  would  be.  The  har- 
pooner  rows  the  bow-oars  and  is  the  connnander  of  the  boat,  he 
ahnie  usin^"  the  weapons  and  tin'  telescope.  The  strongest  man 
in  the  boat  is  placed  next  the  harpocmer,  to  haul  in  the  line  wlien 
a  Walrus  is  struck  and  to  bo  the  assistant  of  tlu^  harpooner. 
The  boats  are  always  painted  white  outside  to  assimilate  their 
(jolor  to  that  of  the  ice.  Each  boat  ir  provided  with  six  har- 
poons, placed  in  racks,  three  on  each  side  of  the  bow  (inside), 
and  protected  by  a  painted  canvas  curtain.  To  each  harpoon 
is  attached  twelve  or  tifteen  fathoms  of  line,  each  coiled  sepa- 
rately in  flat  boxes  under  the  front  thwart,  the  en'^  beiufr  linnly 
fastenejl  to  some  strong  part  of  the  boat.  The  liiies  should  b(^ 
of  the  finest  (luality  of  two-inch  tarred  rope,  "very  soft  laid," 
of  the  best  workmanship  and  materials.  Four  shafts  for  the 
hari)oons  are  usually  earned,  made  of  white-i)ine  poles  about 
twelve  feet  long,  and  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  thickness, 
fitted  at  one  end  to  enter  the  socket  ol  the  harpoon.  The  har- 
poons are  iised  for  either  thrusting  or  darting,  and  a  skillful 
harpooner  is  said  to  be  able  to  secure  a  Walrus  at  a  distance  of 
four  or  five  fathoms.  When  possible,  they  are  thrust  into  the 
victim,  and  a  precautionary  twist  given  in  order  to  disengage 
the  shaft  and  more  securely  entangle  the  barbs  in  the  monster's 
blubber  or  skin.  In  addition  to  the  harpoons  are  usually  car- 
ried four  or  five  very  large  lances,  with  heavy,  white-pine  shafts 
r  *■  line  feet  long,  and  increasing  in  thickness  from  an  inch 
iialf  to  two  and  a  half  where  it  enters  the  socket  of  the 
.e.  This  is  for  the  double  purpose  of  giving  the  necessary 
strength  to  the  shaft,  and  to  afford  buoyancy  enough  to  float 
the  lance-head  in  ease  it  becomes  disengaged  from  the  animal, 
the  lance-head  being  secured  to  the  shaft  by  a  double  thong  of 
raw  seal-skin.  Each  boat  is  also  provided  with  five  "haak- 
picks,"  or  boat-hooks,  which  may  be  used  in  dispatching  Seals,  as 
well  as  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  a  boat-hook ;  also  with  several 
axes,  a  large  one  for  decapitating  the  dead  Walruses,  and  a  small 
^  one  for  cutting  the  line  in  case  the  Walrus  proves  too  fierce  and 
mischievous,  or  in  case  of  accidents ;  five  or  six  large,  sharp 
"  flensing  "  knives ;  an  ice-anchor,  with  tackle  for  hauling  the 
dead  Walruses  on  to  flat  icebergs ;  lockers  supplied  with  vari- 
ous smaller  implements  and  a  small  outfit  of  provisions,  to  guard 
against  the  uncertainties  arising  from  accidents  and  thick 


msm 


HABITS   AND    THE    CHASE. 


129 


woiitbjT.  In  the  way  of  additional  weapons,  heavy  rifles  with 
]>h'uty  of  iuunuinition  are  considered  desirable,  and  often  prove 
of  iivant  service  when  the  Walruses  are  too  wary  to  permit  a 
near  ai)proach,  as  often  happens.  Generally  a  mast  and  sail 
are,  or  should  be,  also  carried,  though  by  no  means  always 
needed.* 

Ai'cordinj;;  to  the  same  writer,  the  manner  of  "  flensiny;,'' or 
taking  otf  and  securing  the  skin  and  blubber,  is  as  follows: 
The  liufie  beasts  being  drawn  up  on  to  an  ice-floe,  the  skin,  with 
the  blubber  adhering,  is  then  removed  by  dividing  the  skin  into 
iialvest  by  a  slit  along  the  ventral  and  dorsal  lines  of  the  body. 
It  is  then  loaded  into  the  boats  and  taken  to  the  ships  and 
thrown  into  the  hold  in  bulk.  Afterward,  as  leisure  or  oppor- 
tunity oft'ers,  the  skins  are  drawn  up,  spread  across  an  inclined 
platform  erected  on  deck  for  the  purpose,  and  the  blubber  re- 
moved. This  is  done  by  two  men  who  act  as  "  blubber-cutters," 
clad  in  oil-skin  suits,  and  armed  with  large,  sharp  knives  hav- 
ing curved  edges.  The  blubber  is  then  dexterously  removed 
from  the  skin,  c»it  into  slabs  of  twenty  or  thirty  pounds'  weight, 
and  thrown  down  the  hatchway,  where  two  men  are  stationed 
to  receive  it  and  slip  it  into  the  square  bung-holes  of  the  casks. 
From  its  oiliness  it  soon  finds  its  own  level  in  tlie  casks,  which, 
when  full,  are  tightly  closed,  f 

Captain  Hall  describes  the  Esquimaux  method  of  taking  the 
Walrus  as  follows :  "  The  hunter  has  a  peculia  •  spear,  to  whicli 
is  attached  a  long  line  made  of  Walrus  hide ;  t^is  line  is  coiled, 
and  hung  about  the  neck;  thus  prepared,  he  hides  himself 
1.  ^oug  the  broken  drifting  ice,  and  awaits  the  moment  for  strik- 
ing; bis  game.  The  spear  is  then  thrown,  and  the  hunter  at 
once  slips  the  coil  of  line  off  his  head,  fastens  the  end  to  the  ice 
by  driving  a  spear  thi'ough  a  loop  in  it,  and  waits  till  the  Wal- 
nis  comes  co  the  surface  of  the  water,  into  which  he  has  plunged 
on  feeling  the  stroke  of  the  harpoon;  then  the  animal  is  quickly 
dispatched  by  the  use  of  a  long  lance.  The  recklessness  and 
cool  daring  of  the  Innuit  is  forcibly  shown  in  this  operation,  for 
if  he  should  fail  to  free  his  neck  of  the  coil  at  just  the  right 
moment,  he  would  inevitably  be  drawn  headlong  beneath  the 
ice."§ 

*  Compiled  from  Lament's  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  43-51. 
tin  the  case  of  full-grown  Walruses;  but  in  the  case  of  "calves,"  the  skin 
is  left  entire. 
t  Compiled  from  Lament's  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  76,  77. 
5  Arctic  Researches,  etc.,  p.  .500. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 9 


130 


ODOB^NUS   ROSMARUS ATLANTIC   WALRUS. 


11 


"In  attacking  the  Walrus  in  the  water  they  [the  Esquimaux] 
use  the  same  gear  [as  in  attacking  Whales],  but  much  more 
caution  than  with  the  Whale,  always  throwing  the  katteelik  from 
some  distance,  lest  the  animal  should  attack  the  canoe  and 
demolish  it  with  his  tusks.  The  Walrus  is  iu  fact  the  only 
animal  with  which  they  use  any  caution  of  this  kind."*  This 
"gear,"  oi  Mtteelik,  is  said  to  be  the  largest-of  their  weapons, 
and  to  be  used  only  in  attacking  Whales  and  Wabuses.  It 
has  a  shaft  of  light  wood,  about  four  feet  in  length,  like  those 
of  their  weapons  used  in  killing  Seals,  but  the  shaft  is  much 
thicker  than  in  the  others,  especially  near  the  middle,  where  is 
lashed  a  small  shoulder  of  i  jry  for  the  thumb  to  rest  against, 
in  order  to  give  additional  force  iu  thr  wing  or  thrusting  the 
spear.  The  spear-point  is  of  ivory,  litter-  into  the  socket  at  the 
end  of  the  shaft,  where  it  is  secured  by  double  thongs,  in  such 
a  way  as  to  give  it  steadiness  when  a  strain  is  put  upon  it  in  the 
diiectiou  of  its  axis,  but  provided  with  a  spring  that  disengages 
it  when  a  lateral  strain  endangers  its  breaking.  To  the  line 
attached  to  the  katteelik  a  Avholc  Seal-skin,  inflated  like  a  bladder, 
is  fastened,  for  the  purpose  of  impeding  the  progress  of  the 
animal  iu  the  water  when  struck,  f 

Dr.  Kane  gives  a  graphic  account  of  a  Wakus  hunt  by  a  party 
of  Innuits.    They  set  off  with  three  sledges  drawn  by  dogs,  for 
the  open  wat'^r,  ten  miles  distant.    As  they  ueared  the  new  ice, 
they  would  from  time  to  time  remove  their  hoods  and  listen  in- 
tently for  the  animars  voice.  Myouk,  one  of  the  party,  becom- 
ing convinced,  by  signs  or  sounds,  or  both,  that  the  Walruses 
were  waiting  for  him,  moved  gently  on  and  soon  heard  the  cha- 
racteristic bellow  of  a  bull.    The  party  now  forming  in  single 
file  followed  in  each  other's  steps,  winding  among  hummocks 
and  approaching  in  a  serpentine  course  the  recently  frozen  ice 
spots  surrounded  by  firmer  ice.    "  When  within  half  a  mile  of 
these,  the  line  broke,  and  each  man  crawled  toward  a  separate 
pool ;  Morton  on  his  hands  and  knees  following  Myouk.    In  a 
few  minutes  the  Walrus  were  in  sight.    They  were  five  in  num 
ber,  rising  at  '•  ^^ervals  through  the  ice  in  a  body,  and  breaking 
it  up  \  (th  an  explosive  puff  that  might  have  been  heard  for 
miles.    Two  large  grim-looking  males  were  conspicuous  as  the 
leaders  of  the  group. 

"  Now  for  the  marvel  of  the  craft.   When  the  Walrus  is  above 

*  Narrative  cf  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  510. 

tSeo  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  pp.  o07,T)08,  and  pi.  facing  j).  550,  flgs.  20,21 


HABITS    AND    THE    CHASE. 


131 


water,  the  hunter  is  flat  and  motionless ;  as  he  begins  to  sink, 
alert  ami  ready  for  a  spring.  The  animal's  head  is  hardly  be- 
lov\-  the  water-line  before  every  man  is  in  a  rapid  run;  and 
again,  as  if  by  instinct,  before  the  beast  returns,  all  are  motion- 
less behind  protecting  knolls  of  ice.  They  seem  to  know  before- 
hand not  only  the  time  he  vnM  be  absent,  but  the  very  spot  at 
which  he  will  reappear.  In  this  way,  hiding  and  advancing  by 
turns,  Myouk,  with  Morton  at  his  heels,  has  reached  a  plate 
of  thin  ice,  hardly  strong  enough  to  bear  them,  at  the  very  brink 
of  the  water-pool  the  Walrus  are  curvetting  in. 

''  Myouk,  till  now  phlegmatic,  seems  to  waken  with  excite- 
ment. His  coil  of  Walrus-hide,  a  well-trimmed  line  of  many 
lathoms'  length,  is  lying  at  his  side.  He  fixes  one  end  of  it  in 
an  iron  barb,  and  fastens  this  loosely  by  a  socket  upon  a  shaft 
of  Unicorn's  [Narwhal's]  horn :  the  other  end  is  already  looped, 
or,  as  sailors  would  say,  '  doubled  in  a  bight'.  It  is  the  work  of 
a  moment.  He  has  grasped  the  harpoon :  the  water  is  in  mo- 
rion. Pufling  with  pent-up  respiration,  the  Walnis  is  within  a 
couple  of  fathoms,  close  before  him.  Mj-ouk  rises  slowly ;  his 
right  arm  thrown  back,  the  left  flat  at  his  side.  The  Walrus 
looks  about  him,  shaking  the  water  from  his  crest :  Myouk  throws 
up  his  left  arm ;  and  the  animal,  rising  breast-high,  fixes  one 
look  before  he  plunges.  It  has  cost  him  all  that  curiosity  can 
cost :  the  harpoon  is  buried  under  his  left  flipper. 

''  Though  the  Awiik  [Innuit  name  of  the  Walrus]  is  down  in 
a  moment,  Myouk  is  running  at  desperate  speed  from  the  scene 
of  his  victory,  paying  off"  his  coil  freely,  but  clutching  the  end 
by  its  loop.  He  seizes  as  he  runs  a  small  stick  of  bone,  rudely 
pointed  with  iron,  and  by  a  sudden  movement  drives  it  into  the 
ice :  to  this  he  secures  his  line,  pressing  it  close  down  to  the 
ice  surface  with  his  feet. 

"  Now  comes  the  struggle.  The  hole  is  dashed  in  mad  com- 
motion with  tb ;  struggles  of  the  wounded  beast ;  the  line  is 
drawn  tight  at  one  moment,  the  next  relaxed :  the  hunter  has 
not  left  his  station.  There  is  a  crash  of  the  ice ;  and  rearing  up 
through  it  are  two  Walruses,  not  many  yards  from  where  he 
stands.  One  of  them,  the  male,  is  excited  and  seemingly  terri- 
fied :  the  other,  the  female,  collected  and  vengeful.  Down  they 
so  again,  after  one  grim  survey  of  the  field ;  and  on  the  instant 
MyoiLc  has  changed  his  position,  carrj  ing  his  coil  with  him  and 
fixing  it  anew. 

"  He  has  hardly  fixed  it  before  the  pair  have  again  risen, 


132 


ODOBJENUS  ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC  WALRUS. 


breaking  up  an  area  of  ten  feet  diameter  about  tlie  very  spot 
lie  left.  As  they  sink  once  more  be  again  changes  his  place. 
And  so  the  conflict  goes  on  between  address  and  force,  till  the 
victim,  half  exhausted,  receives  a  second  Avound,  and  is  played 
like  a  trout  by  the  angler's  reel." 

The  method  of  landing  the  beast  upon  the  ice  is  thus  de- 
scribed :  "  They  made  two  pair  of  incisions  in  the  neck,  where 
the  hide  is  very  thick,  about  six  inches  apart  and  parallel  to  each 
other,  80  as  to  form  a  couple  of  bands.  A  line  of  cut  hide,  about 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  was  passed  under  one  of  these 
bands  and  carried  up  on  the  ice  to  a  firm  stick  well  secured  in 
the  floe,  where  it  went  through  a  loop,  and  was  then  taken  back 
to  the  animal,  made  to  pass  under  the  second  band,  and  led  off 
to  the  Esquimaux.  This  formed  a  sort  of  '  double  purchase ', 
the  blubber  so  lubricating  the  cord  as  to  adm'i  of  a  free  move- 
ment. By  this  contrivance  the  beast,  weighing  some  seven 
hundred  pounds,  was  hauled  up  and  butchered  at  leisure."  * 

Referring  again  to  the  chase  of  the  Walrus,  Dr.  Kane  says 
the  manner  of  hunting  varies  considerably  with  the  season  of 
the  year.  In  the  fall,  when  the  pack  is  but  i)artly  closed,  they 
are  found  in  numbers  about  the  neutral  region  of  mixed  ice  and 
water,  when  the  Esquimaux  assail  them  in  cracks  and  holes 
with  nalegeit  and  line.  This  fishery,  as  the  season  grows  colder, 
darker,  and  more  tempestuous,  is  attended  with  great  hazard, 
and  scarcely  a  year  passes  without  a  catastrophe.  The  spring 
fishery  begins  in  March.  Tlxe  Walrus  is  now  taken  in  two  ways. 
Sometimes  when  he  has  come  up  by  the  side  of  an  iceberg  or 
through  a  tide-crack  to  enjoy  the  sunshine,  he  lingers  so  long 
that  he  finds  his  retreat  cut  off  by  the  freezing-up  of  the  open- 
ing through  which  he  ascended.  The  Esquimaux,  scouring  the 
ice-floes  with  keen  hunter-craft,  then  scent  him  out  by  the  aid 
of  their  dogs  and  despatch  him  with  spears.  Again  thoy  are 
found  "  surging  in  loving  trios  from  crack  to  crack,  sijorting 
around  the  berg-water  or  basking  in  the  sun,"  when  they  are 
^tacked  by  their  vigilant  enemies  Avith  the  spear  and  harpoon. 
This  mode  of  attack  "  often  becomes  a  regular  battle,  the  male 
gallantly  fronting  the  assault  and  charging  the  hunters  with 
furious  bravery.  Not  unfrequently  the  entire  family,  mother, 
calf,  and  bull,  are  killed  in  one  of  these  combats."  t 

*  Arctic  Exploration,  vol.  i,  pp,  407-414,  417.    t  Ibid.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  131-133. 


PRODUCTS. 


133 


ruoDUCTS. — The  couiiuercial  products  of  the  Walrus  are  its 
oil,  liido,  and  tusks.  The  oil  is  said  to  bo  much  inferior  in  quality 
to  that  of  Seals,  but  is  used  for  nearly  the  same  purposes.*  The 
yield  is  also  much  less  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  animal,  in 
the  larj;est  specimens  seldom  exceeding  five  hundred  pounds.t 
The  hide  is  said  to  be  a  valuable  commodity,  and  ''  sells  for  from 
two  to  foiu'  dollars  per  half  skin,  calves  only  counting  for  a  half; 
it  is  principally  exported  to  Russia  and  Sweden,  where  it  is  used 
to  mauufacturo  harness  and  sole  leather ;  it  is  also  twisted  into 
tiller-ropes,  and  is  used  for  protecting  the  rigging  of  ships  from 
chafing.  In  former  times  nearly  all  the  rigging  of  vessels  on 
the  north  coasts  of  Norway  and  Bussla  used  to  be  composed  of 
Wahnis-skin.  [J]  When  there  is  a  superfluity  of  the  article  in  the 
market  I  believe  it  is  boiled  into  glue.  It  is  from  an  inch  to  an 
inch  and  a  half  thick,  very  pliable  in  its  green  state,  but  slightly 
spongy,  so  that  I  shoidd  doubt  the  quality  of  the  leather  made 
from  it."§ 

As  noted  in  the  earlier  j)ortions  of  this  paper,  the  tusks  were 
in  very  early  times  a  valuable  article  of  traffic  among  the  bar- 
barous tribes  of  Eastern  Europe  and  Northern  Asia.  Brown 
states  that  "there  is  said  to  be  a  letter  in  th(;  library  of  the 
Vatican  proving  that  the  old  Norre  and  Icelandic  colonists  in 
Greenland  i)aid  theu-  ''Peter's  Pence'  in  the  shape  of  Walrus 
tusks  and  hides."  ||    The  ivory  afforded  by  the  tusks,  though 

*Lainont  says  it  is  usual  to  mix  tlio  Seal  and  Walrus  oil  indiscriniiuatoly 
together,  and  that  "the  compound  is  always  exported  into  Southern  Europe 
under  the  name  of  Seal  oil." — Yachting  in  the  Arctic  Scaa,  p.  89. 

t  Scoresby  states  that  ho  "  -lover  met  with  any  that  afforded  above  twenty 
or  thirty  gallons  of  oil." — Account  of  the  Arctic  Regions,  vol.  i,  p.  503. 

t  [In  the  instructions  given  to  Jonas  Poolo  by  the  Muscovie  Company  in 
March,  1610,  occurs  the  following :  "And  in  as  much  as  we  have  agreed  here 
with  a  Tanner  for  all  the  Morses  hides  which  wee  kill  and  bring  into  England, 
and  have  sent  men  of  purpose  for  the  slaying,  salting,  and  ordering  of  the 
same,  whereof  we  have  appointed  one  to  goe  in  your  ship :  We  would  have 
you  reserve  the  hides,  and  stooro  yonr  ship  therewith  in  stead  of  ballast. 
And  if  you  obtayne  a  greater  quantitie  then  you  can  bring  away  with  you, 
having  alwayes  regard  to  commodities  of  more  value,  which  are  Oyle,  Teeth, 
and  Whales  flnnes  [whalebone],  that  none  of  them  be  left  behind ;  We  would 
have  you  leave  the  said  overplus  of  hides  in  some  convenient  place,  till  the 
next  yeere,  that  we  send  more  store  of  shipping." — Purchaa  his  Pilgrimes,  vol. 
iii,  p.  709.] 

i  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  p.  77. 

llProc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  p.  434. 


134        ODOHiENUS    U0SMA1UI8 ATLANTIC    WALitUS. 


Si 


inferior  in  (jUiili*^"  to  Elephant  ivory,  is  used  for  nearly  the  saui*^ 
])iiri)()ses.  It  is  ^..id,  howevc^r,  to  sooner  become  yellow  by  ex- 
posure, to  be  of  coarser  texture,  and  lieuce  to  have  less  commer- 
cial value.  I  have  met  with  Jio  statistics  relating;  to  the  amount 
annually  obtained,  or  the  price  it  brings  in  market.* 

The  llesh  of  the  Walrus  is  sometimes  used  as  food  by  Arctic 
voyayers,  and  foi-ms  an  important  article  of  diet  \vith  the  Esqui- 
maux and  Tsehuchchis.  Captain  Hall  states  that  while  his 
party  remained  at  Cape  Tru(5  they  were  never  in  want  of  food. 
''Walrus,"  he  says,  "was  abundant,  and  was  indeed  almost 
exclusively  our  diet.  We  had  Walrus  bruins  for  supper;  stewed 
Walrus,  or  Walrus  boiled,  for  dinner ;  but  always  Walrus,  and 
uo  bread." f  Kichardson  states  that  ''their  llesh  is  preferred 
by  the  Escpumaux  before  that  of  the  Small  Seal  {Fhoca  JuHjyida), 
their  feet  or  tins  are  considered  delicacies,  and  the  heart  and 
liver  were  pronounced  by  our  navigators  to  be  excellent.  The 
tongue  is  said  to  be  good  when  fresh,  but  becomes  oily  by  kv*ep- 
iug."  I  In  the  narrative  of  Cook's  last  voyage  it  is  stated  that 
the  fat  of  the  Pacitic  Walrus  "  is  as  sweet  as  marrow,"  but  that 
it  soon  grows  rancid  unless  salted,  when  it  will  "  keep  much 
longer."  The  lean  flesh  is  described  as  being  coarse  and  black, 
and  as  having  a  rather  strong  taste,  but  the  heart  is  said  to  be 
"nearly  as  well  tasted  as  that  of  a  bullock." §  Captaiii  Parry, 
in  a  passage  already  quoted  {antea,  p.  119),  states  that  the  meat 
was  not  only  eaten  by  his  men,  but  was  "  eagerly  sought  after 
on  this  and  e>ery  other  occasion  throughout  the  \oyage,  b;\  all 
those  among  us  who  could  overcome  the  prejudice  arisuig  chiefly 
from  he  dark  color  of  the  llesh.  In  uo  other  respect  that  I 
couM  <'ver  discover,  is  the  meat  of  the  Walrus  when  fresh-killed 
iii  the  slightest  degree  oflensive  or  unpalatable.  The  heart  and 
liver  are  indeed  excellent,"  11 


Food. — The  food  of  the  Walruses  has  long  been  a  subject  of 
dispute,  not  less  from  the  varied  character  of  the  substances 

*Mr.  Lainont  sajN,  rospccting  products  of  flic  Walni.s  juid  their  value; 
"Cnriosify  Icil  inc  once  to  wcijfli  inid  value  tlio  marketable  jjaits  of  a  larj;e 
lUill  Walrus,  au<l  the  following  results  were  airivcd  at: — Weight  of  Walrus 
blubber  =  r)'Jl)  jiounds,  about  one  fifth  of  a  ton,  which  at  40/,  a  tcui  is  worth 
8/, ;  .100  pounds  of  skin  at  2(1.  a  ]i<uiud  =  2/.  10«.,  ami  8  pounds  of  ivory  at  5«. 
a  pound  ="2/.,  giving  a  value  of  121.  10«." — Yachting  in  the  Arctic  Seas,  p.  89. 

t  Arcfie  Iiesr-iircjies,  etc.,  p.  "j')?. 

{Supi)I.  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  )>.  X\8. 

^S Cook's  l^ast  Voyiige,  vol.  ii,  p.  457, 

II Narrative  of  Pairy's  Second  Voyage, p.  268. 


FOOD. 


135 


luiiiid  ill  tlioir  .stomachs  l»,v  (liU'cicnt  ob.scrvcrs  than  from  tho 
IMciiIiarrontbriuiitiou  of  (hoirtciUh.  i\Iartens,.jiKlg'injj^  from  tho 
apiK'araiico  of  their  cxcroincnt,  thought  it  must  subsist  mostly 
upon  si'a-jiTass.  Auclcrson,  liowcver,  correctly  stated  that  they 
siiltsistcd  uiion  ^lolhisca,  Avhich  tliey  (»l)laiiied  from  tho  bottom 
of  the  sea  by  dijifiiuf;-  Avith  their  t  usks.  Crauz  also  says  its  food 
scciiis  to  (;onsist  \vholly  of  ''muscles  and  such  kind  of  shell- 
lish"  and  "sea-grass."  F.  Cuvier,  Bell,  and  others,  thought  tho 
dentition  indicated  tliat  their  diet  must  be  mainly,  if  not  wholly, 
\ cgetable.  Most  modern  observers  who  have  given  attention 
to  tlie  matter  state  that  they  have  often  found  vegetable  mat- 
ter mixed  with  other  food  in  their  stomachs,  some  claiming  the 
food  to  bo  in  small  i)art  vegetable,  but  mainly  animal,  while 
otliers  think  the  fragments  of  sea-weed  so  frequently  met  with 
in  their  stomachs  are  only  accidentally  i)resent.  Mr.  Browji,  who 
appears  to  have  had  excellent  opportunity  of  obtaining  infor- 
mation on  this  point,  observes:  "I  have  generally  found  in  its 
stomach  various  species  of  shelled  Mollusca,  chiefly  Mya  trun- 
cata,  a  bivalve  very  common  in  the  Arctic  regions  on  banks  and 
shoals,  and  a  quantity  of  green  slimy  matter  which  I  took  to 
be  decomposed  Algai  which  had  accidentally  found  their  way 
into  its  stomach  through  being  attached  to  tho  shells  of  the 
^loUusoa  of  which  the  food  of  the  Walrus  chiefly  consists.  I 
cannot  say  that  I  ever  saw  any  vegetable  matter  in  its  stomach 
which  could  be  decided  to  have  been  taken  in  as  food,  or  which 
could  be  distinguished  as  such.  As  for  its  not  [sic]  being  car- 
nivorous, if  further  proof  were  necessary,  I  have  only  to  add 
that  whenever  it  was  killed  neu.  where  a  "Whale's  carcass  had 
been  let  adrift,  its  stomach  Avas  invariably  found  crammed  full 
of  the  Iranf)  or  flesh  of  that  Cetacean.  As  for  its  not  being 
able  to  hold  the  slippery  cuirass  of  a  fish,  I  fear  the  distin- 
guished author  of '  The  British  Mammalia'  [Bell  ]  is  in  error.  Tho 
Narwhal,  which  is  even  less  fitted  in  its  want  of  dentition  for 
an  ichthy()])hagous  existence,  lives  almost  entirely  upon  i)la- 
ticlithyoid  fishes  and  Cephalopoda.  Finally  the  ex})erim<ntum 
vruciH  has  been  performed,  in  the  fact  tliat  lish  have  been  taken 
<»ut  of  its  stomach  j  and  a  most  trustworthy  man,  the  captain 
of  a  Norwegian  sealer,  has  assured  me  (without  possessing  any 
theory  on  the  subject)  that  he  has  seen  one  rise  out  of  th<'  water 
with  a  tish  in  its  mouth."* 
That  it  will  readily  subsist  on  fish,  as  well  as  other  animal 
•Proc.  Zoiil.  Soo.  Lond.,  1868,  pp.  430,  4:51. 


136 


ODOBiENUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


loo«l,  i.s  furtlicr  proveu  by  Mr.  Baitlett,  who  states  that  tbe  one 
received  at  tbe  Gardens  of  tbe  London  Zoological  Society  in 
18G7  was  fed  on  flsb,  mussels,  wbelks,  clams,  and  tbe  stomachs, 
intestines,  and  other  soft  parts  of  fishes,  and  that  while  on  the 
way  from  tbe  IJavis's  Straits  to  tbe  Shetland  Islands  was  fed 
on  strips  of  boiled  pork,  and  subsequently  during  tbe  voyage 
on  mussels.  He  says  he  is  inclined  to  believe  it  would  eat  car- 
rion or  decomposed  flesh,  and  raises  the  question  whether  the 
Walruses  may  not  "  be  the  scavengers  of  the  Arctic  seas,  the 
Vultiu'es  among  mammals,"  and  suggests  that  the  strong  bris- 
tles of  tbe  muzzle  may  have  something  to  do  with  tbe  gather- 
ing of  this  kind  of  food,  "as  well  as  with  shrimp-catching." 
He  further  states  that  it  declined  every  kind  of  sea- weed 
offered.* 

Mr.  Lamont  informs  us  that  he  has  found  their  stomachs 
to  contain  great  quantities  of  sand-worms,  starfish,  shrimps, 
clams  {Tridacna),  and  cockles  {Cardhim),  and  that  he  helieves 
that  they  also  eat  marine  algae,  or  sea-weeds. 

Malmgren  states  that  be  found  that  the  Walruses  of  Spitz- 
btrgen  subsist  almost  exclusively  upon  two  species  of  mussel, 
namely,  Mya  truncata  and  Saxicava  nigosa,  which  live  buried 
fi'om  3  to  7  inches  deep  in  the  mud,  in  10  to  50  fathoms  of  water. 
By  aid  of  their  grindhig  teeth  and  tongue  they  remove  the  shells, 
and  swallow  usually  only  the  soft  ])arts  of  tbe  animal.  Only  once 
among  many  thousands  examined  did  Malmgren  find  any  to 
which  a  piece  of  the  shell  adhered.  The  young  subsist  for  two 
years  almost  solely  ujion  the  milk  of  the  mother,  they  bemj" 
unable  to  dig  mussels  from  tbe  mud  until  their  tusks  have' 
attained  a  length  of  3  or  4:  inches,  which  length  is  not  acquired 
till  the  animals  have  reached  the  age  of  two  years.t 

In  common  with  some  other  Pinnipeds,  the  White  Whale  and 
probably  other  Cetaceans,  the  Walrus  takes  into  its  stomach 
small  stones  and  gravel,  but  for  what  purpose  appears  as  yet 
unknown.  Mr.  Brown  tells  us  that  considerable  quantities  of 
these  are  always  seen  around  its  atluk,  or  breathing-boles.J; 

*  Proc.  Zotil.  Soc.  Loud.,  18C7,  p.  820. 

t  Sec  Malmgren  as  translated  in  Toschel's  Arch,  ilir  Natiugescb.,  1864, 
l)p.  68-72.  The  reasons  here  given  to  account  for  the  long  period  of  nursing 
seem  reasonable,  but  other  authorities  believe  th.it  they  derive  nourishment 
ftom  the  mother  for  only  one  year. 

tProc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  p.  430. 


FUNCTIONS    OF    THE    TUSKS. 


137 


Functions  of  the  Tusks. — The  fiiuctioDs  of  the  tusks  litive 
beoi  also  a  matter  of  dispute,  more  especially  as  to  whether  they 
are  to  any  decree  ori^ians  of  locomotion.  l\efei"ences  to  their  use  in 
<'lic('tinj;a  landing-  upon  ice  bergsor  uixni  icy  or  rocky  shores  have 
euiue  down  to  ns  from  tlie  earliest  times,  iind  enter  into  nearly 
all  the  at'connts  of  this  animal  i  hat  have  hitherto  ai)peared.  Thar 
they  aie  thus  used  rests  upon  the  testimony  of  a  multitude  of 
observers,  yet  some  have  i'laimed  that  this  is  not  one  of  their 
functions.  ^lalmyreu  states  most  explicitly  that  these  reports 
are  false,  and  that  the  tusks  are  useful  only  as  weapons,  and  for 
the  far  more  important  service  of  digging  iii>  the  moUusks,  that 
almost  exclusively  constitute  their  food.*  Other  writers,  how- 
ever, who  appear  to  have  had  equally  as  good  oi>portunity  for 
observation,  refer  to  the  tusks  as  being  of  considerable  service  to 
the  animals  in  climbing.  Cranz  says:  "The  use  the  Sea-cow 
Tiakes  of  these  tusks  seems  to  be  in  part  to  scrape  muscles  and 
such  kind  of  shellfish  out  of  the  sand  and  from  the  rocks,  for  these 
and  sea-grass  seem  to  be  its  only  food ;  and  also  to  grai)i>le  and 
j;et  along  by,  for  he  fastens  them  in  the  ice  or  rocks,  and  thus 
«hin\  s  up  his  unwieldj'  helpless  trunk ;  and  fiimlly  'tis  a  weapon 
of  defence  both  against  the  white  bear  on  the  land  and  ice,  and 
the  sword-fish  in  the  sea."t 

Most  of  the  other  early  accounts  of  the  "Walrus  contain  simi- 
lar statements  respecting  the  use  of  the  tusks  as  locomotive 
organs,  and  many  later  writers  also  refer  to  this  use  of  them. 
Mr.  Brown  says:  "I  have  seen  it  also  use  them  [the  tusks]  to 

'  Say«  Maluigieu ;  "In  lii'trett'  der  eigeutlicheu  Beatimmuug  dcr  ZUlme 
bin  ich  iia  Stuiulc  die  iiotliigo  AufklUniug  zu  gelicii.  Es  liisst  sicli  uiclit 
bcstifiten,  dass  dieselben  als  Wafleu  angewendet  werdou  uud  als  solchc  audi 
furchtbar  sind ;  dass  sic  ivbei-  anch  als  Lokoraotionsorgane  dienen  sollten, 
ist  cine  Fabel,  und  daher  der  Nam**  Odoutobwmts  Steenstr.  nicht  pasaend. 
Gleich  dcu  Robbeu  bewegen  sioli  die  Walrosse  iiur  init  HUlfe  iliier  Fiisse, 
sowohl  auf  dera  Eise  als  au  den  saiidigeu  Meeiesgestadeii,  an  deneu  sio  bis- 
weilcu  biuaiifsteigeu,  luu  zu  schlafeu,  oft  zu  Hundorten  neben  eiiiander. 
Die  Bestininiung  der  Ziiline  ist  eiue  ganz  andorc  uud  fiir  die  Existeuz  des 
AValrossea  bei  weiteni  wiclitigere,  deun  niu*  niit  HUlfe  derselben  kann  ea  zu 
Ht'inrr  Nabrung  koninieu.  Ich  fand,  dass  das  Walroas  sicli  auaaclilieslich 
vein  zwei  Mus',:belu,  Mya  truncata  und  Saxkava  rugosa,  niibrt,  welcbo  in  oiner 
^^'llssertiet■e  von  lO-fjO  Faden  3-7  Zoll  in  deni  Bodenlebm  eingegraben  lebeu. 
I'm  au  diese  zu  kouuneu,  muss  das  Walrosa  sie  aus  dcni  Lelim  aufgraben." — 
Ofarmijt  Vvknuk.  Akad.  Forhaiidl.  Sioclholm,  18(5.1,  p.  VM,  as  translated  in 
Ardiiv  fiir  Naturgesch.,  18G4,  p.  UP. 

*Tbe  History  of  Greenland,  etc.,  Brethren's  Society's  English  translation, 
LkikIou,  17()7,  p.  127. 


138        ODOBiENUS    ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 

tlnig  its  huge  body  on  to  the  ice.  In  progressii'-g'  on  shore  it 
aids  its  chnnsy  progression  by  their  means."* 

Dr.  Kane  observes :  "l"]veu  Avhen  not  excited,  lie  manages  liis 
tusks  bravely.  They  are  so  strong  that  he  uses  them  to  grapple 
the  rocks  with,  and  climbs  steejis  of  ice  and  land  Avhich  Avould  be 
inaccessible  to  him  without  their  aid.  He  ascends  in  this  Wiiy 
rocky  islands  that  an;  sixty  and  a  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
the  of  sea;  and  I  have  myself  seen  him  in  these  elevated  posi- 
tions basking  with  his  young  in  the  cool  sunshine  of  August  and 
September.''  t 

Enemies In  respect  to  the  enemies  of  the  Walruses,  nuui  is, 

of  course,  their  chief  foe ;  but,  after  man,  all  writers  rank  the  Polar 
Bears  as  their  i)rincipal  adversaries.  In  their  contlicts  with  this 
formidable  antagonist,  the  Walrus  is  usually  the  reputed  victor. 
Says  Mr.  Brown :  "  The  Eskimo  used  to  tell  many  tales  of  theii 
battles ;  and  though  I  have  uever  beeu  fortunate  enough  to  see 
any  of  these  scenes,  yet  I  have  heard  the  whalers  give  most 
circumstantial  accounts  of  the  Walrus  drowning  the  Bear,  etc. 
These  accounts  may  be  taken  merely  for  what  they  are  worth ; 
but  still  this  shows  that  they  are  not  wholly  confined  to  Eskimo 
fable,  and  ought  therefore  not  to  be  hastily  thrown  aside.  There 
is  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  Bear  and  Walrus  are  (like  all 
the  Piunipedia)  but  indiflferent  friends."  | 

Captain  Hall,  however,  relates  the  following  story,  rife  amoiij; 
the  Inuuits,  of  a  very  ingenious  w  ay  the  Polar  Bear  has  of  kill- 
ing the  Walrus.  The  bear  is  said  to  take  up  his  position  on  a 
cliflf  to  which  Walruses  are  accustomed  to  resort  in  tine  weather 
to  bask  in  the  sun  on  the  rocks  at  its  base.  The  Bear,  mounted 
on  the  cliif,  watches  his  opportunity,  and  "  throws  down  upon 
the  animal's  head  a  large  rock,  calculating  the  distance  and 
the  curve  with  astonishing  accuracy,  and  thus  crushing  the  thick, 
bullet-proof  skull.  If  the  Walrus  is  not  instantly  killed — simply 
stunned — the  Bear  rushes  down  to  the  Walrus,  seizes  the  rook, 
and  hammers  away  at  the  head  till  the  skull  is  broken.  A  fat 
feast  follows.  Unless  the  Bear  is  very  hungry,  it  eats  only  the 
blubber  of  the  Wjilrus,  Seal  and  Whale."  Captain  Hall  accoiii 
panics  his  account  with  a  i)icture  of  a  Bear  in  the  act  of  hurlinj;  ii 
stone  upon  the  head  of  a  Walrus !  §    The  story,  doubtless  without 

»  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  LoncL,  1868,  p.  430.  t  Proc.  ZotiL  Soc.  Loud.,  18G8,  p.  4:W. 
t  Arctic  Exploration,  vol,  i,  p.  415.         ^S  Arctic  Researches,  etc.,  p.  581. 


OBM 


ENEMIES. 


139 


basis  in  fact,  is  of  interest  in  i*^^  bearingupon  tLo  mythical  history 
of  tlio  Walrus.  In  fact,  Dr.  Kane,  on  the  other  hand,  says :  "  The 
goneiiilly-received  idea  of  the  Polar  Bear  battling  with  the  Wal- 
rus ]ii(H>ts  little  favor  among-  the  Esquimaux  of  Smith's  Straits. 
My  own  experience  is  directly  adverse  to  the  truth  of  the  story. 
The  Walrus  is  never  out  of  reach  of  water,  and,  in  his  peculiar 
(,'leiuent.  is  without  a  rival.  I  have  seen  the  Bear  follow  the 
Ubsnk  [Bearded  Seal,  Erignathns  harbatiis]  by  diving ;  but  the 
toui^ii  hide  and  great  power  of  the  Walrus  forbid  such  an  at- 
tack." * 

The  Walrus  is  also  greatly  persecuted,  with  parasites.  These, 
according  to  Brown,  are  two  species  of  Hccmatopimis,  one  of 
which  invariably  infests  the  base  of  the  mystacial  bristles,  and 
the  other  its  body.  "  I  have  seen,"  says  this  writer,  "the  Wal- 
rus iiu'itking  loudly  on  the  ice,  tumbling  about  and  rushing  back 
from  the  water  to  the  ice,  and  from  the  ice  to  the  water,  and  then 
swimming  off  to  another  piece,  and  repeating  the  same  ope- 
ration, as  if  in  pain.  A  few  hours  afterwards  I  saw  a  flock 
of  Saxicola  cenanthe  (it  was  on  a  land  floe,  close  to  the  Fni 
Islands)  alight  on  the  spot.  On  going  over,  I  found  the  ice 
speckled  with  one  of  these  species  of  Hcematc^inus,  on  which  the 
birds  had  been  feeding ;  and  the  unfortunate  Walrus  seems  to 
have  been  in  the  throes  of  clearing  itself  of  these  troublesome 
friends,  after  the  approved  fashion.  Subsequently  I  have  seen 
these  and  other  small  birds  alight  on  the  back  of  the  Walrus  to 
peck  at  these  insects,  just  as  crows  may  be  seen  sitting  on  the 
backs  of  cattle  in  our  fields."  t  It  seems  also  to  be  infested  with 
intestinal  parasites.  Dr.  Murie,  J  in  his  report  iii>on  the  causes 
of  the  death  of  the  specimen  in  the  Zoological  Society's  Gai'dens, 
found  it  infested  by  a  species  of  Ascaris  {A.  blcolor,  Baird)  to 
sncli  an  extent  that  it  was  probably  the  cause  of  its  death.  He 
states  that  he  removed  from  its  stomach  about  "  half  a  pailful" 
of  small  round  worms,  two  and.  a  half  to  three  inches  in  length. 
Their  presence  had  evidently  induced  chronic  gastritis,  death 
resulting  from  ulceration.  Circumstances  seemed  to  indicate 
that  they  had  not  been  introduced  with  its  food  since  its  cap- 
ture, but  that  it  was  infested  with  them  before  its  capture  and 
confinement. 

•Arctic  Exploration,  vol.  i,  j).  203. 
tProc.  Zool.  Soo.  Loiul.,  1868,  p.  430. 
t  Ibid.,  pp.  (57-71. 


140 


ODOBiTlNUS    ROSMARIIS — ATLANTIC    WALl  J8. 


Domestication. — The  AV'alruH  i)osse.s.se.s  ii  high  «h^yrcc  of 
c't'n;brul  d('VC'h)i)UK'nt,  und  seems  to  be  easily  8UH('ei)til)le  of 
domestication,  ft  appears,  liowevor,  to  be  dillicult  to  ]nn)\) 
aliv*'  in  conflnenient,  especially  when  taken  far  south  of  its 
natural  home.  Doubtless  the  long  period  occupied  in  its  trans- 
portation from  the  Arctic;  regions  to  the  /ooloyical  gardens  of 
European  cities,  during  which  time  it  is  necessarily  subject  to 
very  unnatural  conditions  and  unsuitable  food,  does  nuicli 
toward  reducing  it  to  a  greatly  enfeebled  state  before  it  reaches 
European  i)ort8.  It  appears,  however,  that  three  specimens 
have  at  difterent  times  reached  England,  while  two  at  least 
have  been  taken  to  Ilollaud  and  one  to  St.  Petersburg.  In  each 
case  they  were  quite  young  animals,  probably  less  than  a  year 
old.  The  first  specimen  seen  alive  in  England  reached  London 
August  20,  1G08.  The  account  of  the  capture  of  this  si)ecimen 
and  of  its  arrival  in  Loudon  is  thus  detailed  by  Purchas.  It  was 
brought  in  the  ship  "God-speed,"  commanded  by  Thomas  Wei 
den,  on  its  return  from  a  voyage  to  Cherie  (now  Beai)  Islanci. 
The  account  says :  "  On  the  twelfth  [of  July,  1008,]  we  took  into 
our  ship  two  young  Morses,  male  and  female,  alive :  the  female 
died  before  we  came  into  England :  the  male  lived  about  ten 
Aveeks.  When  wee  had  watered,  we  set  sayle  for  England  about 
foure  of  the  (ilock  in  the  morning.  .  .  .  The  twentieth  of 
August,  wee  arrived  at  London,  and  having  disi>atched  some  pri- 
vate business,  we  brought  our  living  Morse  to  the  Court,  where 
the  king  and  many  honoiu^able  personages  beheld  it  with  ad- 
miration for  the  strangenesse  of  the  same,  the  like  whereof  had 
never  before  been  scene  alive  in  England.  Not  long  after  it 
fell  sicke  and  died.  As  the  beast  in  shape  is  very  strange, 
so  is  it  of  strange  docilitie  and  apt  to  be  taught,  as  by  good 
experience  we  often  proved."*  It  hence  appears  that  this  spe- 
cimen lived  for  only  about  three  weeks  after  its  arrival  in  Lon- 
don. 

Another  is  reported  to  have  been  exhibited  alive  in  Hol- 
land in  1612.  This  specimen  was  secured  with  its  mother,  which 
died  on  the  voyage  to  Holland,  but  its  skin  was  preserved  and 
stuflfed,  the  two  forming  the  originals  of  Gerard's  famous  draw- 
ing already  noticed.  Von  Baer,t  however,  raises  the  question 
whether  the  London  and  Holland  specimens  were  not  really  the 


*Furchas  his  Pilgriines,  etc.,  1()24,  vol.  iii,  p. 
tLoc.  cit.,  p.  1!U. 


,60. 


domestication'. 


141 


same  indiviiliial  exhibited  at  ditfen^nt  times  in  the  two  eoun- 
tri«>s,  and  devises  an  ingenious  explanation  lor  the  origin  of  the 
supposed  discrepaney  of  dates.  He  seonis  to  be  led  into  tlieso 
doubts  by  the  similarity  of  some  of  the  eirennistanees  attend- 
in;;  tlie  ( iiptuni  and  exhibition  of  these  animals,  and  the  elose 
jigreenient  of  the  dates.  Master  Welden's  aecount  of  the  eap- 
tir.'e  and  transportation  of  his  speeimen  to  London,  and  of  its 
early  death  there,  seems,  however,  too  oxplieit  to  be  overthrown 
by  mere  (jonjecture.  There  is  apparently  no  reason  for  suppos- 
ing that  the  Lon«lon  specimen  was  ever  seen  alive  in  Holla icd. 

From  a  statement  in  Camper's  writings,  it  would  appear  that 
a  living  s]>(!eimen  reached  Amsterdam  sibont  or  before  1 780,  as 
he  refers  to  having  seen  the  living  Walrus  in  that  city.*  But 
of  this  specimen  there  appears  to  be  no  further  record.  The 
specimen  taken  to  St.  Petersburg  from  Archangel,  and  described 
by  von  lUier,  lived  only  a  week  after  its  anlval  in  St.  Peters- 
burg. 

In  isr>3,  a  second  living  specimen  reached  London,  and  was 
placed  in  the  Gardens  of  the  Zoological  Society,  where,  how- 
ever, it  survived  only  a  few  days,  dying  apparentlj' of  improper 
and  insufficient  food.  A  third  specimen,  captured  in  Davis's 
Straits,  August  28, 1807,  reached  the  Zoological  Society's  Gar- 
dens in  London  about  October  28  of  the  same  year,  where  it 
lived  till  December  19,  or  for  nearly  five  weeks,  when  it  died  of 
chronic  gastritis  induced  by  the  immense  number  of  intestinal 
worms  {Ascaris),  by  which  it  was  unfortunately  infested.t  The 
first  London  and  Holland  specimens  were  quite  young  animals, 
as  were  also  probably  all  the  others.  The  second  London  speci- 
men (1853)  was  a  "  very  yoimg"  female,  but  I  have  seen  no  fur- 
ther statement  respecting  its  probable  age  or  its  size.  The 
third  London  specimen  (1807),  a  male,  was  judged  to  be  less 
than  a  year  old,  but  measured  8  feet  in  length  and  weighed 
about  250  pounds.  No  other  specimen  has  thus  far,  so  far  as  I 
can  learn,  been  taken  alive  to  any  point  south  of  the  Scandi- 
navian ports,  to  which,  according  to  Brown,  they  have  of  late 
been  frequently  carried.  J 

That  the  Walrus,  when  young,  possesses,  like  the  common 
Seals,  a  high  degree  of  docility  and  intelligence,  is  amply  evi- 

*  Camper  says:  "...      .     et  que  j'en  avois  vii  plusieitrs  mfime  un 
vivaut  ii  Amsterdam."— fflwvj-es,  tome  ii,  1803,  p.  481. 
tbeo  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1867,  p.  818,  and  1868,  p.  67. 
tProc.  Zool.  Soc,  1868,  p.  431. 


■■ 


142 


ODOBiENUS    R0SMARU8 — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


1 

,:i 

i 

dent  from  observations  made  upon  it  in  captivity.  In  fur- 
ther illustration  of  tliis  point  I  quote  the  following  from  Mr. 
Brown's  important  paper  on  the  Seals  of  Greenland  and  Spitz- 
bergen,  from  wliicli  T  have  already  quoted  so  largely.  Mr. 
Brown  says,  in  referring  to  the  subject  of  its  naturalization  in 
zoological  gardens :  "  I  cannot  better  conclude  these  notes  on 
the  habits  of  the  Walrus  than  b.\  lescribing  a  young  one  I  saw 
on  board  a  ship  in  Davis's  Straits,  in  1861,  and  which,  had  it 
survived,  was  intended  for  the  Zoological  Society.  It  was 
caught  near  the  Duck-Islands  off  the  coast  of  North  Green- 
land, and  at  the  same  time  its  mother  was  killed ;  it  was  then 
sucking,  and  too  young  to  take  the  water,  so  that  it  fell  an  easy 
prey  to  its  captors.  It  could  only  have  been  jiupped  a  very  few 
hours.  It  was  then  three  feet  in  length,  but  filready  the  canine 
tusks  were  beginning  to  cut  the  gums.  When  I  first  saw  it,  it 
was  grunting  about  the  deck,  sucking  a  piece  of  its  mother's 
blubber,  or  suckitig  the  fskin  which  lay  on  deck,  at  the  place 
where  the  teats  were.  It  was  subsequently  fed  on  oatmeal  and 
water  and  i)ea-soup,  and  seemed  to  thrive  upon  this  outre  nour- 
ishment. No  fish  could  be  got  for  it ;  and  the  only  animal  food 
which  it  obtained  was  a  little  freshened  beef  or  pork,  or  Bear's 
flesh,  which  it  readily  ate.  It  had  its  likes  and  dislikes,  and  its 
favorites  on  board,  whom  it  instantly  recognized.  It  became 
exceedingly  irritated  if  a  newspaper  was  shaken  in  its  face, 
when  it  would  run  open-mouthed  all  over  the  deck  after  the 
perpetrator  of  this  literarj^  outrage.  When  a  'fall'*  was 
called  it  would  immediately  run  at  a  clumsy  rate  (about  one 
and  a  half  or  two  miles  an  hour),  first  into  the  surgeon's  cabin, 
then  into  the  captain's  (being  on  a  level  with  the  quarterdeck), 
apparently  to  see  if  they  were  up,  and  then  out  again,  grunting 
all  about  the  deck  in  a  most  excited  manner  ^awuk!  moult V 
When  the  men  were  'rallying'!  it  would  imitate  the  operation, 
though  clumsily,  rarely  managing  to  get  more  than  its  own 
length  before  it  required  to  turn  again.  It  lay  during  the  day 
basking  in  the  sun,  lazily  tossing  its  flippers  in  the  air,  and  ap- 
peared perfectly  at  home  and  not  at  all  inclined  to  change  its 
condition.    One  day  the  captain  tried  it  in  the  water  for  the 

*  "  When  a  boat  gets  '  last'  to  a  whale,  .all  tlio  rest  of  the  crew  run  shout- 
ing about  the  decks,  as  they  got  the  other  boats  out,  'A  fall !  a  fall! '  It  is 
apparently  derived  from  the  Dutch  word  '  Val',  a  whale." 

t  "When  a  ship  gets  impeded  by  loose  ice  gathering  around  it,  the  crew  rush 
in  a  body  from  side  to  side  so  as  to  loosen  it,  by  swaying  the  ship  from 
beam  to  beam.    This  is  called  'rallying  the  ship'." 


MMMia 


■HM 


DOMKSTICATIOX, 


i4n 


first  tiino;  Imt  it  wiLs  <niit«!  awkwanl  and  got  umlci  tlie  floe, 
wliciKT  it  wiis  iinablo  to  extricate  itself,  until,  guitleA  by  its 
\}\\i'ons  '■  (I ini hi ii<i\  its  master  went  out  on  the  iee  and  I'alled 
it  by  iianie,  when  it  immediately  came  out  I'nnn  under  the 
ice  and  was  assisted  on  board  again,  ai)i>arently  heartily  sick 
ut  its  mother  element.  After  surviving  for  more  than  three 
months,  it  «lied,.just  before  the  vessel  left  for  England.  As  T 
wits  not  near  at  the  time,  I  was  unable  to  nmke  a  dissection  in 
ordei'  to  learn  the  cause  of  its  death.''* 

3Ir.  Lamont  thus  describes  a  young  Walrus  he  saw  on  board 
the  Norwegian  brig  "Nordby,"'  in  the  possession  of  Captain  Eric- 
sou  :  "  IJetbre  parting  <!ompany,  we  went  on  board  the  'Xordby' 
to  .ice  a  young  live  Walrus  ('a  leetle  boy-"\Valrus ',  as  Ericson 
in  ills  broken  English  called  it),  which  they  had  on  board  as  a 
jxt.  This  interesting  little  animal  was  about  the  size  of  a  sheep, 
and  was  the  most  comical  fac-similo  imaginable  of  the  old  Wal- 
ins.  lie  had  been  taken  aliv(?  after  the  liar])ooningof  his  mother 
;i  few  weeks  ago,  and  now  seemed  ])erfectly  healthy,  and  tame 
iintl  i>layi'ul  as  a  kitten.  It  was,  of  course,  a  great  pet  with  all 
on  board,  and  scented  much  nn)re  intelligent  <han  I  believed; 
ilic  only  thingwhich  seemed  to  destroy  its  ecpiaiiimity  was  i)ull- 
ing  its  whiskers,  or  pretending  to  use  a  '  rope's  end'  to  it,  when 
it  would  sneak  otl",  looking  over  its  shoulder,  just  like  a  dog 
when  chastised.  They  sai<l  it  would  eat  sal .  lish,  salt-beef, 
blnbbc)',  or  anything  ottered  it;  but  1  strong.y  advised  Ericson 
to  give  it,  if  possible,  a  mixture  of  vegetables  or  sea-weed  along 
witli  such  strong  diet.  I  assured  him  that,  if  he  succeeded  in 
taking  it  alive  to  the  Regent's  Park  or  the  Jardin  des  Plantes, 
he  would  get  a  large  price  for  it ;  but  before  1  left  Spitzbergen 
in  iSoptember,  I  heard  with  regret  that  the  curious  little  beast 
had  died."  t 

Mr.  Lamont,  on  one  of  his  later  Arctic  exi)editions,  captured 
several  young  Walruses,  and  seems  to  have  had  three  alive  at 
one  tune  on  board  the  "  Diane."  The  first  was  captured  on  May 
27,  and  safely  landed  on  board,  "  uttering  the  most  discordant 
cries  which  ever  assailed  the  (?ars  of  man."  ''A  harsh  note — or, 
mora  properly  speaking,  noise,  something  between  a  grunt  and 
a  bark — henceforth,  till  avc  were  hardened  to  the  ainioyance, 
broke  our  slumbers  at  night  and  destroyed  the  peace  and  (piiet 
of  the  day.    Though  particularly  anxious  to  secure  and  carry 

"Proc.  ZoOl.  Soc.  Loiul.,  ims,  pi).  131.  432. 
t  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  ;$!),  40. 


m 


144         ODOB^NUS   ROSMAItUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 

liome  a  youug  specimeu  of  this  interesting  animal,  we  soon  found 
the  company  of  so  noisy  a  shipmate,  with  the  anxiety  connected 
with  its  weaning,  was  not  an  unmixed  blessing."  Again  he 
says :"....  we  found  amusement  in  attemjits  to  wean 
the  Walrus-cub,  who  still  proved  obstreperous  when  attempts 
were  made  to  inject  preserved  milk  into  his  guzzle  by  means  of 
a  special  piece  of  apparatus  borrowed  from  the  doctor's  case. 
In  all  other  respects  he  comported  himself  with  the  '  strauge 
docilitie '  noted  by  Master  Thomas  Welden  of  the  God  Speed 
in  1608.  He  became  a  great  pet  with  the  men :  a  dear,  loving- 
little  creature,  combining  the  afiection  of  a  spaniel  with  the  pro- 
portions of  a  j)rize  pig.  What  struck  us  in  watchhig  its  singu- 
lar dexterity  was  that  there  could  be  any  difference  of  opinion 
as  to  the  hind-Sippers  of  the  Walrus  being  used  in  conjunction 
with  the  forepaws  after  the  ordinary  method  of  quadruijeds  for 
walking  on  land  or  ice.  '  Tommy '  also  exhibited  a  marvellous 
knack  in  climbing,  or  rather  wriggling,  his  supple  carcase  uj)  on 
to  casks  and  packages  in  the  hold."  Later  two  others  were  cap- 
tured, and  the  three  were  kept  in  a  pen  together.  The  unlucky 
fate  that  finally  befell  "Tommy"  is  thus  related :  "'Tommy', 
the  first  young  Walrus  picked  up  at  Xovaya  Zemlya,  a  month 
ago,  to  the  great  grief  of  every  one  except '  Sailor '  and  the  cook, 
was  found  dead,  with  his  face  immersed  in  a  pail  of  gruel  and 
one  of  the  others  lying  on  top  of  him — clearly  suffocated.  They 
were  confined  in  a  pen  forward  well  out  of  the  way ;  for  they 
lately  had  become  a  great  nuisance,  crawling  about  the  deck, 
always  in  someone's  way,  and  had  taken  to  roaring  like  bears 
down  the  companion  at  night.  A  few  nights  before  his  death 
this  little  beast  had  fallen  down  the  hatchway;  this  might  have 
had  something  to  do  with  his  untimely  end.  Nothing  was  found 
on  examination  but  a  total  absence  of  fat,  the  rest  of  the  dis- 
section was  reserved  for  the  anatomical  rooms  of  the  University 
of  Edinburgh,  our  late  companion  and  playmate  being  duly 
salted  and  packed  in  an  old  pork-barrel."  *  Of  the  fate  of  the 
others  I  find  no  record,  but  they  evidently  did  not  Ua  e  to  reach 
England.  "  Taking  into  consideration,"  says  Mr.  Lamont,  on 
an  early  page  of  his  work  last  cited,  "  the  facility  Avith  which  a 
Walrus  3ub  may  be  captured,  it  seems  strange  that  they  are 
not  more  often  met  with  in  the  zoological  gardens  of  Europe." 
After  alluding  to  previous  attemi)ts  to  take  them  to  Europeau 
cities,  he  sajs :  "  Until  some  special  vessel,  with  cows  on  board, 

*  Yachting  iu  the.  Arctic  Seas,  pp.  47,  48,  G2,  218. 


DOMESTICATION. 


145 


or  plenty  of  Swiss  preserved  milk,  visits  the  Walrus  haunts  and 
thus  solves  the  difficulty  of  weaniug",  it  will  not  be  easy  to  Import 
a  young  Walrus  in  good  condition,  and  many  of  the  interesting 
habits  and  traits  of  this  animal  will  remain  unknown.  Although 
the  calf  of  the  previous  season  frequently  accoujpanies  the  dam 
with  her  more  recent  offspring,  at  that  age  the  '  half- Wahais ' 
is  too  unwieldy  a  beast  to  be  cap*ared  alive ;  if  this  were  prac- 
ticable, there  can  be  no  doubt  its  nutrition  would  be  a  simple 
matter."* 

From  the  foregoing  accounts  of  the  survival  for  a  considera- 
ble period  in  captivity,  and  from  the  hardships  we  are  told  the 
third  London  (1867)  specimen  t  survived  daring  its  long  voyage 
to  London,  it  is  evident  that  with  a  suflflcient  supply  of  proper 
food,  and  due  arrangement  for  the  comfort  of  the  captives  dur- 
ing transportation,  coupled  with  a  speedy  voyage,  as  by  steam- 
ship, young  Walruses  might  easily  be  taken  in  luimbers  and 
brought  safely  to  southern  ports.  Whether,  however,  they 
(iould  long  endure  the  great  change  of  climate  they  would  be 
thus  forced  to  experience  is  a  matter  of  more  uncertainty,  yet 
they  in  all  probability  would  not  suffer  more  than  the  Polar 
Bear,  or  the  Sea  Lions  and  Sea  Bears,  which  have  of  late  been 
frequently  seen  in  different  zoological  gardens.  A  Sea  Lion,  as 
is  well  known,  not  only  s*  r>'ived  a  voyage  from  Buenos  Ayres, 

*  Yachting  iu  the  Arctic  Seas,  p.  H2. 

tTliis  specimen  was  captured  iu  Davis  Strait,  August  25,  "by  a  noose 
swung  over  his  head  and  one  foro  limb  from  the  ship  and  hauled  on  board. 
For  some  days  the  captive  was  kept  tied  to  a  ring-bolt  on  deck,  and  refused 
food  altogether.  Subsequently  ho  was  induced  to  swallow  thin  strips  of 
boiled  pork,  and  was  thus  fed  until  the  vessel  reached  the  Shetlands,  when 
a  supply  of  fresh  mussels  was  provided  for  its  use.  A  large  box  with  openings 
at  the  sides  was  fabricated ;  and  the  animal,  secured  therein,  was  brought 
safely  to  Dundee  on  the  26th  ult.  [October].  From  that  port  to  London 
the  Walrus  had  been  conveyed  in  the  steamer  'j^glia'  under  the  care  of  the 
society's  superintendent."— Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Land.,  1867,  p.  819.  Mr.  Bartlett 
furtbei'  says,  in  referring  to  the  specimen :  "  As  regards  the  present  animal, 
I  may  state  that  on  my  arrival  at  Dundee,  on  the  29th  of  October,  I  found 
tlio  young  Walrus  in  a  very  restless  state,  and,  as  I  thought,  hungry ;  it  was 
bcinij;  fed  upon  largo  mussels ;  about  twenty  of  these  were  opened  at  a  meal, 
and  the  poor  beast  Avas  fed  about  three  times  a  day.  [1]  I  immediately  told 
\\\o.  owners  that  I  thought  the  animal  was  being  starved.  Stevens  at  once 
iii;r(('(l  and  a  codfish  Avas  procured  '  the  neighborhood,  and  by  lue  cut 
into  long  tliin  strips.  On  offering  thc;c  (lieccs  of  cod  to  the  animal,  he  greed- 
ily devoured  Ihoni.  Since  that  time  I  have  fed  the  Walrus  upon  ^is/t,  mussels, 
whvlhs,  clams,  and  tlie  stomachs  and  inteatincs  and  other  soft  parts  of  fishes  cut 
suiall;  for  I  find  that  it  <!annot  swallow  anything  larger  than  a  Avalnut."— 
Ihkl,  pp.  819,  820. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 10 


146 


ODOKyENUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS. 


across  th«  tropics,  to  London,  but  lived  there  for  more  than  a 
year,*  and  finally  died  "  from  natural  causes." 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  met  with  the  following  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Alfred  Newton,  respecting  the  feasibility  of  ob- 
taining living  specimens  of  the  Walrus  for  the  Gardens  of  the 
London  Zoological  Society.  Beferriug  to  the  specimen  taken  to 
London  in  1608,  Mr.  Newton  says:  "Now  surely  what  a  rude 
skipjjer,  in  the  days  of  James  I,  could  without  any  preparation 
accomplish,  this  Society  ought  to  have  no  diflaculty  in  eflfef/ting ; 
and  I  trust  that  the  example  may  not  be  lost  upon  those  who 
control  our  operations.  From  inquiries  I  liave  made,  I  find  it  is 
quite  the  exception  for  any  year  to  pass  without  an  opportu- 
nity of  capturing  alive  one  or  more  young  examples  of  Triche- 
chus  rosmarns  occurring  to  the  twenty  or  thirty  ships  which 
annually  sail  from  the  northern  ports  of  Norway,  to  pursue  this 
animal  in  the  Spitsbergen  seas.  It  has  several  times  happened 
that  young  Walruses  thus  taken  are  brought  to  Hammerfest; 
but,  the  voyage  ended,  they  are  sold  to  the  lir^it  i)urchaser,  gen- 
erally for  a  very  kifling  sum,  and,  their  food  and  accommodation 
not  being  duly  considered,  they  of  course  soon  die.  Lord 
Dufi'erin  brought  one  which  had  been  t.aken  to  Bergen,  and 
succeeded  in  bringing  it  alive  to  Ullapool;!  and  Mr.  Lamout 
mentions  another  which  he  saw  in  the  possession  of  Captain 
Erichson.f  In  making  an  attempt  to  place  a  live  Walrus  in 
our  Gardens,  I  do  not  think  we  ought  to  be  discouraged  by  the 
bad  luck  which  has  attended  our  eifo/ts  in  the  case  of  the  larger 
marine  Manimjilia.  Every  person  I  have  spoken  with  on  tlio 
subject  corroborates  the  account  given  by  honest  Master  AVel 
den  of  the  'strange  docilitie'  of  this  beast;  and  that  in  a  mere 
financial  point  of  view  the  attempt  would  be  worth  undertaking 
is,  I  think,  manifest.  To  the  general  public  perhaps  the  most 
IJermauently  attractive  animals  exhibited  in  our  Gardens  arc 
the  Hippopotamuses  and  the  Seals.  What  then  would  be  the 
case  of  a  species  like  the  Walrus,  wherein  the  active  intelli- 
gence of  the  latter  is  added  to  the  powerful  bulk  of  the  I'or- 
mer?"§ 

Since  ^Nlr.  Newton  wrote  the  above,  another  specimen  lias 
reached  London,  as  already  detailed,  but  this  was  ten  years 

*Soc'  Millie.  Ti'iins.  Zoijl.  Soc.  LoiuL,  vol.  vii,  1872,  p.  528. 
t  "Letters  IVoin  High  Latitudes,  pp.  387-389." 
i: "  Seasons  with  the  Sea-horses,  pp.  20, 27." 
i  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  London,  1804,  'j,  500, 


ODOBiENUS   OBESUS — PACIFIC  WALRUS. 


147 


ago.  What  efforts  have  been  made,  if  any,  since  tliat  date, 
I  know  not,  bnt  the  skill,  energy,  and  money  which,  some 
fifteen  years  ago,  placed  a  White  Whale  {Belnga  catoilon)  in  the 
Aquarial  Gardens  of  Boston,  and  has  recently  safely  brought 
another  to  I^Tew  YArk,  and  has  taken  others  ali\'e  into  the  inte- 
rior nearly  to  Cincinnati  (the  latter  dying,  however,  before  quite 
reaching  that  city),  ought  certainly,  if  directed  toward  securing 
liviug  specimens  of  the  Walrus  for  public  exhibition,  meet  with 
easy  success.  As  to  the  influence  of  a  change  from  an  Arctic 
climate  to  mild  temperate  latitudes,  it  may  be  well  to  recall  the 
fact  thcit  not  many  centuries  since  the  natural  habitat  of  the 
Walnis  extended  to  the  southern  shores  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
Cape  Breton. 

ODOB^NUS  OBESUS,  [III)  Allen. 
Paciflc  Walrus. 

"Walhoss,  Steller,  Besehreib.  von  flem  Lando  Kamtsch.,  1774, 106." 

Sea  Horse,  Cook's  Third  Voyage,  ii,  1784,  456,  pi.  lii;  ibid.,  abridged  ed., 

iii,  40. 
Tridicchiis  rosmarus,  Shaw,  Gen.  Zoul.,  i,  1800,  234  (iu  part),  fig.  Gri*  (from 

Cook). — Vox  SCHKEXCK,  Relscn  im  Amur  Laude,  i,  7859,  179,  (iu 

part).— Leidy,  Trans.  Amer.  Phil.  Soc,  xi,  1860  (in  part).— Vox 

MiDDEXDOUFi",    Sibirische  Reise,  iv,  1867,  934  (in  part).     Also  iu 

part  of  most  recent  authors. 
Trichcchiia  obeaua,  Illigeu,  Abhandl.  d.  iierlin.   .'vkad.  (1804-11),  1815,  64, 

70,75  (distribution). 
Trivhfckus  dirergcns,  Ii.ligek,  Abhaudl.  d.  Berlin.  Akad.  (1804-11),  1815,  68 

(based  ou  Cook's  description  and  figure  of  the  Pacific  Walrus). 
liosmarHs  obesus,  Gill,  Proe.  Essex  lust.,  v,  1860,  13  (iu  part  only). — Dall, 

Alaska  and  its  Resources,  1870,  503, 577. — Scammox,  Marino  Mam., 

1874,  176  (figure  of  animal). 
Trkhcchiis  cookii,  Frkmery,  Bijdrag.  tot  dc  uaturkuuud.  Weteusch.,  vi, 

1831,  385. 
liomarus  cooki,  Gill,  Intern.  Exh.,  1876,  Anini.  Resources  U.  S.,  No.  2,  1876, 

4  ("Pacific  Walrus";  no  description);  Johnson's  New  Univ.  CycL, 

iii,  1877, 1725  (no  description). 
EiiKiiKinin   arcticus,    Pallas,  Zoiil.  Rosso-Asiat.,   1831,   269,   "pis.   xxviii, 

xxix.-'- Elliott,    Cond.    of    Afi'airs   iu    Alaska,    1875.    121,   160 

(Prybilov  Islands). 
liomarus  trichcchuH,  Gill,  Johnson's  Ne.w  Univ.  Cyclop.,  iii,  1877,  633  (iu 
part  only). 

External  Characters  and  Skeleton. — Similar  iu  size 
(or  i)os.sibly  rather  larger)  and  probably  in  general  contour 
(thongli  commonly  depicted  and  described  as  more  robust  or 
thicker  at  the  shoulders)  to  the  Oilohwmis  rosmarus,  but  quite 
(lifl'erent  in  its  liicial  outline.    Tlie  tusks  are  longer  and  thinner, 


148 


ODOB^NUS    OBESUS PACIFIC  WALIIUS. 


gcuerally  more  convergent,  with  niiich  greater  inward  (airva- 
ture;  tLe  uiystacial  bristles  shorter  and  smaller,  and  the  muzzle 
relatively  deeper  and  broader,  in  correlation  with  the  greater 
breadth  and  depth  of  the  skull  anteriorly.  The  Pacific  Walrus 
has  been  supposed  to  further  differ  from  the  Atlantic  species 
by  the  more  naked  condition  of  the  skin ;  but  this  seems  to  be 
merely  a  feature  of  age,  baldness  being  more  or  less  common  in 
old  age  to  both  species.  The  color  of  the  hair  is  nearly  the  same 
in  both.  A  large  old  male  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zool- 
ogy, Cambridge,  collected  at  the  Prybilov  Islands  by  Capt. 
Charles  Bryant,  is  entirely  destitute  of  hair,  except  around  the 
edge  of  numerous  old  scars,  and  on  the  breast  and  ventral  sur- 
face where  here  and  there  are  patches  very  thinly  clothed  with 
very  short  hair,  hardly  sufficient  in  amount  to  remove  the  gen- 
eral impression  of  almost  complete  baldness.  The  longest  mys- 
facial  bristles  are  scarcely  more  than  an  inch  in  length,  while 
the  greater  part  barely  project  beyond  the  skin.  There  is  an- 
other similar  specimen  in  the  collection  of  the  National  Museum. 
A  much  younger  specimen  (a  female)  in  the  coUectlm  of  Prof. 
H.  A.  Ward,  of  Rochester,  is  as  well  clothed  Avith  hair  as  is  the 
Atlantic  species  at  the  same  age,  from  which  the  color  of  the 
hair  does  not  appreciably  differ.  The  mystacial  bristles  are 
somewhat  longer  than  in  the  above-described  very  old  specimens, 
but  are  rather  shorter  than  in  the  Atlantic  species  at  the  same 
age.  Probably  in  young  individuals  the  bristles  are  much  longer 
than  in  the  adult,  as  is  the  case  in  the  Atlantic  species.  The 
chief  external  difference  between  the  two  species  appears  to 
consist  ia  the  shape  of  the  muzzle  and  the  size  and  form  of  the 
bristly  nose-pad,  which  has  a  vertical  breadth  at  least  one-fourth 
greater  than  in  the  Atiuutic  species.  Very  important  differ- 
ences between  the  two  species  are  exhibited  in  the  skull,  as  will 
be  presently  described. 

The  old  male  Alaskan  Walrus  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology  has  a  length  as  mounted  of  3350  mm.  (about  lOJ  feet), 
and  a  circumference  at  the  shoulders  (axillae)  of  3050  mm.  The 
skeleton,  as  measured  while  the  bones  were  still  connected  by 
cartilage,  gave  a  total  length  of  0^  feet  (264G  mm.),  of  wliich  the 
skull  measured  15i  inches  (354  mm.);  the  cervical  vertebra? 
13  (330  mm.) ;  the  dorsal  vertebra  45  (1130  mm.) ;  the  lumbar  15 
(370  mm.) ;  and  the  caudal  L*3  (580  n)m.).  The  fore  limb,  from 
the  proximal  end  of  the  humerus  to  the  end  of  the  first  or 
longest  digit  has  a  length  of  40  inches  (1010  ram.),  and  the  hind 
limb,  from  the  proximal  end  of  the  femur  to  the  end  of  the  Ion- 


MEASUREMENTS. 


149 


iivst  (lij^it,  ii  k'liyth  of  5J:  inches  (1040  juiii.).  The  .scapula  has  a 
Iciiji'th  of  Uii  inches  (420  nun.),  and  the  innominate  bones  a 
leujith  of  13  inches  (330  nun.).  Tlie  ineasuienicnts  more  in  de- 
tail of  the  principal  bones,  taken  from  the  skeleton  as  mounted, 
are  as  follows: 

Meamrements  of  an  adult  male  akclelon  of  Oilohmius  ohesm. 

mm, 

T'.)tiinen<,'tliof8kek'ton 2890 

Total  It'iigth  of  HkiiU... 390 

ExtreiiK!  breadth  of  skull 305 

Length  of  canines  (from  plauo  of  molars) 559 

Length  of  lower  jaw 290 

J3readth  at  condyles 238 

Length  of  cervical  -leries  of  vertebrje 400 

Length  of  dorsal  series  of  vertebra} 1170 

Length  of  lumbar  series  of  vertebrro 380 

Leugl  h  of  the  sacral  and  caudal  series  of  vertebras 550 

Length  of  tirst  rib,  osseous  portion  ...., 150 

Length  of  iirst  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 95 

Length  of  first  rib,  total 245 

Ticngth  of  second  rib,  osseous  portion 240 

Leng*  li  of  second  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 160 

Li'    'th  of  second  rib,  total 400 

i^iii^ih  (if  third  rib,  osseous  portion 310 

Length  of  third  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 180 

Lciigtliofthird  rib,  total 590 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  osseous  jwrtiou 440 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 190 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  total 630 

Length  of  fifth  rib,  osseous  portion 480 

Length  of  tifth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 220 

Length  of  fifth  rib,  total 700 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  osseous  portion 565 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 255 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  total 890 

Length  of  sc venth\ib,  osseous  portion 575 

Length  of  seventh  rib,  cartilagiuoua  portion 285 

Length  of  seventh  rib,  total , 860 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  osseous  portion 580 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 275 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  total 855 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  osseous  portion 57(i 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 345 

Lenglh  of  ninth  rib,  total IH5 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  osseous  portion 5(10 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 400 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  total 960 

Length  of  eleventh  rib,  osseous  x>ortiou 525 

Length  of  eleventh  rib,  cartilaginous  portiou 380 

Length  of  eleventh  rib,  total 905 


150 


ODOB^NUS    OIJESUS — PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


mm. 

Length  of  twelfth  rib,  osseous  portion GOO 

Length  of  twelfth  ril>,  cartilaginous  portion '^'i{) 

Length  of  twelfth  rill,  total d'JU 

Length  of  thirteenth  rib,  osseous  portion 4r)0 

Length  of  tliirteeuth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 210 

Lengtli  of  thirteenth  rib,  total OtiU 

Length  of  fourteenth  rib,  osseous  portion 3G5 

Li'ugth  of  fourteenth  rib,  eavtilagiuous  portion 120 

Length  of  fourteenth  rib,  total 48.') 

Length  of  tifteenth  rib,  osseous  poi'tion 70 

Length  of  lifteentli  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 00 

Length  of  tifteenth  rib,  total 70 

Length  of  sternum,  osseous  portion 540 

Length  of  steniuui,  total 650 

Length  of  scapula 420 

Breadth  of  scapula * 24") 

Oreatest  height  of  its  spine  (at  base  of  acromion) ^t,\ 

Length  of  the  humerus 390 

Tr.'insverse  diameter  of  its  head 110 

Antero-posterior  diameter  of  its  head 132 

Transverse  diameter  of  distal  end 138 

Length  of  radius 273 

Length  of  ulna :Ui2 

Longest  diameter  of  proximal  end  of  ulna 130 

Length  of  carpus 48 

Length  of  first  digit 124 

Length  of  metacarpal  of  second  digit 87 

Length  of  thii'd  digit 68 

Length  of  foiirth  digit 68 

Length  of  tifth  digit 75 

Length  of  femur 250 

Circumference  of  neck  of  femur *.. 135 

Least  transverse  diameter  of  shaft 55 

Transverse  diametttr  of  shaft  at  end 116 

Length  of  tibia 380 

Length  of  tibula 375 

Length  of  tarsus 172 

Length  of  metatarsal  of  first  digit 142 

Length  of  second  digit 126 

Length  of  third  digit 1 123 

Length  of  fourth  digit 132 

Length  of  fifth  digit 158 

Length  of  innominate  bone 430 

Greatest  width  of  pelvis  anteriorly 320 

Length  of  ilium 475 

Ijcngth  of  ischio-pubic  bones 245 

Length  of  thyroid  foranuai 153 

Length  of  os  penis 710 

Width  of  manus  at  base  of  metacarpus 140 

Width  of  pes  at  base  of  metatarsus 130 


rnggmM 


MKASUREMENTS    AND    EXTKKXAL    CHARACTERS.      IT)! 

Ivospcctiiij;'  tlir  si/c  iiii<l  external  ilinioiisioiis,  Mr.  I'jlliott  says, 
'•tlio  a<liilt  male  is  about  12  feet  in  length  from  nostrils  to  tip 
of  tail  fi)rol)ably  in  a  (airved  lin«>  over  the  inequalities  of  the 
siuracel  and  lias  10  or  12  feet  of  jfirth,  and  an  old  bull,  shot  by 
the  natives  on  Walrus  Island,  July  5,  1S72,  Avas  nearly  l.'J  feet 
lonu.  with  the  enormous  <>irth  of  14  feet.  The  immense  mass 
of  l»I.il>ber  on  the  shcmlders  and  around  the  neck  makes  the 
1m  ad  and  i)osteriors  look  small  in  proportion  and  attenuated."* 
He  estimates  the  ^iross  weij^ht  of  a  well-eonditioned  old  bull  at 
>'t\vo  tliousan<l  p<mnds,"  the  skin  alone  weighing  from  '"two 
hundred  and  tifty  to  four  hundred  pounds,"  and  the  head  "  from 
sixty  to  eighty."  The  head,  he  adds,  will  measure  eighteen 
in(?hes  in  length  from  between  the  nostrils  to  the  occiput.+ 

Captain  Cook  says  the  weight  of  one,  "  which  was  none  of  the 
largest,"  was  eleven  hundred  pounds  without  the  entrails,  the 
hea<l  weighing  forty-two  and  the  skin  two  hundred  and  five. 
Of  this  specimen  he  gives  the  following  measurements: 

Ft.  In. 

Length  from  the  miout  to  the  tail 9  4 

Lengtli  of  the  neck  from  t  he  suoiit  to  the  shoiilder-bone 'i  6 

Height  of  the  shou  Icr r>  0 

J  fore 2      4 

Length  of  the  fina  /  ,  .    ,  „      ^ 

fore 1      2i 


I 


Rrcadtli  of  the  fins  n  ,  .    ,  -.      n. 

hind 2      0 

(breadth - 0      5J 

•'"""M  depth 1      3 

Circumference  of  the  neck  close  to  the  ears 2      7 

Circumference  of  the  body  at  ftie  shoulder 7  10 

Circumference  near  the  hind  tins ")      6 

From  the  snout  to  the  eyes '•      7t 

This  was  evidently  either  a  female  or  not  fully  grown.  The 
circumference,  as  here  given,  is  somewhat  less  than  the  length. 

Respecting  the  external  appearance  of  the  old  males  as  ob- 
served in  life  by  Mr.  Elliott  on  Walrus  Island,  Mr.  Elliott  says : 
"  I  was  surprised  to  observe  the  raw,  naked  appearance  of  the 
hide,  a  skin  covered  with  a  multitude  of  pustular-looking  warts 
and  pimples,  without  hair  or  fur,  deeply  wrinkled,  with  dark 
red  venous  lines,  showing  out  in  bold  contrast  through  the  thick 
yoUowishbrown  cuticle,  which  seemed  to  be  scaling  off  in 
places  as  if  with  leprosy.    They  struck  my  eye  at  first  in  a 

'This  is  well  shown  in  Mr.  Elliott's  tigures. 

t  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  161,  162. 

+  Voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  etc.,  vol.  ii,  p.  459.  ' '' 


ir)2 


ODOn^ENUS    OIJESIIS rAf'IKK"    WAKHIS. 


Ill 


■ 
I?, 


most  unploasant  iiianiu'r,  lor  tlit-y  looked,  like  bloated,  iiiortity- 
iny,  shapeless  masses  of  fleshy  the  elusters  of  swollen,  warty 
pimples,  of  a  yellow,  i)arboiled  flesh-eolor,  over  the  shoulders 
and  around  tlu^  neek,  sujjgested  lunvholesonieness  foreihly."  * 
The  old  male,  in  tlie  Mu.-- eum  of  Comparative  Zoiiloj^y,  of  whieli 
measurements  are  given,  above,  is  almost  wholly  naked,  except 
about  the  numerous  old  healed  pishes  and  sears,  which  arc 
generally  bordered  with  very  short,  stitf,  brownish  hair,  ('aj)- 
tain  Scammon,  however,  who  has  also  observed  them  in  their 
native  waters,  states  that  the  hair  that  covers  "  most  individn 
als  is  short  and  of  a  dark  brown ;  yet  there  is  no  lack  of  exam- 
ples where  it  is  of  a  much  lighter  shade,  or  of  a  light  dingy 
gray.  .  .  .  The  young,  however,  before  its  cumbrous  canines 
protrude    .    .    .    is  of  a  black  color."  t 

The  mysta<jial  bristles  appear  to  vary  in  length  in  dift'ereiit 
individuals.  Pallas's  figure  of  a  rather  young  animal  represents 
them  as  thick  and  long.  In  the  old  specimen  in  the  Museum  of 
Comparative  Zoology  they  are  very  short,  and  do  not  form  a  very 
prominent  feature  of  the  physiognomy.  On  the  upper  part  of 
the  nuizzle  they  arc  merely  short,  small-pointed  spines,  one- 
fourth  to  one-half  or  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  length  ;  they 
increase  somewhat  in  length  toward  the  edge  of  the  lip,  w  hero 
the  longest  obtain  a  length  of  abc  it  two  inches.  They  are  quite 
slender,  the  coarsest  having  a  diameter  of  not  more  than  eight 
onehundredths  of  an  inch. 

Captain  Scammon  states  that  ''  The  cheeks  are  studded  with 
four  or  five  hundred  spines  or  whiskers,  some  of  which  are  rudi 
mentary,  while  others  grow  to  the  length  of  three  or  four  inches. 
They  are  transparent,  curved,  abruptly  pointed,  and  about  the 
size  of  a  straw,  but  not  twisted,  as  has  been  stated  by  some 
writers."  |  Mr.  Elliott  describes  them  as  being  "  short,  stubbed, 
gray- white  bristles,  from  one-half  to  three  inches  long."§  The 
descriptions  of  the  bristles  of  the  Atlantic  Walrus,  as  given  by 
numerous  writers,  agree  in  representing  them  as  much  longer 
and  thicker  than  in  the  Pacific  species,  the  dimensions  usually 
assigned  being  a  length  of  four  or  five  inches,  or  even,  in  some 
cases,  six,  and  about  one-twelfth  of  an  inch  thick.  The  figures 
and  descriptions  commonly  represent  them  as  forming,  by  their 


*Coiulilion  of  AifairM  in  Alaska,  j).  160. 

t Marine  Maninialia,  ji.  177. 

t  Marine  Maninialia,  p.  17(). 

J  Condition  of  Aftair.s  in  Alaska,  p.  161, 


i   % 


■■■Ml 


WM 


EXTERNAL    CHATIACTKRS. 


153 


.>izc  iind  U'lif^tli,  next  to  the  long  tusks,  oiieol'  tlu'  most  striking 
Iciinuvs  of  tlio  pliysioguouiy.  Jn  Cook's  and  Elliott's  figures  of 
tlic  I'iicilic  siH'cies,  liow- 
ivt'i',  tliey  arc  I>y  no  means 
ii  prominent  feature,  and 
tlit'ican'  nosueli  allusions 
to  the  formidable  asi>eet 
tliey  give  to  the  facial  ex- 
picssion  as  are  (commonly 
iiu't  with  in  the  a(!Couuts 
of  tlm  Atlantic!  species.  A 
duect  comparison  of  speci- 
HK^ns  of  (•orrespouding  ages 
shows  them  to  be  much 
shorter  than  in  the  Atlan- 
tic Walrus. 

The  eyes  of  the  Atlantic 
\N'idrus  are  described  as 
tiery  retl,  one  writer  (jom- 
l»iiring  them  to  glowiiig 
(•(Jills.  Mv.  Elliott  refers  to 
th(>s(M»f  the  Pacific  species 
iis  having  the  sclerotic  coat 
••of  a  dirty,  mottled  coii'ee- 
ycllow  and  brown,  with 
an  occasional  admixture  of 
white;  the  iris  light-brown, 
with  dark-brown  rays  and 
spots" ;  and  in  no  case  have 
I  seen  any  referen(!e  to 
their  being  "red."  While 
most  writers  who  have  de- 
scribed e  Atlantic  AVal- 
riis  from  life  refer  to  the 
redness  of  the  eyes  as  a 
remarkable  and  striking- 
feature.  Cook,  Scammon, 
and  others  (Mr.  Elliott  ex- 
oei»ted)  make  no  reference  to  the  color  of  the  eyes,  which  would 
hardly  have  escaped  them  had  they  possessed  the  redness  char- 
acteristic of  the  Atlantic  species. 

3Ir.  Elliott  further  describes  the  eyes  as  small,  but  pronnneut, 
"protruding  from  their  sockets  like  those  of  a  lobster,"  and 


11). — Odohiiinii  ohenH». 


154 


ODOli.KM  S    OMKsrS— PACIFIC    WAr^HUS. 


stnti's  tliiit  the  iiiiiiiiiils  liiivc  the  powiTot'  rolliiifj;  tlM'in  about  in 
every  (lin'ctioii,  so  that  wlicn  arousotl  tlu'.v  schloui  move  tlie 
head  more  tliaii  to  <'levate  it,  the  position  of  the  eyes  near  tlic 
top  of  the  head  Ki^'i"!^  them  the  needed  raiiye  of  vision. 

The  nostrils,  as  in  the  Athinti«'  species,  are  at  the  toj)  (►f  the 
muzzle;  they  are ''oval,  and  about  an  inch  in  their  <;Teat('st 
diameter."  The  auricular  openinj;'  is  placed  nearly  in  a.  line  with 
the  nostails  and  eye,  and  henc«'  near  the  top  of  the  head  in  a 
fold  of  the  skin.  Tin*  animal  is  said  to  have  a  keen  sense  of 
smell  and  an  a(!ute  ])ercei)tion  of  sound,  but  a  limited  power  of 
vision.  * 

An  idea  of  the  lun'onth  and  peculiar  facial  aspect  of  tbe  Pa- 
cific Walrus  may  be  derived  from  the  above-fjfiven  figures  (Fig. 
13)  drawn  by  Mr.  Elliott,  to  Avhose  kindness  I  am  indebted  for 
tlielr  presentation  in  tin-  present  cimnection. 

I  append  herewith  nn  .,  iirements  of  a  considerable  series  of 
skulls,  of  different  ages,  one  oidy  of  which  is  marked  as  that  of  a 
female,  they  being  mostly  skulls  of  middle-aged  or  very  old 
uiales. 

*  See  Elliott,  1.  c,  pp.  161,  162. 


t;  I 


M 


MEASUREMENTS   OF    SKULLS. 


155 


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15G 


ODOUiENUS    OBESUS — PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


Differential  Characters.— As  already  stated,  the  I'a- 
cilic  Walrus  differs  I'roiu  the  Atlautic  Walrus  very  little  in 
external  characters,  except  iii  facial  outline  and  in  the  size  aud 


Fig.  14. — Odohauus  obeaus. 

*'  set "  or  curvature  of  the  tusks.    The  skulls,  however,  afford 
many  important  differential  characters,  and  on  these  differ- 


mttmm^ 


DIFFERENTIAL  CHARACTERS. 


167 


enccs  I  veuturo  to  predicate  tbo  existence  of  two  8i)ecies,  using 
the  term  "  species  "  in  its  commonly  accepted  sense.  To  show 
inoro  readily  what  these  differences  are,  I  present  herewith  a 
.series  of  figures  of  skulls  of  both  old  and  young  of  the  two 
Ibrnis.  Tlio  skulls  selected  for  this  purpose  are  average  exam- 
](les  of  ii  considerable  series,  the  adiUt  skulls  being  those  of 
males  of  strictly  comparable  ages.  ^s 


Fig.  15.^ — Odobcenus  roamarus. 


The  skulls  of  the  two  species  seen  in  profile  (Figs.  14  and  15) 
exhibit  the  following  differences:    The  first  and  most  obvious 


158 


ODOH^NUS   OBESUS — PACIFIC    WALKUS. 


is  pel  uaps  that  preseiitetl  by  the  tusks,  which,  iu  the  Pacific 
species  (Fig.  14),  are  mnvAi  longer  and  thicker  than  in  the  other 

(Fig.  15),  less  incurved  aud 

more  convergent;  their  alve 

oli  are  deeper  and  thickev. 

with  heavier  walls,  theryby 

giving  much  gxeater  fullness 

to  the  front  wall  of  the  skull, 

j  even  modifying  the  form  of 

the  nasal  bones.    The  front 

outline,  as  seen  in  profile,  is 

very  oblique  in  the  Atlantic 

species,  while  iu  the  Pacific 

species  it  is  nearly  vertical, 

the  front  edge  of  the  nasal 

bones  being  verj-  little  liostc- 

rior  to  the/Vow*  border  of  the 

base  of  the  tusk,  while  iu  tbc 

1  Atlantic  species  the.,  scarcely 

Fig.  16.- Odob'niKHnxiiiumt^.  pass  beyond  a  vertical  liuc 

drawn  from  the  himler  border  of  the  tusk.    Tlie  orbits  in  the 

Pacific  species  arc 
placed  more  ante- 
riorly than  iu  tlie 
other. 

In  the  trout  view 
of  the  skulls,  the 
muzzle  is  seen  to  be 
much  smaller  in  the 
Atlantic  spades 
(Fig.  IG)  than  in  the 
Pacific  (Fig.  17), 
with,  however,  not 
very  marked  differ- 
ences in  outlines  and 
proportions.  The 
receding  ujiper  bor- 
der in  tlie  latter  is  a 
marked  feature. 
The  difiereuce  iu 
size  hero  shown  is 
an  important  one, 
since  the  '■tino  skulls  compared  dift'er  very  little  in  geuei'iil  size, 


Fig.  17.—  ^loho'iiuH  ohcsun. 


DIFFERENTIAL  CHARACTERS. 


159 


tliey  giviug  ve  v  nearly  tlie  same  measurements  in  respect  to 
extreme  dimensions  oi  length  and  breadth.    The  difference  is 


Fig.  \fi. — OdoUrnm  romnaruH. 


lieuce  one  of  proportion,  resulting  from  the  far  greater  develop- 
ment in  both  breadth  and  depth  of  the  anterior  portion  of 
the  skull  in  the  Pacitic  species.     IJut  while  the  skull  of  the 


Fig.  l!). — ()tl<ih((iiiin  obemiH. 


Adiiiitic  species  is  smaller  anteriorly  than  the  other,  it  has  the 
occipital  regiou  (Fig.  ]^)  is.orc  heavily  developed  than  is  the 
ciistf  iu  the  I'acilic  speci  s  (Fig.  ID).  The  dittevence  in  dcvelop- 
Hiciit  of  the  n.astoid  pro<',esses  is  strongly  appare'it,  not  only  as 
lospcets  nuissiveness,  but  iu  the  general  outline.  ^Jn  thelMcitic 


160 


ODOB.ENUS   OBESUS — PACIFIC   WALRUS. 


Ill 


■I'! 
i. 


species  there  is  a  thiuness  and  anterior  deflection  not  seen  in 
the  other.  Tlie  sculpturing  of  the  occipital  plane  (after  allow- 
ing for  a  considerable  range  of  individual  variation  in  this 
respect)  is  quite  different,  as  well  as  the  relative  degree  of 
verticality.  The  occipital  breadth  of  the  skull,  as  compared 
with  the  total  length  of  the  skull,  is  not  greatly  different  in  the 
two  forms.  In  the  Pacific  species,  the  occipital  condyles  are 
narrower  than  in  the  other,  and  are  placed  at  a  somewhat  dif- 
ferent angle,  both  laterally  and  vertically. 


Fig.  20. — Odohwnua  rosmarus. 

The  difference  in  relative  development  of  the  anterior  and 
posterior  portions  of  the  skull  in  the  two  species  is  best  seeu 
from  above  (Figs.  20  and  21).  In  this  view,  the  narrow  facial 
breadth  in  the  Atlantic  species  (Fig.  20)  is  in  striking  contrast 
with  its  great  occipital  breadth,  whereas  in  the  Pacific  species 
(Fig.  21)  the  two  regions  are  more  equally  developed.  Anotlior 
difference  brought  out  in  tliis  view  is  the  greater  iuterorbital  von- 
striction  in  the  Pacific  si)0('ios,  which  is  not  only  relatively  but 
actually  much  narrower  than  in  the  other,  wliih;  the  point  of 


DIFFERENTIAL  CHARACTERS. 


161 


{ireatest  coustriction  is  considerably  posterior  to  tlie  same  point 
in  the  AtJautic  species. 

There  are  also  important  differences  in  the  form  of  the  differ- 
ent bones  of  the  skull,  as  shown  in  the  young.  In  the  Pacific 
species  (Fig.  22),  the  nasals  are  nearly  one-third  longer  and 
narrower  than  in  the  Atlantic  species  (Fig.  23),  and  the  frontals 
have  a  quite  different  posterior  outline,  they  being  abruptly 


Fig.  21. — Odohamia  dbeaus. 

nijrrowed  just  behind  the  orbital  fbssfe  to  less  than  half  tbe 
breadth  they  present  in  the  Atlantic  Walrus,  and  extend  further 
posteriorly  in  a  narrow  point  instead  of  being  rather  abruptly 
triuioatod.  In  the  Atlantic  species,  the  lateral  anterior  angle 
of  the  nontals  is  in  a  line  with  the  most  laterally  projecting 
portion  of  the  maxillaries,  Avhile  in  the  racifi<;  species  the 
Itreadth  at  this  point  is  considerably  greater  than  at  the  ante- 
rior border  of  the  frontals.  While  the  frontals  present  in  each 
species  a  considerable  range  of  variation  in  resi)ect  to  their  poo- 
terior  outlines,  the  average  difference  is  very  nearly  as  here  rep- 
Misc.  Pub.  Ko.  12- — 11 


162 


ODOIiiENUS   OBESUS PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


WW^ 

w 

'  ■  '•■,;- 

'  '■  ■  '!'• 

resented.  The  young  skulls  here  compared  are  of  nearly  the 
same  age ;  but  unfortunately  the  absence  of  the  occipital  por 
tion  of  the  skull  in  the  only  Pacific  specimen  of  this  age  (Fig. 
22)  I  am  able  to  figure  renders  it  Impossible  to  compare  by  fig 
nres  the  occipital  region  in  young  specimens.    Other  specimens 


Fig.  22. — Odobwnus  obesua. 


Fig.  23. — OdohmiuH  rosmarus. 


young  enough  to  have  the  sutures  still  open  show  the  differ 
euces  seen  iu  the  occipital  region  of  older  skulls. 

Another  difference,  but  one  apparently  less  constant  than  tlie 
others,  is  the  presence  in  the  young  skull  of  the  Pacific  Wali'ii> 
(Figs.  22  and  24)  of  an  extension  posteriorly  of  the  interniaxilla 
ries  for  two-thirds  of  the  length  of  the  nasals.  In  the  Atlantic 
skull  (Figs.  23  and  25),  the  intermaxillaries  do  not  enter  into  tlie 
dorsal  outline  of  the  skull,  but  terminate  at  the  anterior  l»i 
der  of  the  nasals.  This  difference  is  open  to  exceptions,  and  is 
not  offered  as  a  character  of  importance,  since  the  same  modifi 
cation  or  backward  prolongation  of  the  intermaxillaries  occurs 
occasionally  in  the  i^  tlantic  species,  and  is  sometimes  absent  in  | 
the  Pacific  species,  while  in  some  exami)les  the  intermaxillaries 
reach  the  dorsal  surface  only  as  isolated  ossicles  between  tlie 
nasals  and  maxillaries.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  conditions  in  | 
this  respect  shown  in  the  young  skulls  here  figured  appear  to 
be  diagnostic  of  the  two  species. 


DIFFERENTIAL  CHARACTERS. 


163 


A  comparison  of  tue  skulls  as  seen  from  below  (Figs.  26  and 
27)  sliows  not  only  che  considerably  greater  contraction  of  the 
skull  anteriorly,  and  the  greater  massiveness  and  different  form 
of  the  mastoid  processes  in  the  Atlantic  Walrus,  but  other 
weighty  differences.  These  are  especially  seen  in  the  size  and 
fonn  of  the  auditory  buUte,  and,  to  a  less  extent,  in  the  form  of 
the  occipital  condyles,  the  form  of  the  glenoid  cavity,  the  orb- 
ital fossa),  etc.    In  the  Atlantic  Walrus  (Fig.  26),  the  auditory 


Fig.  24. — Odobcenus  obesus. 


Fig.  25. — Odohwnus  ro»maru«. 


bullic  are  relatively  larger  than  in  the  other  (Fig.  27),  more 
<iuadrilateral  in  outline,  and  rather  more  swolk  n.  The  differ- 
ences in  size  and  outline  arc  very  considerable,  the  auditory  bullse 
ill  the  Pai'iiic  species  being,  as  respects  outline,  nearly  triangular. 
The  inner  anterior  angle  is  also  strongly  developed,  being  by 
far  the  most  imvardly  salient  portion  of  the  bulhe,  while  in  the 
AtliMitic  skull  it  is  grcj'tly  suppressed.  As  regar(  Is  the  ojoipital 
cou(lyl(»s,  they  are  broader  and  sliorter  in  the  Atlantic  species, 
and  less  produced  anteriorly.    The  space  between  them  is  also 


164 


ODOlJyEMTIS    OBESrS — PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


considerably  Inoadcr  tliaii  in  the  otlicr,  ami  the  plane  of  artic- 
ulation is  more  nearly  vertical.  This  seeius  conelate  with  the 
gi'eater  incurvation  of  the  tusks;  these,  being  almost  vertical 
in  the  Pacitic  species,  allow  a  greater  «leclination  of  the  head. 

Another  ditt'erence  a]>])areiit  in  this  aspect  of  the  skull  is  the 
relative  posterior  extension  of  the  condylar  portion,  which,  in  the 
Pacific  species,  extends  nuu;h  further  beyond  the  posterior  bor- 
der of  the  mastoids  than  in  the  other.  This  is  obviouslj-  due  to 
greater  length  of  the  basioccipital  segment  of  the  skull  in  the 
Pacific  species,  which  is  clearly  shown  in  the  annexed  figures 


FiG-^G.—  Odolcrnusrosmarus. 

(Figs.  20  and  27).  The  position  of  the  foramina  of  the  basal 
portion  of  the  skiUl  is  ilso  quite  different  in  the  two,  as  is 
especially  seen  in  respect  to  the  condylar  foramina,  which  are 
situated  more  posteriorly  in  the  Atlantic  species  than  in  tbo 
other,  due,  ]»erhaps,  to  the  shortness  in  this  form  of  the  basi- 
occipital region. 


■to 


DIFFERENTIAL    {'IIAHACTERS. 


165 


Aiiotlu'v  (liftbreiicc  not  yet  noted  consists  in  the  greater 
[('ii;itli  iind  massiveness  ol'  tiie  /yjioiiiatsi  in  the  Tacific  species, 
II  which  tliey  are  fully  oue-thinl  heavier  than  in  the  Atlantic 
species;  they  being  in  the  former  both  deeper  and  thicker. 
This  is  well  shown  in  the  above  given  figures  of  the  skulls  as 
5CCI1  in  prolile  and  from  above  and  below,  but  especially  as 
IS  seen  from  below.)  The  orbital  fossa'  are  also  quite  dift'erent, 
:licy  being  relatively  long  and  narrow  in  the  Paciflo,  and  shorter 
uul  broader  in  the  Atlantic  Wahois. 


Fui.  27. — Dilohivinis  obvHux. 

To  sum  ui)  in  a  word  the  above-detailed  cranial  tlifterences 
between  the  two  species  of  AValruses,  the  skuU  of  the  Pacific 
animal  is  heavily  developed  anteriorly  and  relatively  much  less 
so  posteriorly,  while  in  tlie  Atlantic  Walrus  just  the  reverse  of 
this  obtains,  the  skull  in  the  latter  being  heavily  developed 
posteriorly  ixnd  relatively  less  so  anteriorly.  The  axis  of  vari- 
ation being-  at  the  posterior  border  of  the  orbital  fossae,  the 


166 


ODOB^NUS    0BE8U.S — PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


zygomata  share  the  general  character  of  the  anterior  half  of  the 
skull. 


Fig.  28. — Vdohanua  rosmarua.    Adult. 
But  equally  striking  differences  are  seen  in  a  comparison  of 
the  lower  jaws  of  the  two  species.    These  differences  correlate 


Fni.  '«i'.). — OiLbfenus  ohesus.    Adult, 
in  a  most  interesting  manner  with  those  that  characterize  the 
cranium.    Tims,  in  the  Atla-itic  species  (Figs.  28  and  30),  the 


DIFrKKENTIAL  CHARACTERS. 


167 


iiiinidiblc  is  far  less  iiiiis.sive  aiitciiorly  than  iii  the  Atlantic 
"Wiilrns  (Fi^s.  IM)  ami  .'U),  while  it  is  much  more  massive  pos- 
tcriuily.  There  is  also  eoiisiderahle  <lifference  in  the  mandibles 
of  tilt'  two  ill  otliei-  respects.  Thus,  not  only  is  the  mandible 
of  tlie  racilic  AValrus  much  thicker,  both  laterally  and  ver- 
tically, at  the  symphysis,  but  the  border  of  the  ramus  is  widely 
unlike  in  the  two  fin-ms.     In  the  Atlantic  Walrus  (Fig.  30),  the 


Fia.  30. — Odohosnua  rosmarus.    Adult. 

inferior  border  of  the  ramus,  from  the  posterior  end  of  the  sym- 
physis to  the  front  of  the  jaw,  rises  by  a  gradual  and  nearly 
uniform  curve ;  in  the  Paciflc  Walrus  (Fig.  31),  the  inferior  bor- 
der scarcely  rises  at  all,  the  jaw  in  front  being  simply  bluntly 
rounded.  In  respect  to  the  posterior  portion  of  the  ramus,  the 
differences  consist  in  the  greater  breadth  of  the  condylar  por- 
tion in  the  Atlantic  specie?^  and  the  greater  thickness  of  the 


Fig.  31. — Odobcenua  ohems.    Adult. 

coronoid  process.  These  differences  are  all  strongly  i)ro- 
nounced  in  even  quite  young  skulls,  this  being  especially  the 
case  with  respect  to  the  inferior  border  of  the  symphysial  por- 
tion of  the  jaw  (Figs.  32  and  34).  Another  difference  consists 
in  the  position^  of  the  coronoid  process,  which  in  the  Paciflc 
Walrus,  especially  in  the  young,  is  cexit)  j'I  to  the  axis  of  the 
ramus,  while  in  the  Atlantic  species  it  rises  more  from  the  inner 


ICS 


ODOHiENUS   OnESUS — I'ACIFIC    WAI.RU8. 


■!  <■£« 


i 


edge,  and  the  process  itnelt'  has  an  iiiwanl  (juivatnre  not  seen 
in  the  other  (Fij;s.  .'53  and  35). 

The  eranial  ditl'erences  here  detailed  as  obtaining;  between 

the    Athmtie    and    I'aeilie 
Wahnises  are  btu'ne  out  by 
a  hirge  series  of  the  skulls  of 
the  two  species,  juimberiug 
uot  less  than  twelve  to  fifteen 
of  each.   There  is  in  each  spe- 
cies a  considerable  range  of 
individual  variation;  but  the 
differences  jiresented  by  the 
skulls  here  figured  fairly  rep- 
resent  average  conditions. 
The  only  exception  to  be 
made  is  in  respect  to  the 
tusks  of  the  Pacific  apeci- 
Fio.  32.— OrfoftcPHHs  7-o8maru8.    Young,    nieu  figured,  which  are  per- 
haps above  the  average  in  size,  while  they  are  remarkably  di- 
vergent, more  so  than  in  any  other  specimen  of  this  species 
that  I  have  seen.    Ordinarily,  or  as  a  rule,  they  are  more  or 

less  convergent,  and  some- 
tim«?s  even  meet  or  overlap, 
while  in  the  Atlantic  species 
they  are,  as  a  rule,  (7tvergeut, 
While  in  the  Pacific  species 
the  tusks  descend  almost  ver- 
tically^ in  the  Atlantic  spe- 
cies they  are  quite  uniformly 
strongly  incurved. 

In  view  of  the  differences 
in  the  skulls  here  described, 
together  with  the  correlating 
differences  of  facial  expres- 
sion, notwithstanding  the  ab- 
Fig.  33.—odobcBmt8  obeaus.  Young,  senco  of  other  very  strongly 
marked  external  differences,  I  have  little  hesitation  in  accord- 
ing to  these  two  forms  specific  rank.  Added  to  these  differ- 
ences is  the  fact  of  their  unquestionably  long  geographic 
separation.  Whether  an  individual  of  one  jpecies  may  not  oc- 
casionally find  its  way  to  the  habitat  of  the  otter  is  a  question 
for  future  consideration.    That  such  an  occurrence  is  not  impos- 


1  >l  ri-KUKX  TI A  L    (  1 1 A  MM  TEU'S. 


I(i9 


sililc  serins  ovidcnl  iVoiii  tlic  tact  cil'  the  «'\islc'iu'(',  (luiiii;;'  \un- 
lions  of  the  year  at  least,  of  areas  of  open  water  alon;;'  those 
|i(>rtioiis  (»f  the  Aretie  eoast  supposed  to  separate  the  haltitats 
111'  ihe  two  species.  Further  fiiau  tliis,  I  luive  seen  a  skull  (now 
ill  the  3Inseum  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History)  which 
L'apt.  Charles  Hryaiit  (certainly  a  trustworthy  authority) 
issiu'cs  me  was  taken  by  his  assistant,  on  Wali'us  Islaud,  in 
the  suminer  of  1871  or  1872,  that  agrees  in  every  particular 
rtitli  the  skulls  of  the  Atlan- 
tic species.  This  skull  hav- 
iiif;'  been  somewhat  fantas- 
tically painted  (the  lower 
surface  deep  red  and  tlie 
upper  yellowish-white),  led 
QIC  at  iirst  to  doubt  the  cor- 
rectuess  of  the  alleged  local-  FiO-  ^i.—Odohamus  ronmarun.  Youug. 
ity.  su])posing  that  if  really  obtained  at  the  Prybilov  Islands 
it  lai^iht  have  been  brought  there  from  some  distant  point. 
This  quaint  ornamentation  proves,  however,  an  aid  in  fixing 
the  locality  of  its  capture  as  Walrus  Island.  It  differing  so 
widely  from  the  form  usually  occurring  in  those  waters,  it  at 
once  attracted  attention,  and  was  mounted  on  a  bracket  and 
preserved  as  a  curiosity,  the  paint  being  applied,  as  Captain 
Bryant  inforius  me,  to  facilitate  its  being  kept  free  of  dust! 
Cai)tain  Bryant  states  (in  a  letter  to  the  Avriter)  that  he  has 
hinist'lf  "seen  two  specimens  like  it,"  but  adds  that  he  "did  not 
succeed  in  killing  them."  Hence,  of  course,  their  resemblance 
to  the  one  now  in  question  is 
ouly  presumed,  the  animals 
being  only  seen  alive.  He 
Aviites,  further,  that  this 
"head"  was  recognized  as 
"different  from  any  before 
seen  there."  I  will  merely  add 

that  this  skull  is  indistin-  ^^*^-  '^^^•—Odohamua  obesus.  Young, 
giiisliable  in  any  essential  detail  from  skidls  of  corresponding 
age  from  the  Atlantic  waters,  and  points  to  the  occasional  oc- 
currence of  Odobwnus  rosmarus  within  the  habitat  of  Odohcvnm 
ok'niis.  As  von  Middendorft"  has  showai  (see  iintea,  p.  78),  the 
Ti  alrus  (presumably"  the  Atlantic  species)  has  occurred  much 
further  to  the  eastward  than  the  limits  assigned  it  by  von  Baer, 
lie  having  traced  it,  satisfactorily  to  himself,  api)arentl.y,  to 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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170 


ODOB^NUS    OIJESrS — PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


witliin  thiity  (lf,'noos  of  the  western  limit  of  the  range  of  tlie 
Pacific  animal.  Ii  vicAv  of  these  facts,  the  question  arises  ns 
to  "whether  the  Atlantic  species  may  not  occasionally  pass  aloiiji' 
the  northern  coast  of  Asia  so  far  as  to  sometimes  reach  tlit' 
habitat  of  the  Pacific  species. 

Nomenclature. — The  first  specific  mime  applied  to  the  Ta- 
ciflc  Walrus  is  ohisufi,  given  by  Illiger  in  1815,  in  his  "  Uebei- 
blick  tier  Saugethiere  nach  ihrer  Vertheilung  iiber  die  AVelt- 
theile."*  In  this  paper  this  name  is  three  times  used  as  a  dis- 
tinctive appellation  for  the  Pacific  Walrus,  namely,  (1)  in  his 
list  of  the  species  of  Northern  Asia,  in  which  "  Triclteehus  ros- 
inarus^^  and  "  Trichcchus  ohesus^'  are  both  given;  (2)  in  his  list 
of  the  species  of  North  America ;  and  (3)  in  his  remarks  respect- 
ing the  first-named  list.  In  these  remarks  (1.  c,  p.  75)  he  says, 
"  Die  beiden  Arten  des  Wallrosses,  Trichcchm  ohesus  uud  [T.] 
Eosmarus,  sind  schon  bei  Nord-Asien  vorgekommen."  For  Eu- 
rope he  gives  only  T.  rosmariis  (I.  c,  p.  5G),  respecting  the  dis- 
tribution of  which  he  says,  "  Der  Trichechus  Eosmarus,  das  Wiill- 
ross,  lebt  an  den  eisigen  Kiisten  von  Nord-Europa,  Nord-Asieu. 
und  des  ostlichen  Nord- America  "  (1.  c,  p.  61).  It  is  thus  not 
quite  clear  whether  he  considered  his  T.  rosmarus  to  have  u 
complete  circumpolar  range,  with  T.  ohesus  as  a  second  species 
occurring  only  on  the  northeastern  shores  of  Asia  and  the  north 
western  shores  of  North  America,  or  whether,  as  is  more  probable, 
hemerely  meant  that  T.  rosmarus  ranged  eastward  along  the  Arc- 
tic coast  of  the  Old  World  to  the  northern  shore  of  Western  Asia 
(as  is  the  fa<;t),  and  was  replaced  on  the  Pacific  shors^s  of  Asia  and 
America  by  T.  ohestis.  In  cither  case  he  I'ccogiiized  as  a  distinct 
species,  under  the  name  T.  obesus,  the  Walrus  of  the  North  Pa- 
cific and  adjacent  portions  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  In  the  same 
paper  is  also  a  reference  to  a  Trichechus  "  lUvergens,'"  respctiiig 
which  he  thus  observes :  "Auser  dem  schon  bei  Europa  erwiilin- 
ten  Wallross,  Trichechus  Eosmarus,  flndec  sich  an  der  westUclien 
Nord-Amerkanischen  und  nahen  Oat-Asiatischen  Kiiste,  uikI 
dem  Else  dieser  Meere,  vielleicht  aber  auch  an  der  ganzen  Iviiste 
des  Eismeers  das  von  Cook  beschriebene  und  abgebildete  Wall- 
ross, das  ich  wegen  mehrerer  Verschiedenheiten,  besonders  <ler 
Hauziihne,  als  eigne  Art.  unter  dem  Namen  divcrf/ens  aufjic 
fiihrt  habe  "  (1.  c,  ]>.  (>.S).  lie  thus,  in  the  same  paper,  appears  to 
recognize  two  species  of  Pacific  Walruses.    The  name  din'rueim. 


'  *  Al)liaii<l.  ik'i-  Akad.  ilci 

70,   o. 


\ViMscii«ch.  /ii  Hcrliu 


1804-1811,  (1H15),  lil'.^4. 


NOMENCLATURE   AND   HISTORY. 


171 


lioAvever,  does  not  again  occur,  so  far  as  I  can  find,  either  in 
this  paper  or  in  any  of  the  writings  of  this  author.  The  name 
vhcsKs  has  several  pages  priority  over  divcrgcns,  and  must  hence 
be  adopted  for  the  Pacific  Wabus. 

The  next  names  applied  to  the  Walruses  are  those  used  by 
Froniery,  who,  in  1831,  recognized  three  species,  namely,  Triclie- 
elms  rosmarus,  T.  longidcns,  and  T.  cooki.  The  first  is  the  com- 
mon Walrus  of  the  North  Atlantic.  The  second  was  founded 
on  a  skull  with  long,  slender,  and  somew  hat  converging  tusks, 
tlie  locality  of  which  is  not  stated,  but  the  species  is  usually 
considered  as  based  on  the  skull  of  a  female  Atlantic  Walrus. 
The  third  is  obviously  the  Walrus  described  and  figured  by  Cap- 
tain Cook.  The  latter  is  hence  synonymous  with  obesm  (and 
lUvergens)  of  lUiger.  The  second  (longidens)  has  generally  been, 
as  just  stated,  considered  as  based  on  a  female  skull  of  the 
common  Atlantic  Walrus. 

In  1842,  Stannius,  while  referring  all  the  previously  given 
names  to  one  species,  characterized  what  he  believed  to  be  a 
second  species,  under  the  name  duMus,  based  on  a  large  skull 
presenting  unusual  features  of  individual  variation.  I  do  not 
find  that  the  locality  of  this  specimen  is  distinctly  given,  but 
von  Middendorflf  appears  to  consider  Stannius's  T.  dubins  to 
have  reference  to  the  Pacific  Walrus.* 

In  186G,  Gill,  in  adopting  Bosmarus  as  the  generic  name  of 
the  Walruses,  took  lUiger's  name  obesus  for  the  specific  name  of 
the  single  species  he  (Gill)  at  that  time  recognized.  Later  (as 
already  noticed,  see  antea^  p.  22),  in  naming  the  two  presumed 
species  of  Walruses,  Gill  chose  obesus  as  the  name  of  the  Atlantic 
species,  and  took  cooJcii  of  Fremery  for  the  Pacific  species,  over- 
looking the  fact  that  ohesm  was  originally  applied  to  the  Pacific 
species,  in  obvious  allusion  to  its  supposed  more  robust  or 
thicker  form  as  compared  with  the  Atlantic  Walrus. 

History. — ^The  Pacific  Walrus  appears  to  have  received  its  first 
introduction  into  literature  through  the  early  exploration  of  the 

*  Von  Middendorflf  says:  "Ersteror  verglich  [he  refers  at  this  point  iu  a. 
footnote  to  Stanniiis's  paper]  Schiidel  nnd  Gehisse  der  WalroHse  unter  einau- 
•Icr  nnd  fand  die  Hauer  bei  don  Walrossen  der  Beringsstrasso  etwas  liinger, 
iliiimcr  und  gelinde  spiralig  gegon  einandcr  gckriimmt,  ini  Vergleiche  mit 
(lenen  des  atlantischen  Eismeeres.  Seine  eigenen  schliesslichen  Zweifel 
Hl»ri(lit  ahev  der  vorgesehlageuc  Name,  Tricheehm  dtthius,  dentlich  geuug 
ails." — Sihirhchc  lieUc,  lUl.  iv,  p.  792.  I  do  not  nnderstand,  however,  that 
Stiuniius's  T.  ffu/oHP  had  Hiiy  reference  to  eitlier  these  characters  or  to  tlie 
I'acilie  Walrnses.  (Compare  Stanuius's  iiaper  in  Milller's  Areli.  fiir  Aiiat., 
IS^,  pp.  ;U)2,  405-407). 


172 


ODOlJvENUS    OliESUS PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


easteru  portion  of  the  Arctic  coast  of  Asia,  about  the  middle  of  tlie 
seventeeutli  century,  by  the  Cossack  adventurer  Staduchin,  who 
found  (about  1015  to  1018)  its  tusks  on  tlie  Tschuktschi  coast, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Kolyma  Eiver.  A  century  later  Deschnew 
found  also  large  quantities  of  Walrus  teeth  on  the  Siind-bars  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Anadyr.  These  exjilorations,  so  interesting 
geographically',  appear  not  to  have  been  known  in  Moscow  till 
Miiller,  in  1735,  discovered  the  reports  of  them  at  Jakutsk  which 
he  published  in  his  "Sammlung  russischer  Geschichte."  * 
Hence  not  until  the  last  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  did  the 
Paeiflc  Walrus  become  fairly  known,  mainly  through  the  exi)lora- 
tions  of  Steller,  Kraschininnikoff,  Coo  ^  Kotzebue,  Liitke,  Bil- 
lings, Pallas,  and  others,  each  of  whom  n  ferred  to  or  gave 
more  or  less  full  accounts  of  it.  The  Paeiflc  Walrus  was  first 
figured  in  Cook's  "Last  Voyage,"  and  subsequently  by  Pallas. 
Later  it  was  noticed  by  Wrangell  on  the  Tschutkchi  coast  and 
by  Beechey  in  Behring's  Straits  and  the  neighboring  waters. 
More  recently  we  have  notices  of  it  by  Dall,  Scammon,  and 
Elliott,  the  two  last-named  authors  giving  us  by  far  the  most 
detailed  account  of  these  animals  which  has,  to  my  knowledge, 
thus  far  ai)peared,  and  from  whose  writings  I  have  freely  bor- 
rowed in  the  preparation  of  the  following  pages. 

Figures. — The  first  figures  of  the  Pacific  Walms  appear  to 
be  those  published  in  Cook's  "Last  Voyage,"!  in  1784,  when  a 
group  of  Walruses  is  represented  as  resting  on  the  ice.  The 
more  prominent  of  these  figures  was  copied  by  Shawf  in  1800, 
and  later  by  Godman§  and  others.  It  was  also  reproduced  by 
Gray  in  1853,  ||  and  is  here  republished  (Fig.  36). 

According  to  von  Baer,  Pallas,  in  his  "Icones,"^]  gave  two 
illustrations  of  the  Walrus.  The  one,  he  says,  shows  the  animal 
from  the  side,  the  other  as  lying  on  its  back.  Von  Baer  describes 
these  as  being  far  better  than  any  figures  of  the  Walrus  that 
had  preceded  them,  with  the  exception  of  Gerard's  (1612),  al- 
ready described.  The  structure  "^f  the  hind  feet,  he  says,  is  well 
represented,  except  that  the  nans  on  all  the  feet  are  too  long. 

*  For  this  history  in  {fioatcr  detail,  sec  von  Baer,  1.  c,  pp.  175-177. 

t  Voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocoaii,  etc.,  under  the  direction  of  Captains  Cook, 
Clerke,  and  Gore,  in  tlie  years  17()G-1780,  vol.  ii,  pi.  Hi. 

t  General  Zool.,  vol.  i,  1600,  pi.  ixviii,  facing  p.  234.  Also  Nat.  Miscel., 
pi.  Ixxvi. 

vSAiner.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  i,  165)0,  pi. 

II  Proe.  Zoiil.  Sor.  Lond.,  IH.",;!,  jt.  IKi. 

•I  ''Icones  ad  Pallasii  Zoogri'phiam,  fase.  ii." 


FIGURES. 


173 


The  fore  foot,  however,  he  says,  is  wrongly  represented.  Von 
Daer  critic  es  the  form  of  the  nose,  the  front  part  of  which  he 
says  is  too  prominent,  and  lias  the  angles  or  wings  (Nasenfliigel) 
too  distinct,  and  adds  that  the  coloring  is  also  faulty.  But  von 
Baer's  comparison  is  made  with  the  young  specimen  of  the  At- 


lantic Walrus  he  observed  in  St.  Petersburg,  aid  perhaps  indi- 
cates the  difterences  between  the  two  species,  rather  than  any 
incorrectness  in  Talhis's  drawings.  Von  Baer  also  refers  to  the 
lijtures  in  Cook's  "Last  Voyage"  as  behig  somewhat  exagger- 


174 


ODOBiENUS    OBESUS — PACIFIC   WALRUS. 


ated  in  regard  to  the  pliunp  or  robust  form  of  the  animal,  unless, 
as  he  says,  the  Eastern  (or  Pacific)  Walruses  are  fatter  than  the 
Western  ones.  Pallas,  in  his  "Zoographia  Bosso-Asiatica," 
cites  "tab.  xxviii.  et  xxix."  of  his  accompanying  "Icones,"  but 
the  only  copy  of  the  "Icones"  I  have  seen  contains  only  one 
plate,  marked  as  referring  to  page  269  of  his  "Zoographia" 
(the  plates  are  not  numbered),  where  the  Walrus  is  described. 
This  is  a  most  indifferent  and  badly  colored  figure  of  an  appar- 
ently not  half-grown  animal,  in  which  the  tusks  are  quite  short, 
the  mystacial  bristles  long  and  thick,  the  hind  feet  extended 
backward,  the  tail  distinct  and  prominent,  as  well  as  the  thighs 
and  shoulders,  and  all  the  toes  of  both  the  fore  and  hind  limbs 
are  provided  with  long,  conspicuous  nails. 

The  next  illustration  of  the  Pacific  Walrus  appears  to  have 
been  published  by  Mr.  H.  W.  EUiott*  in  1873.  This  is  the  result 
of  a  careful  study  of  the  animals  from  lifet  (on  Walrus  Island, 
Alaska,  in  July,  1872),  by  an  artist  not  only  qualified  to  do  jus- 
tice to  the  subject  from  an  artistic  point  of  view,  but  who  brings 
to  his  work  the  trained  eye  of  a  naturalist.  This  illustration 
represents  a  group  of  some  t^n  or  more  old  males  quietly  repos- 
ing on  the  rocks  in  a  variety  of  postures.  The  figures  in  the 
foreground  are  expressive  and  detailed,  and  alibrd  i  far  the 
best  representations  of  an  adult  Walrus  yet  extant.  The  edi- 
tion of  the  work  embraced  onlj*  one  hundred  and  twenty -five 
copies,  and  can  hence,  unfortunately,  have  but  a  very  limited 
circulation.  Two  of  the  figures  seen  in  the  foreground,  how- 
ever, liave  been  reproduced  by  ScammonJ  from  Mr.  Elliott's 
drawings,  and  give  a  good  idea  of  the  form  of  these  nuAneldy 
creatures. 

I  can  refer  with  certainty  to  no  heretofore-published  figures 
of  the  skull  or  general  anatomy,  but  some  of  the  representations 
of  tlie  skull  already  mentioned  in  the  account  of  the  figures  of 
the  Atlantic  species  may  i)ossibly  represent  this  species. 

Geographical  Distribution.— The  habitat  of  the  Pacific 
Walrus  embraces  a  much  smaller  extent  of  coast  and  a  mucli 
narrower  breadth  of  both  latitude  and  longitude  than  the  Atlan- 
tic species.  It  is  confined  on  the  one  hand  to  a  comparatively 
small  stretch  of  the  northern  and  eastern  coasts  of  Jxsia,  and  to 

*  Report  on  the  Prybilov  Group,  or  Seal  Islands,  of  Al.aska  (plates  not  num- 
bered and  text  unpaged).     Wasliingtoji,  187.3. 
tSee  beyond,  p.  179. 
t  Marine  ^lammals  of  the  Northwest  Coast  of  North.  America,  1874,  p.  17". 


i 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


175 


ji  still  smaller  i)ortioii  of  the  opposite  American  coast.  To  the 
westwanl  the  Walrus  appears  not  to  have  been  traced  beyond 
Ciip<'  Sc'lielatskoi  (157°  30'  east  longitude),  and  to  have  occurred 
in  large  herds  only  as  far  west  as  Koljutschin  Island  (185°  east 
longitude).  These  herds  are  reported  as  composed  almost  solely 
of  males,  the  females  rarely  passing  beyond  the  mouth  of  the 
Koljina  Eiver.*  Wrangell,  who  passed  two  winters  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kolyma  Eiver,  asberts  confidently  that  the  Wal- 
rus of  Behring's  Straits  were  abundant  at  Cape  Jakan  (176°  3(y 
east  longitude),  but  only  once  reached  Cape  Schelatskoi,  while 
he  found  them  numerous  at  Koljutschin  Island.  Thence  east- 
ward they  form  the  chief  subsistence  of  the  Tschutschi.t 

On  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia,  Steller  (according  to  von  Baer) 
reports  that  as  early  as  1742  none  were  killed  by  the  Eussians 
south  of  Karaginskoi  Island  in  latitude  60°.  He  reports,  how- 
ever, finding  one  on  the  southern  point  of  Kamtschatka,  but  von 
Baer  questions  whether  in  this  isolated  instance  of  its  supposed 
occurrence  so  far  south  there  may  not  be  some  mistake,  and 
that  the  animal  was  really  a  large  Seal  or  a  Sea-cow  {Ehyti)ia).X 
Kiasliinuinikow  states  that  in  his  day  they  were  confined  to  the 
iioithern  se.as.  He  says,  "On  voit peu  de  chevaux  marins  dans 
les  environs  de  Kamtschatla,  on  si  I'on  en  trouve,  ce  n'est  que 
tliiiis  les  mers  qui  sont  au  nord.  On  en  prend  beaueoup  plus 
pii's  du  cap  Tchukotskoi,  oil  ils  y  sont  plus  gros  &  plus  nombreux 
(lue  par  tout  ailleurs".§  Liitke  found  a  dead  one  as  far  south 
iis  Karaginskoi  Ostrow  (latitude  58°). ||  Higher  up  the  coast 
from  Capo  Thaddeus  northward  and  westward,  the;^  wv.a  met 
with  in  great  numbers  by  the  early  Russian  explorer  j.  In  the 
Arctic  Sea  north  of  Behring's  Straits  they  have  been  met  with 
iihnndantly  as  far  north  as  ships  have  penetrated,  their  north- 
ward range  being  only  limited  by  the  unbroken  ice  sheet. 

On  the  American  coast  they  have  been  traced  eastward  only 
as  far  as  Point  Barrow,  v^here  they  were  observed  by  Beech '^y 

*  Si'o  von  Middondorff,  Sil  irisclio  Reisc,  Bd.  iv,  p.  936,  footnote. 

t  "Anf  der  Inscl  Koliutschin  -werdon  niancLnial  oine  grosso  Meuge  Wall- 
losso  crlogt,  indcni  die  Eingeboruen  sic,  wenn  sic  ana  dem  Mcoro  auf  das  Ufor 
stcigcn,  pliitzlich  Uberfallcn,  ihnen  den  Riickweg  ins  Wasser  absclinoiden 
mill  mit  Peitschcn  und  Stocken  weitcr  liiuanl'treibcu,  wo  sio  sio  dann  mit 
Iticlitcv Miilio erlegen. — DasWallross ist dem  sitzendenTscliuklsclion,  weun 
iUKli  niclit  80  r.Miuittolbar,  doch  fast  ebon  so  aligemoiu  niitzlicU,  als  dcni 
Xoniaden  das  Renntbier." — Xordkiiste  von  Sibirien,  vol.  ii,  1839,  pp.  224,  225. 

tSoc  von  Baer,  1.  e.,  p.  183. 

vvllist.  de  Kamtsch.,  etc.,  a,s  translated  by  "M.  E.  .  .  ."  (Eidona),  torn.  1, 
lT(ir,  J).  283. 

II  Voyage  antour  du  Monde,  toni.  11,  !>.  178. 


176 


ODOIJ^NUS   OBESUS — PACIFIC   WALRUS. 


in  1823.  Cook,  in  1799,  found  tliem  nuinerons  in  the  neighbor- 
hood  of  Icy  Cape.  They  were  also  met  with  by  lieeehey  on 
Diomede  and  Saint  Lawrence  Ishinds*  and  on  other  i.shmds 
more  to  the  soutliward.*  Liitke  found  great  herds  at  Saint 
Mathew's  Island,  in  latitude  (JOo,t  where  their  teeth  were  seen 
later  by  BMlings-f  They  formerly  resorted  in  summer  in  large 
numbers  to  Saint  Paul's  and  Saint  George's  Islands,  Avhere,  ac- 
cording to  Sarytschew,  28,000  pounds  of  their  teeth  were  ob- 
tained in  a  single  year.  They  still  resort,  in  small  numbers,  to  a 
neighboring  islet  (Walrus  Island),  and  even  to  the  easternmost  of 
the  Aleutian  chain,  as  will  be  presently  more  fully  noted.  For- 
merly they  were  also  abundant  on  Nunivak  Island,  situated  to 
the  eastward  of  Mathew's  Island,  and  not  far  from  the  Alaskan 
coast. 

On  the  coast  of  the  mainland  they  have  been  met  with  in 
great  herds  at  different  times  in  Kotzebue  and  Norton  Sounds 
and  in  Bristol  Bay.  Captain  Cook  appears  not  to  have  ob- 
served them  south  of  latitude  58°  42',  at  which  point  he  found 
them  in  Bristol  Bay,  as  well  as  more  to  the  northward.§  There 
appears  to  be  no  certain  proof  that  they  were  in  early  times  ever 
met  with  on  the  outermost  of  the  Aleutian  Islands, ||  and  no 
early  reference  to  their  occurrence  anywhere  south  of  Bristol 
Bay  and  the  Prybilov  Islands.  Brown,  however,  as  late  as 
1868,  says:  "On  the  northwest  coast  of  America  I  have  known 
it  to  come  as  far  south  as  50°  north  latitude.''^]  Of  this  I  can 
find  only  a  partial  confirmation,  and  think  that  possibly  there  is 
a  mistake  in  respect  to  the  latitude  here  given.**    Elliott  says, 

*  Narrative  of  a  Voyage  to  the  Pacific  ami  BcLringV  f*traits,  vol.  ii,  p.  'J71, 

t  Voyage  autour  du  Monde,  torn,  ii,  p.  176. 

t  Sauer's  Account  of  Billings'  Expcd.  to  the  North  Parts  of  Russia,  p.  2'i'>, 

$  Voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  etc.,  vol.  i,  i)p.  43n,  455,  457;  vol.  ii,»l»p. 
245,  248,  249,  259. 

II  On  this  point,  see  vou  Baer,  1.  c,  i».  182. 

U  Proc.  ZoiJl.  Soc.  Loud.,  18(W,  p.  4'.52. 

**Mr.  Brown  further  states in'the  same  connection  that  "It  [the  Walrus] 
is  found  all  along  the  circumpolar  shores  of  Asia,  America  and  Europe,"  and  that 
"Jt  is  not  unlikely  that  it  may  cren  be  found  in  the  Antarctic  regions" !  L.  c,  p. 
432.  This  idea  I  liave  not  seen  elsewhere  revived  since  tlie  early  part  of  the 
present  century.  (On  this  point  see  vou  Baer,  1.  c,  p.  173,  and  footnoti'.) 
Dr.  Gray  refers  to  the  reported  occurrence  by  Bouelli  of  "Sea  Horses"  on 
the  Island  of  Saint  Lorenzo,  Callao.  As  this  author  describes  "the  two 
great  white  tusks  projecting  from  the  mouth  on  either  side,"  and  further 
says  that  "the  tusks  are  of  great  value  and  form  an  important  article  of 
commerce,"  Dr.  Gra.V  concludes  these  remarks  "cannot  apply  to  the  tusks 
of  the  Sea  Bear";  but  ho  adds  tliat  he  had  "never  heard  of  the  genus  Trichc- 


ill 


ill 


.jaiuiL  iJLJU.il 


OEOORAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


177 


AVI  it  ill}?  in  1874,  tluit  "not  more  tban  tliirty  or  thirty-fivo  years 
iif^o  small  numbers  of  these  animals  were  killed  now  and  then 
on  islands  between  Kodiak  and  Oonemak  Pass"  (hit.  55°  to  57°). 
lb'  adds  none  "arc  now  found  south  of  the  Aleutian  Islands."* 

Kespectinfj  their  present  €listribution,  Captain  Scammon,  writ- 
iiif;  in  1S74,  from  personal  observation,  says:  "Great  numbers 
of  Walruses  are  found  where  the  waters  of  the  Arctie  Sea  unite 
with  those  of  Behring  Straits,  and  also  in  Behriug  Sea,  and 
that  innumerable  herds  still  resort  in  the  summer  months  to  dif- 
ferent points  on  the  southern  or  central  coasts  of  Alaska,  par- 
ticularly at  Amak  Island  and  Point  MoUer,  on  the  northern 
shore  of  the  Alaskan  peninsula.  Within  the  last  ten  years  many 
of  these  animals  have  been  destroyed  by  the  whalers,  both  in 
the  Arctic  and  Behinng  Seas."t 

According  to  Mr.  Elliott,  the  Walruses  are  now  to  be  seen 
in  the  Prybilov  Islands  only  on  Walrus  Island,^  they  being 
so  shy  and  timid  that  thej'  deserted  the  other  islands  as  they 
became  poi)ulated  by  man.  In  early  days,  or  when  the  Rus- 
sians first  took  possession,  a  great  many  Walruses  were  found 
at  Northeast  Point,  and  along  the  south  shore  of  Saint  Paul's 
Island,  but  with  the  landing  of  the  traders  and  seal-hunters 
the  Walruses  abruptly  took  their  departure,  and  Walrus  Island 
alone  is  now  frequented  by  them,  being  isolated  and  seldom 
visited  during  the  year  by  tne  natives.  He  adds  that  they 
are  now  most  numerous,  outside  of  the  Arctic  circle,  in  Bristol 
Bay,  where  "great  numbers  congregate  on  the  sandy  bars  and 
flats,  and  Avhere  they  are  hunted  to  a  considerable  extent  for 
their  ivory ."§ 

They  are  now  far  less  numerous  than  formerly,  having  greatly 
decreased  in  numbers  within  the  last  fifty  years.  So  numerous 
were  they  in  Behring's  Straits  about  1821,  that  a  Eussian  writer 

elms  living  out  of  tho  Arctic  Ocean,  and  should  have  believed  that  he  [Bo- 
nolli]  had  uiistakcn  the  Sea  Bear  {Otaria  leonina)  for  the  Sea  Horse,"  if  he 
biid  not  so  particularly  described  the  tusks. — Cat.  Seals  and  Wlialea,  p.  37. 
Tile  reference  by  Bonclli  to  the  great  white  tusks  of  the  "  Sea  Horses"  relates, 
in  all  probability,  to  tho  large  canines  of  the  Sea  Elephant,  which  were  for- 
merly eniiiloyed  for  a  variety  of  uses. 

'Condition  if  Affairs  in  Alaska,  p.  1G4,  footnote. 

♦  Marine  Mammalia,  p.  180. 

t  A  low  rocky  island,  about  half  a  mile  long  by  one-eighth  of  a  mile  in 
lireadtli,  situated  a  few  miles  to  tho  southeastward  of  tho  eastern  end  of 
Saint  Paul's  Island. 

H'ondilion  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  161,  164. 
>Iisc.  Pub.  No.  12 12 


178 


ODOBJENUS   OBESUS — PACIFIC   WALRUS. 


mi 


i^f! 


reports  meeting  with  herds  there  embraciug  thousands,  and 
even  hundreds  of  thousands,  of  individuals.* 

During  recent  years,  in  addition  to  the  number  killed  by  the 
natives,  the  whalers  are  said  to  have  destroyed  as  many  as  12,000 
annually,  so  reducing  their  numbers  that  the  natives  have  be- 
come anxious  lest  they  shall  soon  lose  this  source  of  subsist- 
ence, upon  which  they  are  so  dependent. 

Habits,  Food,  Commercial  Products,  and  the  Chase.— 
The  Pacific  Walrus  appears  to  agree  quite  nearly  in  habits  ^v  itli 
its  closely  allied  congener  of  the  Atlantic  waters.  It  has  tlie 
same  gregarious  propensity,  the  same  intense  affection  for  its 
young,  the  same  strong  sympathy  for  a  distressed  comrade, 
lives  upon  similar  food,  and  is  limited  in  its  distribution  by 
about  the  same  isotherms.  Its  leading  characteristics  were 
concisely  stated  nearly  a  century  since  by  Captain  Cook  in  the 
following  words : 

"  They  lie,  in  herds  of  many  hundreds,  upon  the  ice ;  hud- 
dling one  over  the  other  like  swine ;  and  roar  or  bray  very  loud ;  so 
that,  in  the  night,  or  in  foggy  weather,  they  gave  us  notice  of 
the  vicinity  of  the  ice,  before  we  could  see  it!  We  never  fouud 
the  whole  herd  asleep ;  some  being  always  on  the  watch.  These, 
on  the  approach  of  the  boat,  would  wake  those  next  to  them ; 
and  the  alarm  being  thus  gradually  communicated,  the  whole 
herd  would  be  awake  presently.  But  they  were  seldom  iii  a 
hurry  to  get  away,  till  after  they  had  been  once  fired  at.  Tlieu 
they  would  tumble  one  over  the  other,  into  tlie  sea,  in  the  utmost 
confusion.  And,  if  we  did  not,  az  the  first  discharge,  kill  those 
we  fired  at,  we  generally  lost  them,  though  mortally  wounded. 
They  did  not  appear  to  be  that  dangerous  animal  some  autliors 
havo  described ;  not  even  when  attacked.  They  are  rather  more 
so,  to  appearance,  than  in  reality.  Vast  numbers  of  them  would 
follow,  and  come  close  up  to  the  boats.  But  the  flash  of  a  iiius- 
quet  in  the  pan,  or  even  the  bare  pointing  of  one  at  them,  would 
send  them  down  in  an  instant.  The  female  will  defend  the 
young  one  to  the  very  last,  and  at  the  expense  of  her  own  life. 
whether  in  the  water  or  upon  the  ice.    Nor  will  the  youny  one 

*  Von  MiddendorfF  says,  "  Taasende  ja  Hunderttansende  im  lebensfiisclie- 
reu  Berings-Eismeere,"  and  cites  as  authority  a  Russian  writer  named 
HUlsen.  Von  Middendorff  continues,  "  Jm  Jahre  1821  Uber  Bah  er  [Hiilsen] 
dort  im  Dezember  Tausende,  zu  Ende  des  Juni  Hunderttansende  von  Wal- 
Tossen  zugleich,welche  die  Luft  mit  ihrem  Stuhnen  erfiillten  und  von  dcneu 
einige,  fnichtlos  kratzond,  sinTi  bemiihten  an  den  Schiffswandungeu  ompor- 
zuklimmen." — Sibiriacke  Beiae,  Bii.  iv,  p.  913,  and  footnote. 


iiii: 


HABITS. 


179 


quit  the  dam,  though  she  be  dead ;  so  ;'iat,  if  you  kill  one,  you 
arc  sure  of  tlie  other.  The  dnni,  whou  iu  the  water,  liolds  the 
young  one  between  her  fore  fins."* 

In  Captain  King's  continuation  of  the  narrative  of  Cook's 
last  voyage,  reference  is  made  to  a  "Sea  Horse"  hunt.  "Our 
])e(»i)k',"  says  the  account,  "  were  more  successful  than  they 
had  been  before,  returning  with  three  large  ones,  and  a  joung 
one,  besides  killing  and  Avounding  several  others.  The  gentle- 
inou  who  went  on  this  party  were  witnesses  of  several  remark- 
able instances  of  parental  affection  in  those  animals.  On  the 
approach  of  our  boats  toward  the  ice,  they  all  took  their  cubs 
under  their  fins  and  endeavored  to  escape  with  them  into  the 
sea.  Several,  whose  young  were  killed  or  wounded  and  left 
floating  on  the  surface,  rose  again  and  carried  them  down.  Some- 
times just  as  our  people  were  going  to  take  them  up  into  the 
boat,  and  might  be  traced  bearing  them  to  a  great  distance 
tluough  the  water,  which  was  colored  with  their  blood.  We 
afterward  observed  them  bringing  them,  at  times,  above  the 
surface,  as  if  for  air,  and  again  diving  under  it  with  a  dreadful 
behowing.  The  female,  in  particular,  whose  young  had  been 
ileslioyed  and  taken  into  the  boat,  became  so  enraged  that 
she  attacked  the  cutter  and  struck  her  two  tusks  through  the 
bottom  of  it."t 

Tlie  accounts  given  by  subsequent  observers  confirm  the 
general  truthfulnt  ss  of  this  brief  but  comprehensive  sketch, 
and  supply  some  further  details  respecting  its  interesting  his- 
tory. Mr.  II.  W.  Elliott,  recently  an  agent  in  the  employ  of 
the  Treasury  Department  of  the  United  States  Government, 
stationed  at  the  Prybilov  Islands,  has  made  these  animals  a 
special  study,  under  opportunities  unusually  favorable  for 
observation.  On  Walrus  Island,  well  known  as  being  still  a 
favorite  resort  for  a  large  herd  of  old  males,  he  was  able  to  ap- 
proach within  a  few  yards  of  a  herd  of  several  hundred  old 
bulls,  which  lay  closely  packed  upon  a  series  of  low  basaltic 
tables,  elevated  but  little  above  the  wash  of  the  surf.  Here  he 
studied  and  painted  them  from  life,f  seated  upon  a  rocky  ledge 
a  few  feet  distant  from  and  above  them.  He  describes  these 
scarred,  wrinkled,  and  almost  naked  old  veterans  as  of  by  no 
means  prepossessing  appearance.    He  says  they  are  sluggish 

*  Cook's  Voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  etc.,  vol.  ii,  p.  458. 
tibid.,  vol.  iii,  p.  248. 
t  See  anteh,  p.  174. 


180 


ODOU^NUy   0UE.SU8 — PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


and  chiinsy  in  the  wutor  siiul  almost  helpless  on  land,  their  im- 
mense bulk  and  weif^ht,  in  comparison  with  the  size  and  strength 
of  their  lin)bs,  ri'ndering  them  qnite  impotent  for  terrestrial 
movement.  "  Like  the  seal,  it  swims  entirely  under  water  when 
traveling,  not  rising,  however,  quite  so  frequently  to  breathe; 
then  it  'blows'  not  nnlike  a  whale.  On  a  cool,  quiet  May 
morning,  I  watched  a  herd  off  the  east  coast  o*"  the  island, 
tracing  its  progress  by  the  tiny  jets  of  vapor  thrown  off  as  tli«j 
animals  rose  to  respire. 

"  In  lauding  and  climbing  over  the  low  rocky  shelves,"  he 
continues,  "  this  animal  is  almost  as  clumsy  and  indolent  as 
the  sloth ;  they  crowd  up  from  the  water,  one  after  the  otht^r, 
in  the  most  ungainly  manner,  accompanying  their  movements 
with  low  grunts  and  bellowings ;  the  first  one  up  from  the  sea 
no  sorner  gets  composed  upon  the  rocks  for  sleep  than  the  sec- 
ond one  comes  i)rodding  and  poking  with  its  blunt  tusks,  de- 
manding room  also,  and  causing  the  first  to  change  its  position 
to  another  still  tiirther  off  from  the  water ;  and  the  second  is 
in  turn  treated  in  the  same  way  by  t)  third,  and  so  on,  until 
hundreds  will  be  i)aeked  together  on  che  shore  as  thickly  as 
they  can  lie,  frecpiently  i)illowing  their  heads  or  posteriors  upon 
the  bodies  of  one  another,  and  not  at  all  quarrelsome ;  as  they 
pass  all  the  time  when  on  land  in  sluggish  basking  or  deep 
sleep,  they  seem  to  resort  to  a  very  irregular  method  of  keep- 
ing guard,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  for  in  this  herd  of  three  or  fonr 
hundred  bulls  under  my  eye,  though  all  were  sleeping,  yet  the 
movement  of  one  would  disturb  the  other,  which  would  raise 
its  head  in  a  stupid  manner,  grunt  once  or  twice,  and  before 
lying  down  to  sleep  again,  in  a  few  moments,  it  would  strike 
the  slumbering  form  of  its  nearest  companion  with  its  tusks, 
causing  that  animal  to  rouse  up  for  a  few  minutes  also,  grunt 
and  pass  the  blow  on  to  the  next  in  the  same  manner,  and  so 
on,  through  the  whole  herd;  this  disturbance  among  then  Ives 
always  kept  some  one  or  two  aroused,  and  consequently  more 
alert  than  the  rest. 

"  In  moving  on  land  they  have  no  power  in  the  hind  limbs, 
which  are  dragged  and  twitched  up  behind;  progression  is 
slowly  and  tediously  matle  by  a  succession  of  short  steps  for- 
ward on  thfe  fore  feet.  How  long  they  remain  out  from  the 
water  at  any  one  time  I  am  unable  to  say.  Unlike  the  seals, 
they  breathe  heavily  and  snore. 

"  The  natives  told  me  the  walrus  of  Bering  Sea  is  monoga- 


wammmm 


IIAUriS — FOOD. 


181 


iiious,  iind  that  the  <litl'oiviice  iM'twoeii  tlio  sexes  in  size,  eolor, 
iuid  sh!i])e  is  ineonsiderable ;  tliat  the  fen lah' lnin<''s  forth  her 
vdunjj,  a  sinj;le  calf,  in  Jnne,  nsnally  on  the  iee-fh)e8  in  the 
Antic  Ocean,  above  liering'  Straits ;  tliat  the  calf  closely  resem- 
bles the  ])arent  in  {general  proportions  and  coh)r,  bnt  that  the 
tusks  Avhich  give  it  its  most  distinguishing-  expression  are  not 
visible  until  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  its  lite ;  that  the 
walrus  mother  is  strongly  attached  to  her  offspring,  and  nurses 
it  later  in  the  season  in  the  sea ;  that  the  walrus  sleeps  pro- 
foundly in  the  water,  floating  almost  vertically,  with  barely  more 
than  the  nostrils  above  water,  and  can  be  easily  approached,  if 
care  be  taken,  to  within  easy  spearing  distance ;  that  the  bulls 
do  not  tight  as  savagely  as  the  fur-seal  or  sea-lion,  the  blunted 
tusks  of  the  combatants  seldom  penetrate  the  thick  hide  ;•  that 
they  can  remain  under  water  nearly  an  hour,  or  twice  as  long  as 
tho  seals,  and  that  they  sink  like  so  many  stones  immediately 
after  being  shot." 

jMr.  Elliott  adds :  "  As  the  females  never  come  down  to  the 
Prybilov  Islands,  1  have  never  had  an  opportunity  of  observing 
thoni.  .  .  .  The  reason  why  this  band  of  males,  many  of 
tliem  old  ones,  should  be  here  by  themselves  .ill  through  the 
year  is  not  plain  to  me ;  the  natives  assure  me  that  the  females, 
or  their  young,  never  have  been  seen  around  the  shores  of  these 
islands.  Over  in  Bristol  Bay  great  numbers  of  walrus  con- 
g;rcgaie  on  the  sandy  bars  and  flats,  where  they  are  hunted 
to  a  considerable  extent  for  their  ivory."  On  Walrus  Island, 
however,  they  are  said  to  be  comparatively  unmolested,  the 
natives  here  "  not  making  any  use  of  their  flesh,  fat,  or  hides." 
They  are  hence  shot  here  only  by  the  natives  of  Saint  Paul's 
Island,  who  visit  Walrus  Island  for  the  purpose  of  getting  eggs, 
iu  June  and  July,  when  they  often  shoot  the  Walruses  wan- 
tonly .t  Their  comparative  imraimity  here  from  persecution  is 
lionce  apparently  the  reason  why  they  select  this  island  as  one 
of  their  favorite  reposing  grounds. 

Their  food  is  described  by  Mr.  Elliott  as  consisting  exclu- 
sively of  shell-fish  (principally  clams),  "  and  the  bulbous  roots  of 
certain  marine  grasses  and  plants,  which  grow  in  great  abun- 
tlance  iu  the  broad,  shallow  lagoons  and  bays  of  the  mainland 

*  Tliiit  their  blows  are  at  times  not  lacking  in  force  is  sufficiently  proven 
l^y  tlio  too  well-known  fact  of  their  striking  them  through  the  planking  of 
a  ship's  boat. 

t  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  160-1G4. 


182 


ODOB^NUS    OBESUS rACIFIC    WALRUS. 


coast.  I  have  taken  from  the  paunch  of  a  walrus,"  he  adds, 
"over  a  bushel  of  crushed  dams,  shells  and  all,  which  the  ammal 
had  but  I'eccntly  swiillowed,  since  digestion  had  scarcely  com- 
menced. j\rany  of  the  clams  in  the  stomach  were  not  even 
broken  ;*  and  it  is  in  digging  these  shell-fish  that  the  service 
rendered  by  the  enormous  tusks  becomes  evident."t  Mr.  ^V. 
n.  Ball  also  says,  "They  feed  principally  upon  shell-fish  which 
they  swallow  whole,  and  the  shells,  which  remain  after  they 
have  digested  the  contents,  are  found  in  large  numbers  about 
the  localities  they  frequent."| 

Among  the  enemies  of  the  Pacific  Walrus  are  not  only  to  be 
reckoned  man,  both  savage  and  civilized,  but  also  the  Polar 
Bear  and  the  Orca  or  "  Killer,"  while,  like  the  Atlantic  species, 
it  is  said  to  by  gTeatly  infested  with  parasites.  According  to 
Captain  Scammon,  the  Polar  Bear,  when  meeting  Avith  a  herd 
in  its  prowlings,  "  selects  and  seizes  one  of  the  smallest  indi- 
viduals with  his  capacious  jaws,  and  the  resisting  struggles  of 
the  poor  victim  to  free  itself  are  quickly  suppressed  by  repeated 
blows  with  Bruin's  paws,  which  cause  almost  instant  death. 
The  murderous  beast  then  quickly  tears  the  skin  from  the  body 
by  means  of  his  long,  sharp  claws,  when  the  remains  are  de- 
voured." That  carnivorous  Cetacean,  the  Orca,  he  continues, 
"  also  watches  for  the  young  cubs'  of  the  Walrus,  and  if  there 
is  floating  ice  at  hand,  the  mother  with  lier  charge  clambers 
upon  it  to  avoid  the  pursuer ;  if  this  fails,  however,  the  cub  will 
mount  the  mother's  back  as  the  only  place  of  refuge.  But  the 
Killer  is  rarely  baffled  in  obtaining  the  object  it  seeks  by  this 
mode  of  the  mother's  protection,  for  the  pursuing  animal  dives 
deeply,  and  then  comes  head  up  under  the  old  Walrus,  Anth 
such  force  as  to  throw  the  cub  from  the  dam's  back  into  the 
water,  when  it  is  instantly  seized  and  swallowed  by  its  adver- 
sary. Instances  have  been  known,  however,  when  the  Orca 
has  paid  dearly  for  its  murderous  temerity,  as  the  enraged 
Walrus,  when  bereft  of  her  young,  will  sometimes  strike  her 
tusks  into  her  foe  with  such  eft'ect  as  to  cause  a  mortal  wound 
or  instant  death."§ 

Captain  Scammon  says  the  period  of  gestation  is  "  about  iiiue 

*  Conipiiro  on  this  poi.it  Maliiigrou's  .stutemrut  that  the  Atlantic  Walrus 
rejecta  the  shells,  swallowing  only  tlic  soft  parts.    See  anted,  p.  13G. 
tC<Hi(lition  of  Affairs  in  Alaslca,  p.  162. 
t  Alnslcii  and  its  Resonrces,  1H70,  p.  504. 
^^  Murine  Munnnalia,  pp.  180, 181. 


AFFIX'TION. 


183 


iiioiitlis,"  and  that  both  sexes  and  the  yonug  arc  often  foimd  in 
(OiiiiKiny.  lie  adds  tluit  the  paring  season  occurs  during  the 
••Iitst  of  the  spring  months  or  the  first  of  sununer."  His  gen- 
ciiil  iu'count  of  their  habits  is  (piito  in  liarmony  with  the  early 
account  given  by  Cook.  "  The  mother  and  her  offspring,'"  ke 
says,  ''  iiiauifest  a  stronger  nuitual  affection  than  we  have  ob- 
sci'\ cd  iu  any  otlier  of  the  marine  mammals ;  the  cub  seeks  her 
protection,  clinging  to  lier  bade  whenever  there  is  cause  for 
alarm,  and  she  will  at  all  times  place  herself  between  the  foe 
and  her  helpless  charge;  frequently  has  she  been  known  to 
clasp  to  her  breast  the  terrified  little  one,  embracing  it  with  her 
fore  flippers,  while  receiving  mortal  wounds  fi'om  the  whale- 
man's lance."  Captain  Scammon  further  states,  iu  respect  to  the 
affection  of  the  young  for  its  mother,  on  the  authority  of  Capt. 
T.  W.  Williams,  an  experienced  and  observing  whaling  master, 
that  "  a  female  was  captured  two  miles  from  the  ship  and  the 
young  cub  kept  close  to  the  boats  that  were  towing  its  dead 
mother  to  the  vessel ;  and  when  arrived,  made  every  effort  to 
follow  her  as  she  was  being  hoisted  on  board.  A  rope  with  a 
bowline  was  easily  thrown  over  it,  and  the  bereaved  creature 
taken  on  deck,  when  it  instantly  mounted  its  mother's  back  and 
there  clung  with  mournful  solicitude,  until  forced  by  the  sailors 
to  again  retiu-n  to  the  sea ;  but  even  then  it  remained  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  ship,  bemoaning  the  loss  of  its  parent  by  utter- 
ing distressful  cries."  "A  male,  and  a  female  with  her  cub," 
continues  our  author,  "  are  often  seen  together ;  yet  herds  of 
old  and  young,  of  both  sexes,  are  met  with,  both  iu  the  water 
and  upon  the  ice.  When  undisturbed  they  are  quite  inoffensive, 
but  if  hotly  pursued  they  make  a  fierce  resistance ;  their  mode  of 
attack  is  by  hooking  their  tusks  over  the  gunwales  of  the  boat, 
which  may  overturn  them,  or  they  strike  a  blow  through  the 
planking,  which  has  repeatedly  been  the  means  of  staving  and 
sinking  them."* 

The  commercial  products  of  the  Pacific  Walrus  are,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  other  species,  its  tusks,  oil,  and  hide.  They  are,  fur- 
thermore, to  the  Tschuktschi  what  the  Greenland  Walrus  is  to 
the  Esquimaux,  their  most  important  source  of  food,  utensils, 
and  means  of  commercial  interchange.  Cook,  Wrangell,  and 
nnmerous  other  explorers  of  the  Arctic  waters  beyond  Behring's 
Straits,  unite  in  the  testimony  that  they  form  the  chief  means  of 
support  of  the  coast  tribes.    Tp  quote  the  words  of  a  recent 

*  Murine  Mnininalia,  p.  17d. 


184 


ODOBiENl'S    OBESUS PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


writer,  their  "flesh  supplies  them  with  food;  the  ivory  tusks 
are  made  into  implements  used  in  the  chase,  and  for  other  do- 
mestic purposes,  as  well  as  affording  n  valuable  article  jf  barter; 
and  the  skin  furnishes  the  materif'  for  covering  their  summer 
habitations,  planking  for  their  baid  irras,  harness  for  their  dog- 
teams,  and  lines  for  their  fishing-gear."* 

According  to  Wrangell,  "the  Walrus  is  almost  as  useful  to 
the  settled  as  the  Reindeer  is  to  the  nomad  Tschuktschi.  The 
flesh  and  the  blubber  are  both  used  as  food,  and  the  latter  for 
their  lamps ;  the  skin  is  made  into  durable  thongs  for  harness 
and  other  purposes,  and  into  strong  soles  for  boots ;  the  intes- 
tines furnish  a  material  for  light  water-proof  upper  garments 
for  summer  use;  a  very  durable  threa<l  is  prepared  from  the 
sinews ;  and,  lastly,  the  tusks,  which  are  of  the  finest  ivory,  are 
sometimes  formed  into  long  narrow  drinking  vessels,  such  as 
takes  a  long  time  to  hollow  out,  but  are  more  frequently  sold  to 
the  Reindeer  Tschuktschi,  who  dispose  of  them  to  the  Rus- 
sians."t 

As  already  incidentally  noted  in  the  foregoing  pages,  their 
tusks  have  been  an  important  article  of  traflflc  from  the  earliest 
times  to  which  the  history  of  this  region  extends,  and  the  source 
of  this  valuable  commodity  was  the  "Eldorado"  of  the  Russiau 
adventurers  of  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  who  first 
explored  the  Arctic  coast  of  Eastern  Asia.  ]!fow,  as  then,  the 
tusks  have  the  highest  commercial  value  of  any  of  the  products 
of  the  Walrus,  and  thousands  of  these  animals  have  annually 
been  sacrificed,  for  perhaps  the  greater  part  of  the  last  two  cen- 
turies, in  order  to  meet  the  demand  for  them.  Mr.  Dall,  writing 
in  1870  of  the  Alaskan  Walrus,  states  that  "  the  quantity  of 
Walrus  tusks  annually  obtained  will  average  100,000  pounds."| 
Allowing  the  average  weight  of  a  pair  of  Walrus  tusks  to  be  15 
to  20  pounds  (I  have  found  the  weight  of  large  tusks  to  varj' 
from  (5  to  8  pounds  each,  the  very  largest  1  have  seen  weighuig 
less  than  9  pounds) — a  very  high  estimate — this  enormous 
quantity  implies  the  destruction  of  more  than  six  thousand 
Walruses  annually  in  the  waters  bordering  Behring's  Straits. 

According  to  Captain  Scammon,  the  whalers  have  of  late  been 
largely  instrumental  in  the  destruction  of  the  Alaskan  Walrus, 
they  having,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  Whales,  become  more  or 


*  Scamuiou,  Marino  Mniniunlia,  p.  180. 

t  WrangoU's  I'olar  Expl.,  Harper's  Amer.  ed.,  p.  282. 

t  Alaska  ami  its  Kesources,  p.  504. 


PRODUCTS. 


185 


less  interested  in  Walrus-liunting.  According  to  a  quotation 
given  by  Captain  Scammon  from  The  Friend*  of  March  1, 1872, 
"the  wlialers  first  began  to  turn  their  attention  to  Walrus- 
catching  about  the  year  18G8,  and  the  work  has  continue«l  up 
to  tlie  present  time  [1874].  Usually,  during  the  first  part  of 
every  season,  there  has  been  but  little  opportunity  to  capture 
whales,  they  being  within  the  limits  of  the  icy  barrier.  Hence, 
much  of  the  whalers'  time  during  the  months  of  JuI.n'  and  Au- 
gust has  been  devoted  to  capturing  the  Walrus ;  and  it  is  esti- 
mated that  at  least  60,000  of  these  animals  have  been  destroyed 
by  the  whale-fishers  in  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  Behring  Sea  dur- 
ing the  last  five  years,  which  produced  about  50,000  barrels  of 
oil,  with  a  proportionate  amount  of  ivory."  t  This  would  make 
an  average  annual  destruction  of  12,000,  in  addition  to  the  large 
niuuber  habitually  destroyed  by  the  natives. 

In  the  "Annual  Eeview"  of  the  products  of  the  North  Pacific 
Whaling  Fleet f  for  1877,  it  is  stated  that  the  whalers  arriving 
at  the  port  of  San  Francisco  during  1877  reported  74,753  pounds 
of  Walrus  teeth  and  2,178  barrels  of  Walrus  oil.  The  amount 
of  Walrus  ivory  "received  in  the  customs  district  of  San  Fran- 
cisco'' for  1870  is  given  as  33,934  pounds.  The  same  authority 
gives  the  following  statistics  for  previous  years,  beginning  with 
187;J : 


Tear. 

Number  of 
vessels. 

1 
Pounds  of  ! 
ivory. 

1873 

16 
12 
11 
7 
16 

12, 142 

7,600 
'25, 400 

7,000§ 
74,000    j 

1874 

1875 

1876 

1877 

Total  for  the  last  five  years,  153,070  pounds,  with  an  eotimated 
value  of  about  $55,000.  This  amount  implies  an  annual  destruc- 
tion of  at  least  ten  to  twelve  thousand  Walruses.  It  thus  ai)- 
pears  that  for  the  last  ten  years  the  number  of  Walruses  taken 

*  A  newspaper  published  in  Honolulu. 

t  Marino  Mammalia,  p.  181. 

{  "Commercial  Herald  and  Ma'ket  Review,"  vol.  xii.  No.  531,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  Jan.  17,  1878. 

}  There  is  an  unexplained  discrepancy  here,  for  another  statcmeut  in  the 
same  connection  gives  the  quantity  of  "Walrus  teeth"  for  187(5  as  33,934 
pounds. 


186 


ODOIJiENUS    OBESUS PACIFIC    WALRUS. 


by  tlio  whalers  alone  canuot  fall  far  sliort  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand.  It  is  lienee  little  wonder  that  these  animals 
are  rapidly  declining  in  number,  and  that  the  natives  manil'csr 
alarm  at  the  disai)pearancc  of  their  main  reliance  for  support. 
The  destru(!tion  of  the  Alaskan  Walrus  is  now  largely  effected 
by  the  use  of  firearms,  even  the  natives  shooting  them  on  slioro 
with  ritles  and  heavy  muskets,  although  they  still  also  practice 
their  former  method  of  pursuing  them  in  the  water  and  there 
dispatching  them  with  spears  and  lances. 


FAMILY  OTARIID^. 


Eared  Seals. 

I'koqiux  (I  orcilles,  Buffon,  Hist.  Nat.  SuppL,  vi,  1782,  305. 

riioaicm  (tiiriculata,  Pi5noN,  Voy.  Ten-.  Austr.,  ii,  181G,  37. 

ntiirht,  Pkhon,  Voy.  Terr.  Aiistr.,  ii,  181C,  37(gcuu8). 

OtariiiKi,  Gray,  Aun.  of  Phil.,  1825,  340  (subfamily). 

Otariudw,  "Brookes, Cat.  Anat.  and Zoiil.  Mus.,  1828,  36."— Gray,  Ann.  and 

Mil),'.  Nut.,  Hiat.,  3d  sor.,  xviii,  1866,  228.— Allen,  Ball.  Mus.  Comp. 

Zoiii.,  ii,  1870,  19. 
OtarUdiv,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  lust.,  v,  1866,  7. 

Antoecplialiiia,  Gray,  Charlesworth's  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  i,  1837,  583. 
Otaridex,  Gervais,  Hist.  Nat.  des  Mammifferes,  ii,  1855,  305. 

Fore  limbs  placed  far  back,  and,  like  the  hind  limbs,  compar- 
atively free  aiid  serviceable  for  terrestriallocomotion ;  hind  feet 
susceptible  of  being  turned  forward.  The  digits  of  the  manus 
successively  decrease  very  much  in  size  and  length  from  the 
first  to  the  fifth,  without  well-developed  nails,  and  with  the 
manus  bordered  with  a  naked  cartiliginous  extension.  Of 
the  pes  the  three  middle  digits  are  shorter  and  weaker  thau 
the  others,  with  well-developed  nails ;  the  others  strong  and 
thick,  the  first  rather  stouter  than  the  fifth,  both  with  only  rudi- 
mentary nails;  all  terminate  in  hairless, long  cartilaginous  flaps, 
which  vary  in  length  in  the  diiferent  genera.  Soles  and  palms 
and  mo  t  of  the  upper  digital  surface  hairless.  Scapula  large, 
the  blade  very  broad,  the  crests  high,  and  the  acromion  greatly 
developed.  Femur  with  a  trochanter  minor,  which  in  adult 
males  is  strongly  developed.  Pubic  bones  unanchylosed,  and 
in  the  females  considerably  separated.  Ilia  long  and  slender, 
not  abruptly  turned  outward  posteriorly.  Acetabula  opposite 
the  posterior  end  of  the  second  sacral  vertebra.  Skull  with  well- 
developed  orbital  processes,  and  an  alisphenoid  canal ;  mastoid 
process  strong  and  salient,  distinct  from  the  auditory  bulla;,  which 
arp  small  and  but  slightly  inflated.  Incisors  always  ^,  the  two 
middle  pairs  of  upper  with  the  crown  deeply  grooved  trans- 
versely, the  outer  caniniform.  Dental  formulae:  Milk  dentition, 
I-  S»^'iEi)M.g;  permanent  dentition,  I.  ~,  0.  J^},  M.  g, 
or  !^,  =  34  or  30.  Ears  with  a  subcylindrical  external  conch. 
Testes  scrotal. 

4Sr 


188 


FA:MILY    OTAKIIDiE. 


TECHNICAL  IIISTOnY. 

Higher  Gijoups. — T'.u^  Eiiie<l  Son  Is  wore  referred  by  the 
older  writers  to  tlie  Liiniiicjii.  };i'nnfs  Plwca,  Bnffbn,  in  1782,  ic- 
cognized  the  Seals  as  eoiisist'iijn'  of  two  gronjjs,  ehiiraeterized 
by  the  presence  or  absenee  of  external  ears.  Peron,  in  181G, 
first  divided  the  Seals  into  two  genera,  he  se])arating  the  Eared 
Seals  from  the  earless  ones  under  the  name  Otaria.  Later, 
Brookes,  in  1828,  raised  the  group  of  Eared  Seals  to  the  rank  of 
a  family,  under  the  name  of  Otariatla:  This  classification  was 
not,  however,  generally  adopted  till  18GG,  when  it  was  revived 
by  Gill,  and  immediately  adopted  by  Gray,  and  it  has  been  ac- 
cepted by  most  subsequent  writers.  Gray,  Turner,  and  others, 
had  previously  considered  the  Eared  Seals  as  forming  a  sub- 
family of  the  Phocidie,  for  which  Gray,  at  different  times,  used  the 
names  Otariina  and  Arctocephalina,  which  latter  was  also  adopted 
for  the  name  of  the  group  by  Turner  in  1848.  In  1870  I  di- 
vided the  Eared  Seals  into  two  groups,  which  I  provisionally 
adopted  as  subfamilies,  with  the  names  Trichiphocinw  and  Ouli- 
phocincc,  in  allusion  to  the  nature  of  the  pelage.  The  charac- 
ters assigned,  while  perhaps  of  small  importance,  relating  maiuly 
to  size,  charactei'  of  the  pelage,  and  size  and  shape  of  the  ear, 
and  insufficient  to  chtaracterize  divisions  of  this  grade,  serve 
to  mark  two  natural  groups,  the  so-called  Sea  Lions,  or  Hair 
Seals,  forming  the  one,  and  the  Sea  Bears,  or  the  Fur  Seals  of 
commerce,^  the  other. 

Dr.  Gray,  in  1869,*  divided  the  family  into  five  "  tribes,'' 
which  he  termed,  respectively,  Otariina,  Callorhinina,  Arcto- 
cephalina, ZalopMna,  and  Eumetopiina,  mainly  with  reference  to 
the  number  of  the  grinders  and  the  position  of  the  hinder  pair. 
These  "  tribes"  he  at  the  same  time  combined  into  two  "  sections,'' 
the  one  embracing  the  Otariina  (consisting  of  his  genus  Otaria), 
and  the  other  all  the  others,  this  division  being  based  on  the 
posterior  extension  of  the  bony  palate.  To  his  first  i^rimary 
division  ("Section  I"),  consisting,  as  just  stated,  of  the  single 
genus  Otaria  as  limited  bj'  Gray,  and,  as  seems  to  me,  embrac- 
ing only  the  single  species  0.  juhata  of  recejit  authors,  he  re 
stricted  the  name  "  Sea  Lions,"  applying  to  the  other,  embi  uc 
ing  all  the  other  Eared  Seals,  the  name  "  Sea  Bears."  This 
latter  group,  however,  embraces  not  only  the  animals  connnonly 
called  Sea  Bears  by  other  authors,  as  well  as  by  travelers  aud 

"~\^  *Aun.  uud  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4tL  sor.,  vol.  iv,  pp.  '2G4-270. 


1    ■'   vj 


iUi 


IIIGHKK    GUOUPS. 


189 


seal  rs  (/.  c,  tAie  "Fur  Seals'"  of  conmicrcc),  but  also  the  two 
Si'ii  liioiis  (conmiouly  so  <'alle(l)  of  tlie  noitlieru  lieniispliere, 
iiiid  all  the  Eared  Hair  Seals  of  the  Soutli,  exeept  Otariajubata. 
This  classilieation,  with  seareely  any  inodiheation,  he  followed 
also  in  liis]>ai»er:s  treatinji'  of  this  j?rou]>  in  1871;*  but  in  1872 1 
he  i»i()|>()se«l  a  new  arrangement  of  the  "Sea  Bears."  The  sub- 
division of  this  group  into  "tribes"  is  not  here  eleaily  hidi- 
cated,  although  he  arranges  the  genera  in  four  unnamed  sec- 
tions. In  187o|  he  proposed  another  arrangement  of  the  "Sea 
Hears,"  in  which  they  were  ^naced  iu  two  i^rimary  divisions,  in 

.C— 6 


aeeordaneewith  whether  the  number  of  molars  is^  or  '~. 


His 


later  moditicationw  were  more  formally  jnesented  iu  his  last  gen- 
eral account  of  the  group  published  in  1874,§  in  Avhicli  theclas- 
silication  then  presented  diflered  very  much  from  that  adopted 
l>y  him  in  1808  and  1871.    Although  a  new  "tribe"  ("Tribe  2, 
(Ijllisophociua^^)  was  instituted,  his  former  "tribes,"  CuUorhi- 
hUuu  Arctoc€2)hulina,  and  Eumeto]}iina,  were  united  into  one, 
under  the  luime  Arctoccphalina,  thus  reducing  the  whole  num- 
ber of  "tribes"  to  four,  as  follows:  1.  Otariina;  2.  Gypsopho- 
cina;  3.  Arctoccphalina;  4.  Zalophina.    As  before,  he  recognized 
two  primary  "sections,"  by  means  of  which  Otaria  is  opposed 
to  all  the  other  genera  as  a  group  co-ordinate  in  rank  with  all 
the  rest.    Also  the  "  sections,"  or  primary  divisions,  are  still 
based  on  the  posterior  prolongation  of  the  bony  palate,  and  the 
"tribes,"  or  secondary  divisions,  on  the  number  of  the  molars 
aiul  the  position  of  the  hinder  pair  relative  to  the  "front  edge 
of  the  zygomatic  arch."    It  is  needless  to  add  that  a  more  purely 
artificial  and  valueless  basis  could  scarcely  be  devised.    In  his 
later  schemes,  Eumctopias  is  placed  under  the  division  charac- 
terized as  having  the  molars  ^,  on  the  wholly  theoretical 
ground  that  "the  fifth  upper  molar  on  each  side  [is]  wanting," 
leaving  "the  sixth  separated  from  the  fourth  by  a  wide  space." 
Ou  similar  grounds  his  Phocarctos  elongatus, — based,  as  I  shall 
later  give  reasons  for  believing,  in  part  on  an  adult  female 
Eumetopias  stelleri  and  iu  part  on  the  young  of  the  Japan  species 
of  Zaloplms, — is  considered  as  lacking  the  "  fifth  grinder"  when 
adult,  though  i)osses8ing  it  when  young.    As  late  as  1873,  Eu- 
mvtftpiafi  is  placed  in  a  group  explicitly  characterized  as  having 

*Supi>l.  Cat.  Soiils  ami  Wluiles,  1871,  p.  11. 
tProc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  187^,  p.  G55. 
tProc.  Zool.  Soe.  Loutl.,  1873,  p.  779. 
^Hand-List  of  Seals. 


190 


FAMILY   OTARIID^. 


'thick  under-fur" !  In  his  latest  notice  of  the  species  (in  1874)  his 
synonymy  of  the  species  shows  that  he  still  believed  the  skin 
of  a  young  Callorhinus  ursinus,  referred  in  18CG  to  his  Arctoce- 
phalus  montcriensis,  belonged  to  this  species,  although  in  1871* 
he  properly  assigned  it  to  Callorhimis  ursinus,  which  I  had 
shown  in  1870  was  its  proper  allocation. 

Dr.  Gill,  in  1871,t  made  two  primarj"  divisions  of  the  family,  the 
genus  Zalophus  alone  constituting  one  division,  which  was  thus 
contrasted  with  all  the  others.  The  characters  cited  as  the  basis 
of  this  division  are  the  rostra^  profile  (whether  "  more  or  less 
decurved,"  or  "straight  or  incurved")  and  the  sagittal  crest. 
The  last  distinction  was  based  wholly  on  a  misapprehension 
of  the  facts  in  the  case,t  and  the  first  proves  to  be  open  to  very 
obvious  exceptions.  Although  Dr.  Gill,  in  his  later  papers  on 
this  group,  retains  these  divisions  as  originally  proposed  by 
him,  he  has  adduced  no  additional  characters  in  support  of 
them. 


ill 


Genera. — The  first  generic  division  of  the  Eared  Seals  was 
made  by  F.  Cuvier  in  1824,§  who  separated  them  as  "Arctoc^- 
phales"  (Arctocephahis)  and  "Platyrhinques"  {Platyrhinclius), 
with  '■''Phoca  ursina^^  (=  Arctocephahis  (lelalandi,V.  Cuvier;  A. 
aw/flrcfjcMS,  Gray)  as  the  type  of  the  former  and  ^^  Phoca  leonimP 
(=  Otariajvhata  of  recent  authors)  as  the  type  of  the  latter.  Suc- 
ceeding writers  very  generally  adopted  the  name  Arctoceplialus 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  species,  while  PlatyrMnchus  was  con- 
sidered as  equivalent  to  Otaria  of  Peron,  of  prior  date.  Otaria 
has,  by  some  writers,  even  down  to  the  present  time,  been  used 
in  a  generic  sense  for  all  the  species  of  the  family,  sometimes 
with  and  sometimes  without  subgeneric  divisions.  In  1859,  Gray 
separated  generically  the  .'N'orthern  Fur  Seal  from  ArctocepMlm 
under  the  name  GallorJdnus,  and  the  group  has  been  since  very 
generally  recognized  a3  of  generic  or  subgeneric  value.  Prior 
to  this  date  the  only  commonly  recognized  genera  were  Otark 
and  Arctocephalus.  The  next  generic  subdivisions  of  the  Ota- 
ries  were  institiited  by  GUI  in  1866,1]  namely,  Sumetopias  and 
Zahphu  ^  the  former  having  for  its  type  and  only  species  the 
Uorthem  Sea  Lion,  or  Leo  marinus  of  Steller,  while  the  latter 

*  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  p.  15. 
'  ^"^-^  t  Amer.  Nat.,  vol.  iv,  Jan.,  1871,  p.  681. 

tSee  Am.  Nat.,  vol.  v,  Marcli,  1871,  p.  41. 

$M^m.  duMus.  d'Hlst.  Nat.,  vol.  xi,  xd24,  205. 

II  Proc.  Essex  Institute,  vol.  v,  pp.  1-13,  March,  1866. 


il  ■  ti 


-m 


-  .^'^'-*t 


OENEKA. 


191 


AViis  f()iiii(lt'<l  on  tlio  Otnria  (pUcsin  of  IM'Bain.  The  generu  recojj- 
iii/,((l  were  live  in  numbo',  luimoly:  1.  Otaria  ("Poron,  181G, 
type  riiocdjuhata  Schrcber");  2.  Arctocephalus  ("  F.  Cuvier,  1824, 
....  type  Fhoea  ursina  Linna^ns,"  hence  =  Callorhimitt,  Gray, 
IS,')!),  and  not  Arctocephalus,  F.  Cuvier) ;  u.  Eumetopian,  Gill  (nov. 
oiMi.,  "type  Otaria  californiana  J jChhou,  =  Arctocephalus  monte- 
ricnsin  Gray,"  the  intended  type  being  Otaria  ntellcri  of  Miiller) ; 
4.  Zttlophns,  Gill  (nov.  gen.,  "type  Otaria  Gilliespii,  Macbain");  5. 
EalarctuSj  Gill  ("type  Arctocephalus  Belalundii,  Gray,"  hence  = 
Arctocephalus,  F.  Cuvier,  1824).  Although  three  new^  names 
Avore  proposed,  only  two  new  genera  were  added,  Halarctus  be- 
ing synonymous  with  Arctocephalus  of  F.  Cuvier,  and  Arctoce- 
phalus, as  hero  detined,  with  Callorhinus,  Gray,  as  speedily  and 
almost  simultaneously  pointed  out  by  Gray*  and  Peter8,t  and 
as  has  been  since  freely  conceded  by  Gill.  A  few  montlis  later 
Professor  Peters t  adopted,  in  a  subgeneric  sense,  the  genera 
prcA'iously  recognized  by  Gray  and  Gill,  and  added  two  other 
subgenera,  namely,  Pliocarctos  and  Arctophoca.  Tl*  type  of 
Phovarctos  was  Gray's  Arctocephalus  hoolicri  (then  known  to  Pe- 
ters apparently  only  through  Gray's;  description  and  figures), 
with  which,  however,  was  associated  the  Otaria  tillow  of  von 
Tstlauli,  which  latter  api)ears  to  be  merely  Otaria  jubata,  fem. 
The  type  of  Arctophoca  was  originally  Otaria  philippii,  Peters, 
sp.  nov.,  probably  =  ylrc^ocej)/m^j/s  falklandicus,  fem.;  at  all 
events,  a  Fur  Seal  from  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandez.  These 
fji'oups  were  first  established  in  May,  18GG,  but  the  following 
Xoveiiiber,  Fhocarctos  ullote  was  removed  by  Dr.  Peters  to  his 
scetion  or  subgenxis  Otaria,  and  Otaria  falMandica,  Shaw  (  = 
"O.  nigrescens.  Gray"),  was  taken  as  the  type  oi  Arctophoca,  to 
which  0.  philippii  was  now  apparently  referred  as  a  subspecies 
01'  a  doubtful  form.  Thus  Arctocephalus  falklandicus  is  here  re- 
moveil  from  Arctocephalus,  Avhere  he  formerly  i)laced  it,  to  be- 
oomo  a  new  tjpe  of  Arcto^^Aoca.' 

In  September,  1866,  |  Gray  adopted  the  above  named  generic 
and  subgeneric  divisions,  to  which  he  added  Neophoca  as  a  "  new 
gemis,"  based  on  his  Arctocephalus  lohatus,  referred  previously 
by  lY'ters  to  Za tophus,  and  Euotaria  and  Qypsophoca  as  subgen- 
era of  Arctocephalus.  Euotaria  was  based  on  his  Arctocephalus 
niyrcscens,  and  Qypsophoca  on  his  Arctocephalus  cinereus.    In 

"Anil,  ami  Mag.  Nat.  Ili.st.,  :5(l  8cr.,  vol.  xvii,  y\\.  444-447,  .June,  18G6. 
t  Mouatsb,  (1.  k.  P.  Akad.  zu  Berliu,  l«(i<;,  pp.  ^((9, 27(),  G7CM572. 
t  Ann.  .andMag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  ser.,  vol.  xviii,  pp.  2ii8-2:?7. 


192 


FAMILY   OTARIID^. 


18GS*  he  nmed  IJiiotaria  am\  Gypsophoca  to  the  rank  of  genera, 
ten  (jnivra  of  Eared  Seals  being  now  reeogni/ed  by  this  anthor. 
In  liis  formal  synopsis  of  the  family  presented  in  18(]{),t  these 
ten  genera  were  all  retaineil,  and  are  the  following: 


,i 


tli! 


m 


1.  Oturiu. 

2.  Calloi'hinuH, 

3.  Phocarctos. 

4.  Arc'tot't'pbiilu.s. 

5.  Kuotariii. 


0.  (lyiiNoplioc'ii. 

7.  Zaloitbiis. 

.'^.  Xt(ti»hot'a. 

9.  KiiinetopiaN. 

10.  Arctophoca. 


;   ;. 


In  1871  ho  again  treated  two  of  them  {Euotaria  and  Gypso- 
phoca) as  subgenera  of  Arctocephalm,  thereby  redneing  the 
number  of  genera  to  eight.  In  1873 1  eight  genera  of  "  Sea 
Bears"  alone  (t.  e.,  Eared  Seals  exehisive  of  Otaria)  are  enunier 
ated,  Euotaria  being  omitted.  In  1874,  §  however,  both  Euota- 
ria and  Gypsophoca  are  given  full  generie  rank,  but  no  reference 
is  nuule  to  Arctophoca,  the  speeies  {Arctophoca  phillppii)  formerly 
referred  to  it  b<nng  neither  recognized  nor  accounted  for.  The 
number  of  genera  is  thus  reduced  to  nine.  Dr.  Gill,  in  1871* || 
and  in  1870,^  retained  the  tive  generic  groups  tirst  recognized 
by  him  in  18GG,  with,  however,  the  corrections  in  nomenclature 
introduced  by  Gray  and  Peters  later  in  the  same  year.  These 
five  genera,  namely,  Otaria,  Eumetopias,  Zalophus,  Callorhinm, 
and  Arctocephalns,  were  adopted  by  myself  in  1870,  in  my  p!i])er 
on  the  Eared  Seals  of  the  North  Pacific.** 

Di".  Peters,  in  1871,tt  referred  .'dl  the  South  American  Fur 
Seals  (of  which  he  then  recognized  four,  namely,  A.  falMandicug, 
A.  nigresccns,  A.  argentata,  A.philippii)  to  his  subgenus  ("  Uuter- 
gattung")  Arctophoca.  Dr.  Peters's  later  views  respecting  the 
genera  of  the  Otairiidw  are  given  in  his  paper  on  the  Eared  Seals 
published  in  August,  1877,ff  in  which  he  reduces  the  genera  to 
three,  namely,  Otaria,  Eiiwctopia^,  and  ArctocepJutliis.  The  Fur 
Seals  are  all  iinited  under  Arctocephalns  ;  Otaria  includes  only  0. 
juhata  (to  which  his  0.  leoniri  and  0.  ullow  are  referred  as  "  Lo- 
calrassen"),  Eumctopias  being  made  to  include  all  the  other 

'Ann.  and  Mag. Nat. Hist.,  4t]i  ser.,  vol.  i,  pp.  99-110,  Feb.,  1868. 

t  Ann.  and  Mag.  Xat.  Hist.,  4tb  ser.,  vol.  iv,  pp.  '■2(H-'270. 

tProc.  Zool.  Soe.Lond.,  1873,  p.  779. 

^  Ilaud-List  of  Soals. 

II  Arraugenicnt  of  Fauiilifs  of  Maumials,  p.  U9. 

H.Tobuson's  Cyclopedia,  vol.  iii.p.  1018. 

•'Bull.Mns.  eonip.Zool.,  vol.  ii,  No.  1,  Angiist,  1870. 

ttMonatsb.  d.  k.  P.  Akad.  d.  AVlNMcnstb.  zu  Btnlin,  1871,  i>.  564. 

UMonatsb.  d.  k.  P.  Akad.  d.  Wissenseb.  zn  Bnlin,  1877,  pp.  505-507. 


SPECIES. 


193 


IJiiir  Sciils  (  =  tlic  sul>Henerii  EumctojHitfi,  Zalophun,  and  Phoc- 
(tirtos  (if  IN'tt'i's's  «'avli('r  papers). 

SPKriKS. — I'l'ior  to  about  the  begiuninj^'  of  the  present  cen- 
tui'\ ,  the  Eared  Seals  then  known  were  eoninionly  referred  to 
two  species,  cue  of  which  was  termed,  in  eoinnion  parlance,  the 
Sea  Hear,  Ours  niarin,  Meerbiir,  etc.,  and  the  other  Sea  Lion, 
Lion  iiiarin,  Meerlowe,  etc.  They  were  hardly  mon;  definitely 
known  in  technical  terminology,  the  "Sea  Bear"  being  Phoca 
uysina,  and  the  " Sea  Lion"  the  Phoca  jubata.  The  first  of  these 
names  originated  witii  Linn<5  in  1758,*  and  the  other  with 
Forstor  in  1775.t  Phoca  urnina  was  based  originally  on  Stel- 
ler's  Ur.su8  marinus,  and  Phoca  jubata  on  the  Southern  Sea  Lion, 
or  "Lion  marin,"  of  Penietty,  to  which  species  these  specific 
names  have  of  late  been  properly  restricted.  Zimmermann,  in 
[1782,1  named  the  Southern  Sea  Bear  Phoca  «M«^rflZ/»(="  Falk- 
land Seal,  Pennant  II,  p.  521,"  the  Sea  Bear  of  Forster),  which 
Shaw,  in  i800,  renamed  Phoca  falklanilica.  Both  names  were 
based  on  the  "Falkland  Isle  Seal"  of  Pennant,  but  Zimmer- 
mann's  seems  to  have  been  entirely  overlooked  by  subsequent 
rritors.  As  it  has  eighteen  years'  priority,  it  must  be  adopted 
in  place  of  falklandica. 

During  the  last  half  of  the  last  century  and  the  early  part  of  tlie 
present,  the  early  voyagers  to  the  southern  seas  (as  Anson,  Per- 
netty,  Forster,  Weddel,  Pdron  and  Lesueur,  Quoy  and  Gaimard, 
Lesson  and  Garnot,  and  Byron,  among  others)  met  with  different 
species  of  Sea  Lions  and  Sea  Bears.  They  described  these  ani- 
mals very  imperfectly,  their  accounts  relating  mainly  to  tlieir 
liabits  and  localities  of  occurrence,  and  they  brought  with  them 
to  Europe  very  few  si3ecimens.§  Desmarest  in  1817,  and  Lesson 
in  1828,  gave  names  to  the  species  thus  obscurely  indicated,  the 
latter  renaming  several  that  had  already  received  names.  To 
these  authors,  and  to  the  often-quoted  remark  of  P^ron  that  he 
believed  there  were  not  less  than  twenty  species  of  Otaries,  we 
are  indebted  for  much  of  the  confusion  and  obscurity  that  must 
ever  be  inseparable  from  the  early  history  of  this  group.  Des- 
marest alone,  in  his  article  on  the  Otaries  in  the  "  Dictionnaire 
•I'Histoire  naturelle"  (vol.  xxv,  1817,  pp.  590-603),  lecognized 

'S.vst.  Nat.  i.  17r)8,  37.  ' 

tDpsciip.  \iiiin.,  pp.  6(5,  317. 
tGeograiili.  GoHcliicute,  Thell  iii,  1V82,  p.  276. 

^  G.  Cuvicr,  accorrtiug  to  Gray  (Catalogue  of  Seals,  1850,  p.  2),  had  skulls 
of  only  two  Hpccies  of  Eared  Seals  when  ho  wrote  the  "Ossemens  Fossiles." 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 13 


194 


FAMILY    OTAimi)iE. 


niiio  spocios,  only  two  of  which  hiiv«i  any  tan^^ibh)  basis,  or  cau 
bo  dt'torminod  except  conjecturally,  and  mainly  on  the  basis  of 
their  habitat.  In  fact,  it  is  abnost  impossible  to  say  whotlier 
they  are  "hair"  Seals  or  "far"  Seals;  the  dt'scriptions  sluiw 
merely  that  they  were  sona^  kind  of  Ear*  il  8e'>l.  Desmari'st's 
81)ecies  are  the  following;:  1.  Otnr'm  konimi  (=  ^farin  juhnUij- 
EHmctopinH  sh'lhri)',  2.  Otaria  ursimi  {=(Muo/,t  nun  ursiintii): 
3.  Otaria  pcroni  (n.  sj).,  based  on  a  vaj^n^  account  by  M.  IJiiillv' 
of  an  Eared  Seal  seen  in  great  numbers  on  llottnest  Island,  west 
coast  of  Aust  ralia.  Desmarest  doubtfully  refers  to  it  two  mounted 
skins  in  the  Paris  Mtiseum,  both  of  very  young  animals,  the 
larger  only  about  two  feet  and  a  half  long,  brought  from  "  Ter 
res  Australes ") ;  4.  Oiaria  vinvrea  ( l*6ron  et  Lesutnir,  Voy.  an 
Terr.  Austr.,  ii,  77;  habitat,  "lie  Decres,"  coast  of  Australia; 
an  Eared  Seal,  with  rough  hair,  described  only  in  general  terms, 
ami  undeterminable ;  probably  =  Zalophm  lohatus) ;  5.  Otam 
alhkollis  (Perou  et  Lesueur,  1.  c,  118 ;  habitat,  "  lie  Engtiie," 
coast  of  Austraba ;  an  Eared  Seal,  eight  or  nine  feet  long,  char 
acterized  by  a  white  spot  on  the  middle  and  upper  part  of  tlie 
neck ;  perhaps  the  same  as  the  last,  but  not  certainly  detti 
minable) ;  0.  Otaria  flarescens  (ShaAV,  Mus.  Lev. ;  Gen  Zoiil.,  i, 
200,  pi.  ixxiii;  habitat.  Straits  of  Magellan;  a  "Yellowish  Seai, 
with  pointed  ears  " ;  not  determinable,  but  probably = O.  juhata] 
7.  Otaria  falklandiaa  {— Plioca  faJldandim  Sh aw = iVtoca  ««« 
iralis,  Zimm. ;  "  Cinereous  Seal,  witli  small  pointed  ears,  aiultli., 
cutting-teeth  marked  with  furrows " ;  presumably  the  common 
Fur  Seal  of  the  Falkland  Islands) ;  8.  Otaria  porcina  (=  P/iotd 
poreina,  Molina ;  habitat,  coast  of  Chili ;  wholly  uudetermiuable ; 
9.  Otaria  punilla  {  =  '■'■  I*hoca  pusilla,  Linn.";  a  wholly  mythical 
"  Otary  "  as  described  by  Desmarest,  supposed  to  inhabit  theMdi- 
terranean  S^^a !  t  Of  these  nine  siiecies,  only  one  ( Otaria  iirsina). 

*  P6ron  ct  Lcsueur's  Voy.  Terr.  Auatr.,  vol.  i,  p.  189. 

t  In  view  of  recent  attempts  to  revive  tlie  name  imsilla  as  a  touablo  desig- 
natioji  for  some  species  of  Eared  Seal,  it  seems  desirable  to  slate  fully  tk 
original  badis  and  early  history  of  th^s  name.  It  was  given  originally')? 
Schreber,  in  1776,  to  "Le  Tetit  Phoqne"  of  Buffon,  Schreber  oven  copyinj 
Buflbn's  figure  (Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1765,  pi.  liii).  Buflfon  introduces  his  uotiff 
of  this  species  as  follows :  "  Le  second  [  osp^co]  (planche  LIII )  qui  est  le  phoqne  j 
de  la  Mdditerrande  &  des  mcrs  du  Midi,  &  que  nous  pr^sumons  6tre  \cpho» 
des  Ancienq,  paroit  6tro  d'une  autre  espfece,  car  il  difffere  des  autres  par )° 
quality  &  la  couleur  du  poll  qui  est  ondoyant  &  presque  noir,  tandis  qnek 
poll  des  premiers  est  gris  &  rude,  il  en  difffere  encore  par  la  forme  des  dents 
&  par  celle  des  oreilles;  car  11  a  une  espfece  d'oreille  exteme  tres-petiteili 
v€rit^  ..."    Then  follows  a  good  description  of  a  young  Fur  Seal;  lint  in 


SPKCIKS. 


105 


or  possiltly  a  socoiul  {O./alklamlien),  is  positively  referablo  to 
any  ])ai"ti(!nlar  specicH  as  now  known. 

Tlii'C'c  years  later  (in  18LM))  J)esniarcst  again,  in  his  "Manuna- 
loj-ic''  {EiK'yclop(i(lie  Metliodicpie,  vol.  clxxxii,  pp.  248-252),  re- 
(li'siiilKMl  the  Otaries,  reducing  the  number  of  species  to  eight 
by  uniting  his  Otaria  pimUa  to  his  Otaria  peroni  under  the 
latter  name,  which  now  relates  not  only  to  the  Fur  Seals  of  the 
western  coast  of  Australia,  but  also  to  those  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope. 

Lesson,  eight  years  later,  in  his  article  on  the  Otaries  (Dic- 
tionnaire  classique  d'Histoire  Naturelle,  vol.  xiii,  1828,  pp.  419- 
426),  raised  the  number  to  fifteen.  One  is  purely  mythical ;  live 
or  six  can  be  determined  as  equivalent  to  species  now  commonly 
recognized,  but  the  greater  part  are  not  satisfactorily  identifia- 
ble. His  species  are  the  following :  1.  Otaria  fabricii  ( = "  Plioca 
?/r«/««Fabricius";  habitat,  Greenland;  wholly  undeterminable; 
certainly  not  an  Eared  Seal,  and  probably  wholly  mythical) ;  2. 
0tariastelleri{=Leomarinu8,  iitQ\ler,=Eum€topias  stelleri,  which 
here  receives  its  first  distinctive  name) ;  3.  Otaria  californiana 
(="jeune  Lion  mariu  de  la  Califomie,"  of  Choris,  and  hence  = 
Zabj)hus  (jillespii  of  recent  authors,  which  here  received  its  first 
specific  name*) ;  4.  Otaria  Jcraschenninikoicii  {=  Ursus  marimtSy 

n  long  footnote  to  tbis  description  he  gives  quotations  from  Glaus  Magnus, 
Zorgdrager,  Charlevoix,  and  from  collections  of  voyages,  which  relate  to  the 
Seals  of  both  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  regions,  none  of  which  probably  re- 
fer to  any  species  of  Eared  Seal.  On  the  following  page  ho  says:  "C'est 
par  line  convenauce  qui  d'abord  parolt  assez  Idgiire,  &  par  (inelques  rapports 
fiigitifs  que  nous  avons  jugd  que  ce  second  phoque  (pL  LIU)  <5toit  le  phoca 
de»  anoieus ;  on  nous  a  assurd  que  I'individu  que  nous  avons  vu  venoit  des 
Imles,  &  il  est  an  moins  tr6s-probable  qu'il  venoit  desmers  du  Lev.ant;  .  .  ." 
—Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1765,  pp.  340, 341.  Though  assumed  to  be  a  Medttci-^aueau 
species,  the  origin  of  the  specimen  here  described  and  figured  as  "  Le  Petit 
Phoque "  is  .avowedly  unknown,  and  a  certainly  ereoneous  habit.at  is  as- 
signed to  it.  This  is  the  sole  basis,  however,  for  the  Phoca  pmilla  of  .all  the 
earlier  systciuatists,  and  of  some  modem  ones.  As  already  stated,  Desma- 
rests  Otaria  piisilla  is  purely  mythical;  for  while  he  describes  an  Eared  Seal, 
lie  elainis  for  it  a  Mediterranean  habit.at,  and  deems;  it  to  be  the  species 
ileserihed  by  Aristotle,  Pliny,  and  ^Elian,  and  figured  by  Belon,  .and  even 
goes  so  far  as  to  say,  "Buffon  et  Erxleben  parolssent  avoir  confondu,  avec 
ee  plwKiue,  de  jennes  individus  d'autres  espfeces  particuliJ^res  aux  Torres  Aus- 
trales,  et  particulierement  i\  I'ours-marin  de  I'Ue  de  Juan-Femandez.  Quant 
a  lui,  il  seiiible  p  -pre  b,  la  Mdditflrrande."  The  Phoca  pmilla  of  Erxleben  and 
Gineliu  is  a  heterogenous  compound  of  Eared  and  Earless  Seals  from  both 
lieiuisphereM. 

*  See  further  remarks,  poetea,  unJer  Eumetopiaa  atelleri  and  Zalophm  califor- 

mnus. 


196 


FA:HILY    OTAKIID/E. 


SteWer =C((lJorhiin(s  urshius);  5.  Otariu  pernetUji  {  =  Otaria juh- 
ta) ;  0.  Otariaforateri  (cnibraces  all  the  Fur  Seals  of  the  Soutlievn 
Hemisi)here) j  7.  Otaria  mollissina  ("Lesson  et  Ganiot,  Zoolope 
dehiCoqiiille,pl.  iii,p.  140";  habitat,  "  lies  Malouiues  " ;  the  long 
description  contains  nothing  in  itself  distinctive  of  any  species, 
but  it  has  Ijeen  determined,  by  Nilsson  and  Gray,  from  the  skull 
and  skin  in  the  Paris  Museum,  to  be  a  young  Otaria  juhata)',S. 
Otaria  peroni  {='"'■  Otaria  peroni,  Desm.,  sp.  382";  embraces 
^'' Plioca piisilla  Linn.",  "Petit  Phoque,  Buffon,"  "Otarie  de  La 
lande,  F.  Cuvier,"  and  "Loup  marin,  Pag^s";  habitat,  Cape 
of  Good  Hope ;  formerly  referred  by  Gray  to  his  Arctocephalm 
delalandi,  to  which  it  is  mainly  referable);  9.  Otaria  coronak 
("Desm.,  spec.  383;  Phoca  coronata,  Blainv.";  undetermhiaUe, 
and  habitat  unknown);  10.  Otaria  cinerea  ("P<5ron  et  Lesueiir/' 
as  above);  11.  Otaria  alhicollis  ("P^ron  et  Lesueur,"  as  above); 
12.  Otaria  flaveseens  (=  ^^ Phoca  Jlavescens,  Shaw,"  as  above;  uot 
determinable);  13.  Otaria  sliawi  {=  Phoca  falJdandicus,  Sha.\!, 
therefore  =  Arctocephalus  falklandicus,  auct.) ;  14.  Otaria  hmi- 
villii  ("G.  Cuvier,  Oss.Foss.jt.v,  p.  220";  =  Arctocephalus  fall 
landicus,  auct.;  habitat,  "Hes  Malouines"):  15.  ^'•Otaria  moll- 
naiV  {=^^ Phoca  porcina,  Molina";  no  tangible  description,  and 
wholly  undeterminable). 

Fischer,  in  1829-30,*  appears  to  have  recognized  fifteen  (only 
twelve  have  numerals  prefixed)  species  of  Eared  Seals,  whicli 
are  the  same  as  those  describ'^d  by  Lesson  in  1828,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  Lesson's  Otaria  fabricii  is  not  admitted,  and  Gray's 
Arctocephalus  lohatus  is  added. 

Hamilton,  in  1839,t  recognized  twelve  species,  as  follows:  1. 
"  Sea-Lion  of  Steller"  (=  Uui  etopias  stelleri) ;  2.  "  Sea-Lior,  of 
'FoTnter^  {=  Otaria  jubata)',  3.  "  Sea-Lion  of  Pernetty"  (=Of<i 
ria  jubata,  mainly);  4.  "Pusilla,  or  Cape  Otary"  ("Ofarw 
pusilla,  Desm.,"  but  really  based  on  a  skull  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope);  5.  "  Ursine  Seal,  or  Sea  Bear  of  Steller  {=Ci- 
lorhimis  ursintis) ;  6.  "  Ursine  Seal,  or  Sea  Bear  of  Forster " 
{=  Arctocephalus  falklandicKS,  auct.);  7.  "  Sea  Bear,  from  speci- 
men in  the  British  Museum"  {=?  Otaria  jubataj  according  to 
Gray);  8.  "  Lesson's  Otary,  O.  mollissina,  Lesson"  {=Arctoce][)k- 
lus  falklandicus) ;  9.  and  10.  "Ash-coloured  and  white-ueclietl 
Otaries"  (=  OtoWa  ciwermand  0.  albicoUis,F6ron)',  12.  "Com 
mon  Fur-Seal  of  Commerce"  {=  Arctocephalus  falklandicus). 

*  Synopsis  Marumalmm,  pp.  230-234,  374  (i.  e  574). 

t  Amphibious  Camivora,  etc.  ( Jardine's  Nat.  Library,  Mam.,  vol.  viii). 


SPECIES. 


197 


He  very  Judiciously  refers  to  Otarla  porcina,  0.  coronata,  0. 
(lehdnndi,  and  0.  /trt?a"<7/ii  as  species  so  slightly  indicated  "as 
still  to  remaiu  doubtful." 

Nilsson,  iu  bis  celebrated  paper  on  tlie  Seals,  published  in 
1837,*  reduced  the  species  to  three,  reunitiug  all  the  Sea  Lions 
(except  one)  under  the  name  Otarki  jubata,  {-.lid  all  the  Sea 
Bears  under  the  name  Otaria  ursina.  His  tliiri'  ?*pecies  is  the 
Otaria  aiistralk  of  Quoy  and  Gaimard,  from  Australia  (=  Arc- 
tocephalus  lohatuSf  Gray,  Spicel.  ZooL,  i,  1828).  Miiller,  in  his 
appeodix  to  Mlsson's  paper,  t  recognized  five  species,  as  repre- 
sented in  the  Berlin  Museum,  namely :  1.  Otaria  stelleri ;  2. 
Otaria  ursina;  3.  Otaria  platyrhinchus  (=  O.jubata,  auct.);  4. 
Otaria  chilensis  (described  as  new  from  a  skull  received  from 
Ciiili,  but  really  =  0.  juhata);  5.  Otaria  lamari  {=  Arctocepha- 
hs  lohatus  Gray,  as  above).  He  recognized  as  "  eine  sechste 
Art"  the  Otaria  aiistralis,  Quoy  and  Gaimard,  and  Nilsson. 

The  next  general  rev  'ew  of  the  group  is  contained  in  Gray's 
Catalogue  of  the  Seals  of  the  British  Museum,  published  in 
1850,  in  which  eight  species  are  formally  recognized.  These 
are:  1.  Arctocephalus  ursinus ;  2.  A.  falklandieiis ;  3.  A.  cine- 
rcuH  (—".**  Otaria  cinerea,  P6ron,"  as  noticed  above) ;  4.  A.  loba- 
tuts;  0.  A.australis  ("Qr  jy  and  Gaimard"  =  A.  lobatus,  Gray) ; 
0.  .1.  hool-eri ;  7.  Otaria  stelleri ;  8.  Otaria  leonina.  All  but  A. 
(itostralis  probably  re^/resent  good  species.  In  18GG,  in  his 
'•  Catalogue  of  Seals  and  Whales,"  he  raised  the  number  to 
twelve  by  adding,  1.  Arctocephalus  monteriensis  (first  described 
by  hiui  in  1859  =  Eumetopias  stelleri,  plus  a  skin  referable  to 
CaUorliinus  ursinus);  2.  A.  californianu8,n.  8ii.{  =  A.monterien- 
s(s, Gva;  1859, in  part,  really  =  Eumetopias  stelleri) ;  3.  A.  nigres- 
mn,  first  named  in  Zoiil.  Erebus  and  Terror  ;  not  mentioned 
iu  Cat.  Seals  of  1850,  but  revived  in  1859,  when  it  was  really 
iirst  published  (=  A.  falklandicus) ;  4.  A.  delalavii  {—  Petit 
Phoque,  BuflTon,  hence  Phoca  pusilla,  Schreber,  plus  Otaria  dcia- 
kndi,  ¥.  Cuvi<^r,  1828,— the  Fur  Seal  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope):  5.  ^l.  '■^ Gilliespii^''  (=  Otaria  gillespi,  M'Bain,  1858,  = 
Otaria  californiana,  Lesson,  1828).  Of  these  five,  two  {A.  mon- 
h'rivnsis  and  A.  califormam(s)  are  strictly  nominal,  as  is  prob- 
ably a  third  {A.  nigresccns) ;  two  valid  species  {A.  '■^  delalandi^^ 

'  K.  Vet.  Akad.  Iliuull.  Stockliohn,  1837,  pp.  y:55-24.').  Translated  by  Peters 
in  Wic'ifuiiiiiu's  Arcliiv  liir  Katurgescli.,  1841,  pp.  301-3:W,  with  notes  and  an 
iippmtUx  by  J,  MUUcr. 

tWiogmaun's  Archiv,  1841,  pp.  333,  334. 


198 


FAMILY    OTAKIIDiE. 


■■::.  ,1 

.-:  ;i:il 

■' 

and  A.  ^^(lUUcHini ")  arc  added  to  those  leeognized  by  this  author 
in  1850. 

Tlic  saine  year  (1800),  Peters*  recofiiii/ed  t'onrtecJi  spoi-ies 
(three  of  them  won'  treated  as  donbtl'ul),  as  Ibllows:  1.  O/fow 
jttbuta  ;  "  ?2.  Otarlu  konina'\  =  (}.  JKhdla);  .">.  OUtria  (jodcfrotji  m 
sp.=:(>.  Jnhaid);  -l.  ^*^  ?  OUiria  hi/roiiid"'  {  —  I'liocd  hiiroiiia,  ]>lniii 
\'\\\c.  —  <K  Jiibata):  'a.  Otoria  !,ool,rfi :  (i.  Ola  rid  ullod:  (=  I). 
ultod',  von  Tselindi,  =  O.Jidmtd,  leiii.);  7.  (Hdvia  inis'iUd  (  =  rvtit 
PlKHine.  IJntfon,  I'liocd  intnilld,  S<'hr('b('r.  Oftirid  dvldhiuiJi,  F.Cii 
vier,  ete.);  8.  Otarid  ciiicrcd  (  =  ''(>,  ci)i<'rvd,  I'eroii  and  LesiK'ur. 
Qnoy  and  Claimard";  "  0.  stcllcri,  Sehlef;el,''  in  part,ete.);  ?('. 
Ota  rid  falklditdicd  (=  An'tocephalus  falhldndicus,  anet.);  10. 
Otdria  uvsiud  {  =  Cnllorhinus  iirshris);  11.  Otdrid  stcUcri  {Eimt 
topias  ,stelle)-i);  12.  Otdria gillcspl  {=  ■  <■  phius  californianus);  13. 
Otdrid  lobdta  (=  Arctocephalus  lob.  ,  Gray,  1.S2S,  Otarid  am- 
tralis,  Quoy  and  Gainiard,  1830,  0.  uteUeri,  "  Schlegel,"  in 
part,  =  Zalophxts  hbatua)-,  14.  Otaria  philippii  (n.  sp.  =  Arda- 
eephalusfalklandicuH,  anet.).  Six  months  later,  on  again  review 
ing  the  group,!  the  same  writer  redneed  the  number  of  speciis 
to  ten.  In  this  paper  he  referred  the  0.  byronia,  0.  leonina,  aud 
0.  (jodeffroyi  of  his  former  paper  to  O.jubata,  and  his  O.philipph 
to  0.  fallxlandica.  0.  idlow  is  still  retained  as  a  valid  specitvs 
and  "  Otaria  steUeri,  Sehlegel,"  is  determined  to  be  the  0. 
ffillcspi,  M'Bain. 

In  1808  f  Dr.  Gray  deseribed  as  a  new  species  Arctoccphalm 
uirosus  {=  A.  autarcticus,  H.  7>«s///«s)  from  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  Professor  Turner  added,§  as  a  new  species,  Anio- 
ccphaluH  schisthyperol's  (later  corrected  to  nchisitKperus  by  Giiu- 
ther),  from  Desolation  Island,  considered  later  by  Gray,||  aftoi 
an  examination  of  the  type,  to  be  referable  to  his  A.  dcJaUmli 
(therefore  =  A.  antarcticm).  !M'Bain,  tlie  same  year,^  described 
an  imperfect  skull  of  what  he  called  "0.  uUowf''  {=Otark 
jubata,  fem.),  adding  that  in  case  it  proved  to  be  a  new  species  it 
might  be  called  "  0.  graiiP 

In  1870  **  I  was  able  to  recognize  only  six  species  as  well 
established,  but  gave  two  more  as  probably  valid,  the  latter 

*Mouat8b.  d.  k.  I'.  Akucl.  Wissonsch.  zu  Berlin,  18GG,  pp.  261-'281. 
tibiil.,  1860,  pp.  r)(]!>-G7'2. 

t  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  i,  p.  21'J. 
^  Journ.  Anat.  and  Pliys.,  vol.  iii,  pp.  113-117. 
II  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  scr.,  vol.  iv,  p.  264. 
•    H  Ibid.,  pp.  109-112. 

"'Bnll.  MnH.  Comp.  Zoiil.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  44,  45. 


SPEC  IKS. 


199! 


licinj;'  A  rctoiTphalm  cinercvs,  ( Jray  (Australia  and  New  Zcalaiul), 
;iii(l  A.((iit((r('ticiis,(\vi\y  (Capo  of  (Jood  Hope).  The  othev.s  are: 
1.  OitifUi  jubatn  (iiudcr  \vlii<'li  was  wionjily  included  0.  haolcen, 
(;i;iy);2.  Eumctopinx  stiKcrl ; 'A.  Zdloplius  (iHlc.spi ;  I.  Zalophus 
IdIiiiIiis;  5.  ('allorliiniot  urniitHN  ;  (».  Afcto(Tpii(iliis/<illd(in(licu8, 

111  ISTl,  l*liilii)i)i  and  Peters*  added  AMoccphalm  {Arcto- 
liliiint)  (ir<fciit((ta,  ii  Vnv  Seal  IVoni  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez 
[  =  ArcfocephalKN  (iiixtmliN,  iViH.).  The  latter  here  divided  the 
Tiir  .Seals  of  South  Aineriea  into  four  speeies,  two  of  whi<'h  {A. 
Mnlamlka  and  A.  nUjrcsceuK)  are  Ironi  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and 
two  {A.  anjciitata  and  A.  philippii)  from  the  Pacitie. 

The  same  year  (1871)  (Jrayt  I'eeognized  thirteen  specie.-;  of 
Eared  Seals,  as  follows :  1.  Otaria  Jubata  {vuihvimwg  ().  Icnuina 
of  Gray  and  Peters,  ami  ().  f/odep'roifi,  0.  hironia,  (>.  idUnv  of 
Peters).  L*.  Callorhhius  nrninus.  'A.  riiocarctoxhool-eri.  i.  Arcto- 
ccph(th(s  auta)'cticus  (Cape  of  Good  Hope  =  Fhoca  nnturcfica, 
Thunherg",  1811,  and  Fhoca  [s.  Otaria]  jno^ida  and  dchilandi^ 
iUiot.).  r).  Arctoccpludus  nif/rcscohs  {=A.  OKstrtdis).  (».  Arcto- 
vvpludus  ci»crc»s.  7.  ArctoccphiduH  footer i  ("IN^ew  Zealand, "'= 
''•riwca  nrxina,  Forster,"  =  0^flr(Vt  forsteri,  Lesson,  formerly  re- 
ferred hy  him  to  his  A.  /(dJdaudicits!).  8.  ArctoccpMho^  fidlc- 
hmlicus.  i).  ^^Arctoeejyhainsf  nivosus^^  {=  A.  antarcticiiN).  10. 
Zalophiis  (/dlcspi.  11.  Kcophoca  loibata.  VI.  Eumetopias  KtcUcri 
(embracing  his  Arctoccphalm  montcrkiisis  and  A.  califoniiduns). 
13.  Aritophoca philipjiii  (=  Arctoccphalm aus'traJis).  A.forsteri 
is  tbeonly  species  added,  while  no  less  than  six  species,  recognized 
by  either  himself  or  Peters  in  18GG,  are  reduced  to  synonyms. 

Gray,  in  ]87L*,{  added  Gypsophoca  trojiictdis,  based  on  a  young 
skull  from  Auckland  Island,  to  which  siK^cimens  from  X()rtk 
Australia  are  also  referred.  This  Clarlv§  believes  to  be  in  part 
based  on  the  young  of  Otaria  hooker i,  and  in  part  referable  to 
A  rctoccph  (diis  cin  ere  us. 

Scott,  in  1873,  in  his  account  of  the  Otariid(V,\\  described  (p. 
10)  what  he  regarded  as  two  new  species  of  ArctocephahiSf 
namely,  '■'■  Arctoccphalm  GrayW''  and  '■'■  Arctoccphalm  eulophus.^^ 
The  first  is  equivalent  to  Gray's  A.  faVdandicm  of  his  Cata- 

'  Mdiiiitsh.  a.  k.  r.  Akiul.Wissoiiscli.  zn  Berlin,  1871,  pp.  5.'>d-.'>()6. 

tiSupltl.  (Jilt.  Sfiils  aiul  WiUik\s. 

tPn.c.  Zool.  Soc.  I<()iul.,  187i*,  pp.  CW,  743. 

^^  I'roc.  Zd.il.  Soi'.  Lond.,  l'-'7:{,p.  759. 

ilMiiiiiiimlia,  Kocciii  and  Extinct,  nn  elemcntnry  treatise  for  tlio  iiso  of  the 
imlili,  s(li,)<)lsotN<'\vSonthWak'H.  By  A.  W.  Scott,  M.  A.  Sidney,  1873.  Sec- 
tion H,  rinnata,  Seals,  DnjfongN,  Whales,  &c.  &c.  &c. — Otariidse,  pp,  7-25. 


200 


FAMILY    OTAllIlDi^i:. 


m 


mi- 


I:  i 


I"-)    ''1- 


logiu'  of  Seals  and  Whales  (1S0(5,  j).  r»r)),aiKl  the  "Supplein«'iit" 
to  the  same  (1871,  p.  2~)),  whieli  ]\rr.  Seott  gives  as  a  syiionym. 
After  quoting  Gray's  deseriptioii  oi  A.  /((nda)uliciis,  he  says: 
"This  is  <;learly  a  s])eeies  distiiiet  from  the  eonimon  Southern 
Fur  Seal.  .  .  .  The  speeitie  name  Fidkbtmlieus  haviiijj; 
been  ai)pro])riate<l  almost  by  {i'cneral  consent  for  another  ani- 
mal, I  beg"  to  substitute  that  of  6'>'wj//i."  The  Aretocephalm 
eulopliUH  is  based  on  verbal  information  from  Mr.  Morris,  an 
experienced  sealer,  Avho  infornied  him  "  that  during  his  sealing 
voyages  he  occasionally  met  with  a  fur-seal,  which  he  aud 
those  connected  with  him  in  the  trade  readily  recognized  as  a 
distinct  kind — by  the  diminutive  size  of  the  adult  animal ;  by 
a  top-knot  of  hair  on  the  crown  of  the  head;  aud  by  the  soft, 
beautiful  under-fur,  unlike  in  colour  to,  and  mucli  more  valna 
ble  for  articles  of  ladies'  wear  than  that  of  any  other  fur-seal 
they  were  in  the  habit  of  captiu'ing."  "  This  seal,"  continues 
Mr.  Scott,  '*  appears  to  be  rare,  only  a  few  specimens  having 
been  taken ;  some  were  seen  on  the  south-east  coast  of  New 
Zealand,  evidently  stragglers  driven  far  away  from  home.  i\Ir. 
Morris  has  been  told  that  they  were  formerly  common  on  tho 
shores  of  Patagonia  and  the  Island  of  Juan  Feriumdez."  AVith 
all  due  deference  to  the  opinions  of  ]\Ir.  Morris  and  Mr.  Scott, 
this  information  hardly  forms  a  satisfactory  basis  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  species  in  this  obscure  group,  where  external 
characters,  when  well  known,  are  of  slight  distinctive  value. 
The  Arctocephalus  eulophiis  can  only  be  assigned  to  the  category 
of  vaguely  described  and  indeterminable  species,  of  which  the 
writings  of  P6ron,  Desmarest,  and  Lesson  were  so  prolific  half 
a  century  ago.  Only  six  other  species  were  recognized  by  Mr. 
Scott,  namely:  1.  Arctocephalus  nmnun  {=  Callorhluus  ursi- 
mis).  2.  Arcfnceplialus  falklamlieus  (embracing  all  the  Southern 
Fur  Seals,  with  the  exception  of  his  two  "  nes?  species,"  already 
noticed).  3.  Zalophus gillespi.  4.  Z.lobatus.  5.  Otaria  stelleri. 
6.  0.  jubata  {=  0.  jiibata  and  Phocarctos  hoolccri  Grdy). 

In  1873,  Dr.  Gray  described*  a  Eumetopias  elongatus,  ])ased 
in  part  on  a  skull  from  Japan  he  had  the  previous  yeart  referred 
to  U.  stelleri,  and  in  part  on  a  joung  skull,  also  from  Japan, 
which,  doubtless,  is  the  same  as  the  Otaria  stelleri  of  Temminck 
(Fauna  Japonica). 


*Proc.  Zool.  Soc,  1873,  p.  776. 


tibid.,  1872,  p.  738. 


-;i'S*=ii 


SPECIKS. 


201 


In  1874,  the  sauie  author*  addrd  two  more  •'  now  species"  of 
Otaria,  this  time  whoUy  from  old  material,  from  unknown  loj-ali- 
ties,which  he  had  had  before  him  in  tlu'  1  >ritish  ^I  useum  for  uearly 
twenty  years,  and  which  he  had  hitherto  uniformly  referred  to 
Otaria  juhata !  Ilaving',  however,  found  that  the  lower  Jaws 
ilitl'ored  from  those  of  the  other  sp«;cimens  in  beinji  "  straight, 
not  bowed  on  the  side,  and  elong.ate,"  and  that  "  the  scar  of  the 
temporal  muscle  is  elongate,  nanow  in  front,"  instead  of  being 
"  broad,  rounded  in  front."  One  of  the  species,  base<l  on  the 
"skull  of  an  adult  male  11^  inches  long,  and  0^  wide  at  the 
condyles,"  etc.,  lie  calls  ^^ Otaria  minor,  the  Smaller  Sea  Lion." 
The  other,  based  on  "  the  skull  of  an  adult  (female)  OJ  inches  long, 
and  5J  broad  at  the  condyles,"  he  calls  ''  Otaria  i^ygmwa,  the 
Piffmy  Sea  Lion."  The  last-mentioned  skull  is  "  partly  broken 
behind,  and  wants  all  the  gi'inders  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
cutiiiig  teeth."  They  are  unquestionably  referable  to  the  re- 
stricted genus  Otaria,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  descriptions 
indicating  that  Dr.  Gray's  reference  of  them  for  twenty  j'ears 
to  0.  jubata  was  erroneous.  The  skull  of  Otaria  minor  is  later 
lif^uredin  the  "Hand-List  of  Seals"  (pi.  xvi),  and  is  evidently 
that  of  a  young  male  Otaria  jubata. 

In  this  year  (1874)  also  appeared  the  lastt  of  Gray's  long 
series  of  publications  relating  to  the  Eared  Seals,  in  which  avc 
ba\t'  his  latest  views  respecting  the  sp»'cies  t>f  this  grouj*.  In 
this  work  two  other  "new  sj)ecies"  are  added,  making  in  all 
eighteen  species  of  Otariidw  now  recognized  by  Dr.  Gray! 
These  are:  1.  Otaria  jnltata.  2.  0/arm  »M/«or  (see  above,  hist 
paragraph).  ,3.  Otaria  tdloa'  {=0.  iiHoa,  you  Tschudi  and 
Peters, and  O.  pygmcca,  Gray,  both  formerly,  and,  I  believe,  cor- 
rectly, referred  by  him  to  0.  Jubata).  4.  Gypsonhnca  tropicalis 
{=Arctocephalus  cinereus).  /).  Phocarctoa  hoolioi  >.  H.  Phocarc- 
tns  clongatm  {  =  Eumctopia8  stelleri,  in  part,  and  Otaria  stelleri, 
Tciiiniinck,  in  part).  7.  CaUorhimis  ursinus.  8.  Arcfocephalun 
oittarcticuH.  9.  Euotaria  cinerea  (includes  Aretocephalus fomtcri 
of  Gray's  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales  [see  above,  p.  199] ). 
10.  Euotaria  nigrcscenn  {=  Arctocc2}haluii  austral  is).  11.  Euoia- 
via  hitirontri.'i  (n.  sj).,  based  on  a  skull  supposed  to  have  come 
from  the  Falkland  Islands,  formerly  releried  to  his  A.  nigrcs- 
ccns.  lie  now  says,  "  The  skull  may  belong  to  the  Arctocepha- 
hiH  faUdandicu.'i,  of  which  [/.  c,  his  A./allcIandicus]  the  skull  is 


i 


*Ann.  nudMag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  xiii,  p.  ;i;'4.    t  Hiuul-List  of  Seals,  etc. 


202 


FAMILY    OTAKIIDiE. 


not  known,  or  it  may  he  a  (listiuct  upccics'^).  12.  Euotarin  com- 
prcssus  (n.  sp. ;  lial>.  '^  South  Africa?  ^^'arwi(•k^^•,  formeily  iv- 
foiTcd  by  liini  to  Arvtocc.phalaH  hoolerl  a.s  "9  .skull,  South 
Sea,  3Ir.  Warwick's  colh'ction"*).  !.">.  Eitotaria  .svh isf In/ jk nil's 
(=.Arclocq>li<(li"<  ■sclilstlii/jxrors/Vuvuvv,  formerly  referred,  witii- 
out  reservation,  by  (f  ray  liiniself  to  his. l>T^o(r/>/<«/w.s««/«r(//V».s). 
14.  Einnctopids  Ntclltri.  1~k  ZolopliKs  jfifJeKpi.  10.  Xeopliacn 
lobiita.  Two  other  species  are  also  <>iven,  as  follows  :  17.  ^'Arrto- 
(■(pliahis .^  iiivoNiis"'  (  =  .l.  (i)if((rcticus)',  IS.  ''Arctorcphahis.'/dJh 
h(H(licuH  "  ( =  ,1 .  ((Kstralis),  These  are  Fur  Seals,  referred  (h»ubt- 
fully  to  Arctoceplialus  from  lack  of  knowledji'e  of  the  skulls. 
The  first,  he  says,  "nniy  be  the  skin  of  Euotaria  coi)ipri'N,su  or 
schisthyporoi'ti^'',  to  the  latter  he  refers  the  '-'■Arvtocipluilux  iirdjiii" 
and  "('h/o/>/<».s"  of  Scott  (see  abov<',  p.  200),  the  latter,  however, 
doid)tfully. 

In  1875  Dr.  Peters  described  t  still  another  si)ecies,  based  uu 
two  .specimens,  an  old  male  and  a  youus"  female,  brought  home 
by  the  German  Transit-of- Venus  Expedition  (supposed  by  liiiii 
to  have  both  come  from  Kergfuelen  Island),  to  which  he  ^^avc 
the  name  Arctophoca  yazeUa.  Externally  A.  gazella  appears  to 
differ  little  from  the  other  Southern  Sea  Bears,  the  distinctive 
characters  resting  in  the  form  of  the  hinder  border  of  the  bony 
palate,  which  has  ji  triangular  projection  at  the  middle,  in  the 
very  small  size  of  the  tympanic  bones,  and  in  other  «letails  of 
the  skuU-structure.f  Later  he  found  that  only  one  of  the  spcei 
mens  on  Avhich  A.  yazella  was  based  came  from  Kerguck'ii 
Island,  the  other  having  been  brought  either  from  "der  Insel 
St.  I'aul  o«Ier  Amsterdam."  In  187(»,§  therefore,  in  referriu;i 
again  to  these  specimens,  after  the  discovery  of  the  error  in 
locality  respecting  one  of  the  specimens,  he  renamed  the  Saint 
Paul  or  ^Vmsterdam  Island  skin  Otaria  {Arctophoca)  elegaiis. 

In  1877,  Dr.  Peters  again  reviewed! |  the  Avhole  group  of 
Eared  Seal,  of  which  he  at  this  time  recognized  three  genera 
and  thirteen  species.  He  refers  to  having  had  access  to  uuicU 
new  material,  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  he  has  not 

*  Cat.  Seals,  Brit.  Mils.,  1850, p.  16;  Cat.  Seals  and  Wlialos,  18(56.  p.  .'.4. 

tMonatsb.  <l.  k.  I'.  Akad.  Wisseusch.  zii  Berlin,  187.'.,  pp.  :W3-399. 

{In  this  paper  Iks  refers  incidentally  to  tlie  Sontli  American  Fur  St-alj, 
stilting  that  in  conseqnenee  of  the  reception  of  more  materiiil  sinci!  the 
publication  of  his  last  paper  lespectius  them,  he  is  led  to  nnit<i  the  Jrcto- 
cephnlus  argentata  with  A.  pliHijipii,  and  the  J.  nigrrscena  with  A.  faUlandiai 
(1.  e.,  p.  395). 

Ubid.,  1876,  pp.  315,  316. 

II  Ibid.,  1877,  pp.  50.5-507. 


SPECIES. 


203 


.stated  of  what  it  consisted,  and  osjiccially  what  types  it  em- 
braced, aii<l  that  he  has  not  jtivsented  the  results  of  his  invcsti- 
<iatu»iis  in  di'tail,  witli  iiioic  explicit  expression  of  his  later 
views  i-esiteetinfi'  tlie  nuiaerous  syiioiiyiiis  of  tin;  yronp,  very 
lew  of  the  many  nominal  species  )>einy  here  delinitely  allocated, 
lie  liavinji'  here  made  ri!di<!al  chan{,'es  of  nomenclature,  not 
onlv  from  that  of  his  fornu'r  papers  of  18()0,  but  from  that  of 
iill  ])re\  ions  authors,  without  ji'iviny  his  reasons  for  such  a  pro- 
cedure, such  information  would  have  in  this  connection  espe- 
cial value.  Of  the  restricted  yeiuis  Otaria  he  recoj;ni/.es  only 
the  single  species  O.jubata.  lie  yives  its  habitat  as  extending 
from  the  Kio  de  la  Plata  and  Callao  and  the  Chincha  Islands 
southward.  He  rofers  0.  leonitia,  F.  (,'uvier,  and  0.  ulloa',  von 
Tschudi,  tt»  this  specii  s  as  "local  races,"  and  leaves  it  to  bo 
inferred  that  his  O.  f/odcfroyi  and  Gray's  0.  minor  and  0.  pyg- 
ituva  are  regarded  by  him  as  purely  synonyms,  (h'ay's  Phoc- 
«/•(  .'o.v  clongatus,  he  says,  beltuigs,  without  doubt,  to  EumeiopiaH 
(jUk'xpU  and  gives  Japan  as  falling  witiiin  its  range,  (iray's 
yMlophm  lobaiUH  he  refers  to  Otaria  cincrca,  Peron,  to  which  he 
also  assigns  0.  alblcoUls  of  the  same  author  and  <).  australiti 
of  (Juoy  and  Gaimard.  He  adopts  Peron's  apparently  wholly 
indeterminable  name  cinerea*  for  this  species,  without  giving 
liis  reasons  or  stating  Avhether  he  has  obtained  new  light  on 
this  intricate  matter  since  18GG,  when  he  referred  it  to  a  group 
having  thick  under -fur,  and  associated  with  it  the  Otaria  cinerea 
of  Quoy  and  Gaimard,  and  the  Otaria  forsteri  of  Lesson,  both 
of  which  he  now  treats  as  distinct  species  belonging  to  another 
{i'ouus.  Xo  reference  being  made  to  Turner's  Arctoccphahis 
wlmthjperoiis,  nor  to  Gray's  A.  nivosus  and  Enotaria  com- 
prcssa,  nor  to  the  0.  peroni,  0.  hauriUi,  etc.,  of  the  French 
writers,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  they  are  regarded  us  syno- 
nyms, but  of  what  species  we  are  left  in  doubt.  He  adopts 
Areioccplmlus ])imllu8  (from  Schreber)  as  the  name  of  the  .South 
African  Fur  Seal,  on  the  supposition  that   Buflbn's  "Petit 


*  It  has  been  supposed  by  Gray  aud  others  that  P^ron  took  with  him  to 
Franco  uo  specimeus  of  liis  Otaria  chicrva,  but  G.  Ciivier  (Oss.  Foss.,  v,  3d 
t'd.,  i».  221)  refers  to  a  specimen  of  Otary  '*vieut  dc  Peron  (c'est  la  seule 
<iu'il  ait  rapportde),  elle  n'a  quo  denx  pieds  neuf  ponces  do  long,  et  est  un 
pen  plus  blunchdtre  que  celle  du  Cap."  He  adds  in  a  footnote,  "C'est  pro- 
balik-nient  cello  dont  il  parte  sous  le  nom  A'otarie  cendn'e  de  I'ile  Decrfes; 
roij.  aiix  Terr>»  Australea,  t.  ii,  p.  54,"  The  Otary  of  the  Cape  here  referred 
t(»  is  the  one  biought  by  M.  Delalaude,  whicli  is  the  Fur  Seal  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 


^  '11 

9 

;] 

204 


FAMIL^'    OTAPilDiE. 


Phoque,"  on  which  the  name  pusiUa  rests,*  must  have  come 
from  tlie  Cape  of  Good  Ilope.t  Tlie  Fur  Seals  of  South 
Ameriea  are  reeoyiiized  as  behuiyiu}^  to  two  si)eeies,  those  of 
the  east  coast,  tlie  l-'alklaml  Islands,  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  continent,  antl  the  west  coast  northward  to  Ciiili  i>ein};'  ro- 
fened  to  ArctoccphaliiH  falkhuHlicm,  while  those  from  Juan  Fer- 
nandez and  Masafuera  Islands  are  assigned  to  A  liliiUppi.  We 
are  therefore  left  to  suppose  that  his  and  Gray's  A.  nigrescens, 
bis  A.  argentata,X  Gray's  Euotaria  latirostris,  and  Scott's  ^1. 
grayi  and  A.  euhphm,  are  regarded  by  him  as  synonyms  of 
these  species.  The  Fur  Seal  of  Australia  he  calls  Arctocepluilm 
brevipes,  citing  "  Otaria  einerea  Quoy  et  Gaimard,  Voy.  Astro 
labe,  Zoolog.  i,  p.  89  (non  P6ron)."  He  also  recognized  A.  ek- 
gam  from  Saint  Paul  and  Amsterdam  Islands  (to  which  he 
doubtfully  referred  A.  tropicalis,  Gray);  A.  gnzella,  from  Ker- 
gueleu  Island;  and  the  A./orsteri,  Lessoji,  from  New  Zealand 
and  the  Antarctic  Seas  to  the  southward  of  New  Zealand.  Four 
of  his  species,  namely,  Arctocephalus  ckgan,s,  A.forfiteri,  A.  (fa- 
zella,  and  A.pMUppii,  ai)pear  to  me  to  be  invalitl,  while  under 
his  Eunietoinati  giUespi,  I  l>elieve  he  has  c«mf()unded  two  quite 
distinct  species,  namely,  ZaIo2)hus  aiUcspi  and  Z.  lohatus,  Pe- 
ti'rs's  thirteen  species  i.  .» the  foUowinji : 


8.  Arctocppliiiliis  Itrcvipcs,  Peters. 

9.  Arctocepliiiliis  elcjfans,  Peters. 

10.  Arctoeeitlialiia  foiHteii,  Lesson. 

11.  Arctoceph.alus  gazellii,  Peters. 

12.  Arctocephalus  pliilippi,  Peters. 
!  13.  Arctocoplialus  ursinus  (Liuiid). 


1.  Otaria  jubata  (Forster). 

2.  Eumetopias  stelleri  (Lesson). 

3.  Enmetopias  gillespi  (M'Baiu). 

4.  Eumetopias  einerea  (Pdron). 

5.  Eumetopias  liookeri  (Gray). 

6.  Arctocephalus pu8illus(Schreber). 

7.  Arctocephalusfalklandicua,  Shaw.  | 

Five  are  Hair  Seals  and  eight  are  Fnr  Seals.  Three  only  are 
given  as  found  in  the  northern  seas,  while  ten  are  recognized 
as  occurring  in  the  southern. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  how  widely  opinions  have 
differed  respecting  the  number  of  species  and  their  generic 
afBnities  among  recent  writers  on  this  group,  and  how  unstable 
have  been  the  Aiews  of  the  two  leading  authorities  in  this  field 

*See  antm,  p.  194,  second  footnote. 

tG.  Cuvier  supposed  it  to  have  como  from  the  Cape,  because!  Pagiia  (see 
Bufion's  Hist.  N.at.,  Suppl.,  vi,  357)  had  reported  the  young  Otaries  ol'  the 
Cape  as  of  a  l)lack  color  (Oss.  Foss.,  3d  od.,  v,  220) ;  but  it  is  now  Avell  known 
that  all  Fur  Seals  ar<3  black  when  young.  On  the  other  haml,  Daubcutnii 
insisted  that  Buffon's  "Petit  Phoiiuo"  (sec  Desmarest,  Mam.,  p.  251)  came 
from  "I'Indc." 

{ J  (i7e<i,  p.  202,  footnote. 


vn 


SPECIES. 


205 


(liiriii};  the  last  ton  ov  twdvo  years.  Pctois  and  (iray  have  both 
repeatedly  during  this  time  radically  moditied  their  views  re- 
spectiufi;  b«)tli  the  jimnber  of  genera  and  species;  yreatly,  in  the 
case  of  (iray  at  least,  out  of  proportion  to  the  new  material  they 
have  examined.  This  thictuation  of  oi)inion  shows,  in  a  most 
eiiijihatic  maimer,  how  imperfect  our  knowledg*'  still  is  respect- 
h\<<:  the  Otaries  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere.  Those  of  the 
Xitrthern  an;  nuich  better  known,  the  only  <loubts  still  existing 
liaviny  relation  to  those  of  Japan.  Kespeeting  all  the  others, 
there  has  been  for  the  last  eight  years  an  almost  perfect  una 
nimity  of  opinion,  so  far  as  the  (piestion  of  species  is  concerned. 
In  1.S70  I  could  find  no  satisfactory  basis  for  the  discrimina- 
tion of  more  than  a  single  species  of  Fur  Seal  in  the  Southern 
IhMuispliere,  and  to  my  mind  the  case  is  now  scarcely  better, 
since  I  have  as  yet  had  opportunity  of  examining  only  speci- 
mens from  South  American  localities,  with  the  exception  of  a 
skin  and  skull  of  a  very  young  individual  from  Australia.  I 
now  add  one  species  of  Hair  Seal  to  the  number  I  then  recog- 
nized. These,  which  will  be  discussed  more  fully  later,  are  the 
following: 


Fur  Seah  or  Sea-Beara. 

6.  Callorhiuus  iirsiuus. 

7.  ArctocophaluB  falklandicus. 
f  8.  Arctoccphaliis  antarcticus. 
?9.  Arctocephalus  forateri. 


Hair  Seals  or  Sea-IAona. 

1,  Otaria  jubata. 

2.  Enmetopias  stelleri. 
H.  Zaloplius  californianus. 

4.  Zulophus  lobatus. 

5.  Phocarctos  liookeri. 

Although  taken  severely  to  task  by  Gray  and  others  for  my 
"  conservatism,"  especially  respecting  Otaria  liookeri,  auct.  (the 
justness  of  which  in  this  instance  I  now  concede),  but  also  as 
regards  the  Southern  Fm*  Seals,  I  must  still  confess  my  inability 
to  satisfactorily  distinguish  them  by  the  published  figures  and 
descriptions.  I  find  only  such  differences  indicated  as  a  large 
series  of  specimens,  embracing  both  skulls  and  skins,  of  two 
iiUied  species  (namely,  CallorhinusursinuH  undArctocephalmfalk- 
Jandicus,  auct.,  aiistralis,  Zimm.)  show  to  have  no  importance  as 
specific  characters.  Indeed,  I  find  Gray  himself,  in  his  latest  ref- 
erence to  two  of  these  species,  writing  as  follows :  "  The  New- 
Zealand  skull  ['•''  Etiotaria  ciwfi/crt"]  is  very  like  the  skull  of  the 
Southern  Fur-Seal  {Arctoccphalus  nigrescenx)  from  the  Falkhind 
Islands  and  the  south-west  coast  of  Patagonia.  It  differs  in  the 
position  and  form  of  the  grinders,  and  in  the  form  of  the  jialate, 
and  its  contracted  sides  and  truncated  hinder  part;  it  differs 
considerably  from  it  in  the  outline  and  prominence  of  the  tern- 


206 


FAMILY   OTAUIIDiE. 


jail ' 


W 


l)onil  bullji3  and  tho  os  i)etro8iim.  Tlic  upper  wurfaccs  arc  vory 
imich  alike,  and  the  orbits  are  very  large  and  of  the  same  s'zv. 
The  lower  jaws  are  very  Niniilar;  but  tlie  eallosity  of  the  Falk 
land  Island  si)eeinien  is  rather  lonjjjer,  and  the  erowu  of  the  teeth 
is  longer  and  rather  more  slender — the  erowu  of  the  New-Zeu 
land  speeiuien  beiufj  as  long-  as  broad,  that  of  the  Falkland 
Island  sp.'einien  beiuj^  one-third  longer  than  broad."*  I  eite 
the  diflereuees  here  noted  by  Gray  to  show  how  trivial  are  the 
grounds  of  separation.  A  skull  of  eaeh  of  the  sui)posed  species 
only  is  liere  compared.  The  differences  are  JiiSt  such  as  occur 
between  undoubted  specimens  of  Callorhinus  urshins,  no  two  ul" 
which,  even  of  the  same  age  and  sex,  can  be  compared  without 
observing  differences,  while  there  is  no  difticulty  in  selecting 
specimens  that  are  very  unlike  in  characters  that  have  beeu 
taken,  in  discussing  other  species  of  this  group,  as  having  great 
signilicance.  Again  Dr.  Gray,  in  comparing  his  Gypsophoca 
iropk'id'iH  from  Xorth  Australia  with  I'eters's  Arctophoca  argen- 
tatti  and  A.  2>hfUppi i  fvom  Juan  Fernandez  and  Masafuera,  says: 
"  These  three  skulls  have  nearly  the  same  teeth,  and  appear  to 
nie  to  belong  to  one  group;  btit  whether  they  are  three  distinct 
species  (two  from  the  west  coast  of  South  America  and  one  from 
North  Australia)  1  will  not  attempt  to  determine,  as  1  have  only 
seen  the  skins  and  skulls  of  the  one  from  the  latter  region;  but 
they  are  all  Fur-Seals  and  may  be  distinct.''t  Dr.  Gray  says 
his  genus  Qypsophoca  "is  most  like  Arctophoca  in  the  position 
of  the  teeth ;  hut  the  pala*<)  h  much  narroiccr,  the  face  shorter,  and 
the  hinder  part  of  the  ulcuU  much  larger  and  more  ventricose^^',1^  but, 
as  Clark  has  shown,§  and  as  is  evident  from  Gray's  figures,  Gyp- 
sophoca  was  based  on  a  young  skull,  and  young  skulls  of  Otaries 
differ  from  adult  ones  of  the  same  si)ecies  iu  just  these  characters. 
It  nuiy  here  be  noted  that  in  several  instances  the  so-called  "spe- 
cies" of  Fur  Seals  differ  from  others  recognized  by  the  same 
authors  only  through  differences  that  can  be  demonstrated  to 
be,  ill  other  Avell-known  allied  species,  simply  sexual.  Hence, 
until  writers  ou  this  group  have  learned  to  discriminate  the 
sexes,  and  to  make  due  allowance  for  the  great  changes  iii 
contour  and  details  of  structure  that  result  from  age  in  the 
skidls  of  Otaries,  we  can  hardly  hope  to  have  the  subject  of 
species  i)laced  on  a  jiroper  basis. 

*  Hand-List,  p.  36.  ~ 

t  Hand-List,  p.  28;  first  printed  in  Proc.  ZooLSoc.  Lond.,  1872,  p.  661. 
tProo.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1872,  p.  659. 
$  Ibid.,  1873,  p.  759. 


ii 


.SI'KCIHS. 


207 


TIh' (listrilmtiiMi  of  Iho  Kiir  Srals  in  tlic  Southoni  Sea.s  pix' 
.st'iits  no  obstacle  to  the  siijuiosition  of  tliolr  t'Oiispeiillc  rola- 
tionsliij).  TlH'y  occur  not  only  on  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
coasts  of  the  South  Aniciican  contiiu'ut,  about  its  southern  ex- 
tremity, and  on  all  the  outlying  islands,  including'  not  only  the 
Falklands,  the  South  Shetland,  and  South  Georjiian,  but  at 
otiicr  small  islands  more  to  the  eastward,  ut  Prince  Edward's, 
the  t'rozets,  Kerguelen,  Saint  l*aul,  and  Ajusterdam,  the  south- 
ern ami  western  shores  of  Australia,  Tasmania,  New  Zealiind, 
and  at  the  numerous  smaller  islands  south  of  the  two  last 
named.  They  have  been  found,  in  fact,  at  all  the  islands  nuik- 
iuji  up  the  chain  of  pelagic  islets  stretching  somewhat  inter- 
rnptedly  from  Cape  Horn  and  the  Falkland  Islands  eastward 
to  Australia  and  New  Zealand,  including  among  others  those 
south  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  so  famous  in  the  annals  of  the 
soal-tishery.  It  has  been  stated  by  Gray  and  others  that  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  Fur.  Seals  (really  those  of  the  Crozets  and 
neighboring  islands)  are  far  inferior  in  commercial  value  to 
tliose  of  other  regions ;  but  in  tracing  the  history  of  the  sealing 
business  I  have  failed  to  notice  any  reference  to  the  inferioi- 
(luality  of  those  from  the  last-named  locality,  or  that  there  has 
been  any  difference  in  the  commercial  value  of  the  Fur  Seal 
skins  obtained  at  dift'erent  localities  in  the  Southern  Seas.  The 
(jnality  differs  at  the  same  locality,  wherever  the  Fur  Seals  are 
found,  with  the  season  of  the  year  and  age  of  the  animals,  so 
that  skins  may  come  not  only  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
but  from  any  other  of  the  sealing-i)laces,  that  one  "  might  feel 
convinced  could  not  be  dressed  as  furs,"  being  "  without  very 
thick  under  fur." 

In  this  connection  I  may  add  that  Gray's  figure  (Hand-List 
of  Seals,  pi.  xxiii)  of  an  old  male  skidl  of  Aretocephalm  antarc- 
ticus  so  closely  resembles  an  aged  male  skull  (No.  1125,  M.  C. 
Z.  Coll.)  of  Arctocephalus  amtralis  {  —  falMandums,  auct.),  that 
the  latter  might  have  served  as  the  original  of  the  figures !  while 
other  skulls  of  the  last-named  species  bear  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  Gray's  figures  of  his  Euotaria  cinerea  (Hand- List,  pi. 
xxvi)  and  Ids  E.  latirostris  (ib.,  pi.  xxvii).  In  fact,  the  series  of 
skulls  of  J.rctocepAa?M«  australis  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  from  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  the  west  coast  of 
South  America,  presents  variations  that  seem  to  cover  all  of 
Gray's  species  of  Arctocephalus  and  Evotaria  as  figured  by  him 
iu  the  Hand-List  of  Seals. 


208 


FAMILY    OTAKIIDA:. 

Syiiiipsin  of  the  (linvnt  itiul  SpccicH, 


A.  I'i'liimiharNli.  witlidiit  iiiiilcr-fiir.    KiiiMNliort.   MolaiH 


(1— (I. 
fi  — 5' 


Yo'     SiH'cics  j;t'iu'iiilly  of  liu'nc  nI/.c.     Color  yt'llowish-ltrowii ;   rcil- 
(liHh-hrown  y\hm  youiin Tuicnoi-irocAiA:. 

I.  dcHUH  Otauia,  dill  ex  I'cron. 

Otaria,  P^:j{on,  Voy.  aux  'ft-rr.  AuHtr.,  ii,  181(i,  :J7,  lootiiotti  (in  part). 
[Platiirhhirhm]  J'latyrhiiDiue,  V.  CUVIEK,  Mi^in.  dii  Muh.,  xi,  1824,208,  pi.  iv, 

li«.  2. 
riatyrhhuua,  Y.  CuviER,  Diet,  des  8c.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1827,  T").— LK8.son, 

Man.  de  Maui.,  1827,  20:i  (in  part). 
Otaria,  Git.l,  Proc.  Essex  IriHt.,  v,  1860,  7. 

Char.  Gen.— I'alatine  liones  extending  nearly  to  the  pterygoid  i»roce88e8, 
deeply  eoneuvo,  trunente  behind.     Molars  ^^  =  ^^. 

1.  Otaria  jubata  ("Forster")  Blaiuvillo. 

Phocajiibata,  "Forster,  177.'j";  Sciirebeu,  Erxleben,  Gmelin,  and  other 

early  writers. 
Phoca  jubata,  Forster,  DeHerij).  Anini.  ndLicht.,  1844, 317  ("  Terra  Statuum ; 

Insula  Novi-anni"). 
Otaria  jubata,  Desmarest.  Mam.,  1820,  248  (in  part),  and  of  most  recent 

writers. 
t  Phoca  flavcscena,  Suaw,  Gen.  Zool.,  i,  1800,  2C0  (young). 
Otaria  leonina,  P£rox,  Voy.  aux  Terr.  Austr.,  ii,  1816, 40.  Also  of  Desmarest, 

Gray,  Peters,  and  some  others.  , 

Platyrhincua  honinun,  F.  CuviER,  Lesson. 
Phoca  byroni,  Blainville,  Jonm.  de  Phys.,  xci,  1820,  287.— Desmarest, 

Mam.,  1820, 240  (Jide  Gray,  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871, 13), 
Otaria  moUosmna,  Lesson  vl  Garnot,  Voy.  Co(|.,  Zool.,  i,  1820,  140,  pi.  iii 

("IlosMalouines"). 
riatyrhyneus  motlosainua  et  urauiw,  Lesson,  Man.  de  Mam.,  1827,  204. 
Otaria  pernettyi,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  420. 
Otaria platyrhinchu8  et  chilrnniH,  MtUxER,  Wiegmann's  Archiv  fWrNaturgesch., 

1841,  :m. 

Otaria  honina,  goihffroyi,  hyronia,  et  uUow,  Peter.'^,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin, 

18(i6,  2(J4.  2»)(),  2()y,  270,  (i/O,  (>71. 
Otaria  uUoa;  von  Tsciiudi,  Fauna  Peruana,  1842-44, 13.').  136,  pi.  vi. 
Arctocephahta  falklaiidiciia,  Burmei.ster,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  ser., 

xviii,  186(),  pi.  ix,  ligs.  1-4  (at  least  in  part). 
Otaria  minor,  et  pyymmi.  Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  ser.,  viii, 

326. 
Otaria  hookeri,  Sclater,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1806,  80. 

Habitat. —  Galapagos  I>*land8  (Coll.  Mus.  Comp.  Zool.,  from  Hassler 
Expedition),  and  coasts  of  South  America  from  Peru  and  Chili  on  the  Pacific 
side,  and  Rio  de  la  Plata  on  the  Atlantic  side  southward. 


SPECIES. 


209 


II.  Genun  riiocARCTOS,  Peters. 

Aniocvpnnliis,  ni  part,  of  GHAY,  i»rior  to  IHtJG. 

I'liocanioH  (milij;i'iuiM),  I'l/iKiis,  ALoiiatHb.  Akatl.  Berlin,  IrffiO,  269. 

CiiAii.  (iKN. — I'lilatiiu'  lioiu'H  eniliii};  conHnltTably  in  front  of  tho  pterygoid 
iiKKcssci*,  (li'ci»ly  t'oucavo  in  front,  nurrowotl  and  fniarginutc  behind.     Mo- 

tl-t!        12 

'i.  PhooarctOB  hookerl  (Gray)  PetcrH. 

.iirhctphahiH  hookcri,  GnAY,  "ZoiU.  Voy.  Kn-buH  and  Terror,  pll.  xiv,  xv"; 

Cat.  ScalH  and  WbaleH,  Ir^fiO,  .'»:»,  tig.  15. 
VhiidrvloH  lioohrri,  Ghay,  iSnppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  l.'i;  Hand- 
List  Seals,  1H74,  "29,  pi.  xx. 
(iliiria  jiiliata,  Ai.LKN,  Unll.  Mns.  Coinp.  Zool.,  ii,  1870,  45  (in  jtart). 
iiliirid  hookni,  Ci-AHK,  Proe.  Zool.  See.  Lond..  187:{,  754,  ilgs. 

llAiiiTAT. — Auckland  Islands.  (Orif^inally  (h'serihed  from  specimens  »«j>- 
liimil  to  have  come  from  tho  "  Talkhmd  Islands  and  Cape  Horn."  See  Clark, 
US  aliove  cited,  and  Gray,  Ann.  and  Maj;.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  xiv,  1874, 

\i\>.  -jf;-;!!'.) 

III.  Getni8  El'METOPlAS,  Gill. 

Oliirid,  in  part,  of  earlier  aiithors. 

Kiimi1(>ii)(ts,  Gll.L,  I'roc.  Essex  In8t.,v,  18()(),  7,  11. 

( iiAU.  Gkx. — PaIatin(^  hones  ending  very  far  in  front  of  pterygoid  pro- 
(csscs,  Hat,  or  nearly  so;  hinder  border  hollowed  or  cniarginate.  Molars 
lzl~  fO'  *'^*''  1"*"'  separated  by  a  considerable  space  from  the  fourth  pair. 

3.  Eumetopias  stelleri  Peters.  * 

IIaihtat. — Pacific  coast  of  North  America  from  California  to  Alaska; 
I'acitic  consf  of  Asia  from  Ja])an  ncrthward. 

IV.  Genus  Zalopiius,  Gill. 

Anloccphaliix,  in  part,  of  GiiAY,  prior  to  1866. 

/.(dopliiis,  Gii.l,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866,  7,  11. 

XivpliDra,  GuAY,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  ser.,  xviii,  1866,  231;  Suppl. 

Cat.  feo-xls  and  Wh.ales,  1871,  28. 
EumetopiuH,  Peters,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1877,  506  (in  part). 

Char.  Gex. — Pala+ino  much  as  in  Eumetopias.  Sagittal  crest  very  high. 
Interorbital  region  greatly  constricted.  Molars  ^^^  =  ^,  in  a  continuous 
.■'Ones. 

4.  Zalophus  californlanus  (Lesson)  Allen.t 

Habitat.— Coast  of  California. 

5.  Zalophus  lobatus  (Gray)  Gill. 
'HOtaria  uWicollis,  P^ron,  Voy.  Terr.  Austr.,  ii,  1816,  118. 
(^iaria  cincrea,  Gray,  King's  Narr.  Austral.,  ii,  413. 

ArdocepMhis  lohatus,  Gray,  "Spic.  Zoolog.,  i,  1828,  pi.  — ";  Cat.  Seals,  1850, 
_  44 ;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  50. 

*  For  synonymy,  see  infra,  under  the  general  history  of  Eumetopias  stelleri. 
*lor  synonymy,  see  infra,  under  tho  general  history  of  the  species. 
Misc.  Pub.  ISo.  12 14 


210 


FAMILY   OTARIID^. 


m 


■j 


Ncophoca  lobata,  Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  scr.,  xviii,  1866,  231; 

Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  28 ;  Hand-List  Seals,  1874, 

43,  pi.  ..XX. 
Otaria  auatralia,  Quoy  &,  Gaimakd,  Zool.  Voy.  Astrolabe,  i,  1830,  95;  1833, 

pi.  xiv  (animal),  xv,  figg.  3,4  (skull),  "Nouvelle  Hollande." 
Arctocephalus  auatralia,  Gray,  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  i")7  (not  Pima 

auatralia  of  Zimmemianii  and  Kerr). 
Otaria  atelleri,  Temminck,  Faura  Japon.  (at  least  in  part). 
Phocarctoa  clongatua,  Gray,  Hand-List  of  Seals,  1874,  30,  pU.  xxi,  xxii. 
Eumeiopiaa  clnerca,  Peters  (ex  l^dron),  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1877,  506. 

Habitat. — Australian  Seas.    Japan?? 

B.— Pelage  soft,  with  abundautnnder-fiir.  Earelonger.  Molars  5E5=Jq-  Size 
smaller.    Color  gray ;  black  when  young OuLiPHOCAca;, 

V.  Genua  Callorhinus,  Gray. 

Callorhinua,  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1859,  357. 

Arctocephalua,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866, 7, 11  (not  of  F.  Cuvier). 

Char.  Gen. — Facial  portion  of  the  skull  short,  convex, 


Molars  5^:1  =  io^ 


G.  Callorhinus  ursinus  Gray. 


Habitat. — Shores  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  California  and  Japan  (Pe/m) 
northward. 

VI.  Genua  Arctocephalus,  F.  Cuvier. 

lArctocephalua'l  Arctocephalea,  F.  Cuvier,  Mdm.  du  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  205,  pi. 

iv,  fig.  1. 
Arctocephalua,  F.  Cuvier,  Diet,  dcs  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1827,  554. 
Hdlarctua,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866,  7,  11. 
Arctophoca,  Peters,  lionatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1866,  276.— Gray,  Suppl.  Cat. 

Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  31. 
Euotaria,  Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  ser.,  iv,  1869,  269;  nanJ- 

List  Seals,  1874,  34. 
GypaopUoca,  Gray,  Ann,  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  ser.,  iv,  1869,269;  Hand- 

List  Seals,  1874,  27. 
Char.  Gen. — Facial  portion  of  skull  slender,  elongated,  pointed,  gently 
declined.    Molars  ^^^^  =  ^,  much  larger  than  in  CallorMnua. 

7.  Arctocephalus  australis  (Zimincrmann)  Allen. 

Phoca  uraina,  in  part,  of  various  early  writers. 

Phoca auatralia,  Zimmermann,  Geograph.  Geschichte,  iii,  1782, 276  (=  "Falk- 
land Seal,  Pennant,  ii,  521")-— Kerr,  Anim.  King.,  1792,  12^ 
(=  "Falkland  Seal,  Penu.,  Hist.  Quad.  N.,  378"). 
.  PlMcafalklandica,  Shaw,  Gen.  Zool.,  i,  1800, 256  (=  "Falkland  Isle  Seal" of 
Pennant — the  Fur  Seal  of  the  Falkland  Islands). 

Otaria  falklandica,  Desmarest,  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xxv,  1817,  601,  and  of  I 
many  subsequent  writers. 

Otoria  s.  Arctocephalua  falklandicua.  Gray,  Peters,  and  others. 

•For  synonjrmy  see  infra,  under  the  general  history  of  the  species. 


SPECIES. 


211 


Olurla  nhawi  et  hanviUei,  Lksson,  Diet.  CIush.  tVIIist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  425. 

ArdoccphnluK  nigresccns,  Gray,  Pktkrs. 

Otaria  (Arvtophoca)  philippii,  I'KTKns,   Mouatsb.  Akad.    Berlin,    1866,   276, 

pi.  ii. 
Utitria  (Ardophoca)  argcntata,  I'lULim  &  I'etkijs,  Moiiatab.  Akad.  Berliu, 

1871,  560,  pll.  i,  ii. 
AntocqihaluH  grayi,  Scott,  Mam.  lieeeut  and  Extiuet,  1873,  19. 
Kiiotarid  latirosfris,  Gray,  Hand-List  Seals,  1874,  37,  pi.  xxvii. 

Habitat. — Galapagos  Islands  (sitecimens  in  Mns.  Comp.  Zoiil.,  Hassler 
Exp. *)  and  shores  and  iglands  of  South  America,  from  Chili  and  the  Rio  de  la 
Plata  soatlnvard. 

•Specimens  of  both  Otaria  juhata  and  Arctocephahis  misiralis  were  col- 
lected by  members  of  the  Hassler  Expedit  ion  at  the  Galapagos  Islands,  show- 
ing that  they  both  rangi>  much  farther  northward  than  has  hitherto  been  gen- 
erally supposed.  For  the  following  observations  respecting  their  numbers 
iinrl  habits  I  am  indebted  to  my  friend  Mr.  J.  H.  Blake,  artist  of  the  Expe- 
dition, who  h.as  kindly  transcribed  them  from  his  note-book: 

'^Charles  Island,  Galapagos  Group,  June  10,  [1872]. — On  an  island  at  the 
easteru  side  of  Post-Offlce  Bay  is  a  Sea  Lion  rookery,  where  at  almost  any 
time  can  be  seen  hundreds  of  Sea  Lions  lying  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
water.  Two  of  our  company,  in  a  little  boat  about  ten  feet  long  called  the 
'Dingy',  went  near  the  shore  Avhere  they  were,  when  the  Seals  innnediately 
ran  into  tlu^  water  and  surrounded  the  boat.  The  Seals  came  close  to  and 
iindcr  the  boat,  so  that  there  was  danger  of  their  capsizing  it,  some  of  them 
being  as  largo  as  the  boat,  and  some  were  even  hirger;  hence  it  was  deemed 
Vi'iuk'ut  to  leave  them.  Toward  evening  the  Captain,  with  others,  took  a 
largfr  boat  and  landed  on  the  shore  below  the  Seals,  and  while  they  were 
nuniiug  toward  the  water  one  measuring  six  o^  seven  feet  in  length  was  shot. 
Many  of  them  were  of  enoiinous  size,  and  great  numbers  could  easily  have 
boon  killed.  They  made  a  noise  when  rushing  to  the  water  louder  than  'ho 
waves  on  the  shore.  We  saved  one  skeleton,  and  next  day  two  half-grown 
Seals  were  brought  on  shipboard  and  also  saved. 

'••fun'w  hliiml,  June  16, 1872. — At  this  island  we  saw  many  Seals,  and  some 
were  killed,  one  small  one  being  preserved  in  alcohol.  I  went  on  shore  in 
the  second  boat,  and  as  our  boat  landed  we  were  surrounded  with  Seals  of 
different  sizes,  which  came  near  the  boat.  Near  where  we  landed  was  a 
mother  Seal  und  her  two  young  ones  lying  together  in  a  shallow  excavation 
tliey  had  made  in  the  sand.  They  lay  very  quietly  and  appeared  to  be  not 
much  disturbed  by  our  presence  as  we  gathered  about  them,  excei)t  when 

we  offerod  to  touch  the  young The  mother  was  about  six  feet  long, 

and  of  ii  light  grayish  color,  with  the  head  small  and  shaped  like  that  of  a 
dog.  The  young  resembled  their  mother  but  had  shorter  noses  and  were 
about  three  or  four  feet  long. 

"In  walking  along  the  beach  I  came  to  another  small  rookery  where 
tlierc  were  family  groups  similar  to  that  above  described,  lying  about  in  all 
kinds  of  positions,  and  so  comfortably  situated  I  did  not  disturb  them. 
One  Seal,  about  six  or  seven  feet  long,  which  I  met  with  at  some  distance 
from  the  water,  I  drove  some  distance  to  study  its  movements  in  walking 
and  running.    It  would  nearly  raise  itself  from  the  ground  and  walk  like 


212 


FAMILY   OTARIIDiE. 


i 


ell 


Hi'     '''' 

1 

-1 

i 

H.  Arctocephalus  antarcticus  (Tluiultirg)  Allen. 

Phom  iirsina,  roitsTKit,  and  in  part  of  many  early  writirs. 

t Phoca  pmiUa,  SriiKicniMi,  Sihifj^et.,  iii,  [177(>f],  1511  (=Le  Petit  Plioque. 
Bnllon,  based  on  .a  yonnf^  I'lir  Seal,  from  an  nnknowu  locality, 
but  stipposed  to  have  come  from  India  or  t\w  Levant,*  but  as  no 
Seals  exist  tbere,  and  as  many  ;Miinials  Avbieb,  in  fonner  ycarsi. 
jtnr]torted  to  liave  been  brouj^ht  from  India  were  found  to  lie 
really  African,  some  late  writers  have  assumed  that  Butl'iiu's 
"Petit  Pboque"  must  liave  been  also  Afrean,  but  the  pertineiicc 
of  the  name  7)«s(7/«  to  tlie  African  I'ur  .Seal  is  not  beyond  reason- 
able doubt). t    Also  of  EuxLEBKX,  Gmklix,  and  others. 

f  OtariapiiKilla,  Dksmakkst,  ^ouv.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xxv,  1827,  <>0*i  (liiiswl 
on  (he  sauuO. 

Otaria  puailla,  Pktkus,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Herlin,  18()(),  271,  f)71  (nauio  adopted 
from  Sehrebtu'). 

Arctovt'plinhix  piixUliiK,  Pktkks.  Jlonatsb.  Akad.  IJerlin,  1H77,  506. 

/  ^*  I'lioca  parra,  Hoddakkt,  Elenehus  Anim.,  pi.  Ixxvii"  (=  liutt'on's  IVtit 
Phoque,  as  above). 

Phova  antarrtiva,  TiifNHKm;,  Mem.  Acad.  St.-P<<tersb.,  iii,  1811,222. 

Arctoaphalux  (iiitarcticuH,  Aij.kx,  Hull.  Mus.  Comit.  Zool.,  ii,  187tt,  4ri.— 
Gkay,  Sui>pl.  Cat.  Seals  an<l  Whales,  1871,  17. 

f  Otiiria  pcroiii,  I)i:.><makkst,  Mam.,  1820,  2.")0  (—  Otarki  ptmUa,  Desniarest, 
as  above). 

Otaria  peroni,  "  Smith,  South  African  Quart.  Journ.  ii,  C2." 

any  four-footed  auinuil  by  ben<lin<;  the  fore-tlippers  and  turning  the  liiiid- 
flippers  forward  as  here  represented  [in  some  sketches  accompaiiyinf;  llii'sc 
notes,  but  not  here  reproduced].  Tiny  {galloped  alonj?  the  sandy  sliorc  at 
quite  good  speed.  In  going  over  the  rocks  they  tumbled  abotit  in  everyway 
but  would  still  manage  to  get  along  with  surprising  rapidity.  I  .saw  iiiaiiy 
lying  on  the  shore  asleep,  and  there  were  huudri'ds  more  in  tins  water  near 
the  shore.  On  iiiqtroaching  within  a  few  feet  of  them  they  would  cmue 
towards  me  as  if  they  had  been  tamed.  From  a  j)rojecting  rock  I  watched 
their  movements  in  the  water — a  beautiful  sight.  They  would  roll  over 
uiulor  water,  turning  comidete  somersaults,  swim  on  their  backs  or  side;;, 
and  in  almost  every  position  would  glide  about  in  the  most  graceful  niaiiiier 
around  the  rock  on  which  I  was  sitting,  looking  up  at  me.    They  ofteu  \m\ 

their  ncses  together  in  the  most  aft'ectitmatc?  way When  annoyed 

by  flies  alighting  on  their  noses  they  would  open  their  mouths  widely  and 
snap  at  them  as  dogs  do. 

".Just  back  of  the  beach,  and  separated  from  the  ocean  by  a  row  of  man- 
grove trees,  was  a  lagoon  of  bracki.sh  water  in  which  were  a  number  of 
Seals,  while  lying  abcujt  on  the  bord<'r  of  the  lagoon  were  many  skeletons  ot 
those  that  had  died." 

*  Burton  says:  "  .  ,  .  .  on  nous  a  assure  (jue  I'individu  quo  nonsavonsvu 
venoit  ties  Indes,  &  il  est  au  nioins  trea-probabh^  qu'il  venoit  des  nicrsdn 
Levant." — ItiKt.  Xaf„  tome  xiii,  p.  ;!11. 

t  Gray  says:  "It  is  as  likely  to  have  come  fro^.  the  Falkland  Islamls as 
from  the  Cape,  as  the  French  had  traffic  with  Les  Ilea  Malouines,  as  they 
cull  them." — Siippl,  Cat,  Seah  and  JVhalcs,  1871,  p.  19. 


SPECIES. 


213 


Otarinlc  Tklalaiide,  V.  CuviKK,  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix.  1826,  5r)8.» 
Arctoci'phdhiHdelalatxIi,  Gkay,  Troc.  ZoiH.  Sor.  Loud.,  lt'.'>9,  107,  IlfiO,  pi.  Ixix; 

Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  IHWJ,  .Vi;  Anu.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d 

M'l".,  xviii,  IdlU),  235. 
Anloic]iliahtaf(ilklati(HviiH  {hi  iKirt),  Gkay,  Cat.  Seal.s,  1850,  42. 
Jrcloeephalun  nrhinthyprrovx,  Ti'itXKit,   .lonrn.  Anat.   and  Pliys.,   iii,    1868, 

113,  fig. 
Antuccjilitiluii  tiiroHiiH,  Gkav,  8ui>i)1.  Cat.  Seals  and  Wluvles,  1871,  27. 
/  Euotar'iH  ivmjtreami,  Gray,  Hand-last,  1874,  38,  pi.  xxiv ("South  Africa T"). 
Habitat. — Cai)c  of  Good  Hope. 

TO.  ArctocephaluB  foreterl  (Lesson)  Gray. 

Phoca  ursina,  FORSTEB,  Descrip.  Auiin.  (ad  Lichtenstein),  1844,  64  (New 
Zealand) = Sea  Bear,  Forster,  Cook's  Second  Voyage,  1777, 
=  Ours  Marin,  Biiffon,  Hist.  Nat.,  Suppl.,  vi,  1782,  336,  pi.  xlvli, 
so  far  as  it  relates  to  Forster's  figure  and  notes). 

Otaria  fomtiri,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  421  (=:Sea  Bear 
of  Forster,  whieh  became,  later,  Phoca  Hr»ina,  Forster,  exclusive 
of  references  to  Stollei-'s  Ursus  mnrinun). 

AntocephaIii»J'orntiri,  GRAY,  Snppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  25. 

Otaria  ciiima,  QuoY  &.  Gaimard,  Zool.  Voy.  Astrolabe,  i,  1830,  89;  Atlas, 
1833,  pU.  xii  (animal),  xiii  (animal),  xv,  tigg.  1,2,  skull  ("Nouvello 
Hollaude";  probably  not  Oiaria  vhnrid,  Perron,  Voy.  Terr.  Austr., 
ii,  18(5(5,  54,  77,  which,  however,  is  indeterminable). — Peters, 
Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  180(5,  272,  (571  (exclnsive  of  some  syno- 
nyms). 

Anton phaliix  diifreim,  (Jray,  Cat.  Seals,  1850,43;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales, 
18G(),  5(5;  Snppl.  Cat.  Seals  an\l  Whales,  1871,  24,  etc. 

Liiotaria  nncrva,  GRAY,  Hand-List  Seals,  1874,  34,  pi.  xxvi. 

f  Otarui  lamarii,  MCller,  Wiegmann's  Arch.  f.  Naturgcs.,  1841,  334  (in  part 
Hi  \onHt,—fide  Peters,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1866,  271,  272). 

(Ijipsophoca  tropicalis,  GRAY,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1872,  (5.59,  figg.  5,  6; 
Hand-List  Seals,  1874,  28,  pi.  wiii. 

fAntoplioca  gazelln,  Peters,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1875,  396  (Kergueleu 
Island). 

J  Otaria  (Arctophocn)  cleyaitH,  Peters,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1876,  316  (St. 
Paul  Odd  Amsterdam  Islands). 

Arvtoceplialm  Vrcripes,  forateri,  fclegans,  ot  f  gazeUa,  Peters,  Monatsb.  Akad. 

Bovlin,  1877,  .507. 
llAniTAT. — Australia,  New  Zealand,  Auckland  Island ;  f  Kergueleu  Island ; 

f  Saint  T'uul  and  Amsterdam  Islands. 


*" Otaria  ihlalamlii,  F.  CuviER.  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  423,"  cited  by 
lisflicr  (Syu.  Mam.,  232),  and  repeatedly  by  Gray  and  by  Peters,  is  evidently 
on'oiu'ous,  lis  the  article  "  Phoqmi "  begins  on  p.  540,  and  no  spocics  of  Seal  or 
Otaiy  is  nienticmed  on  p.  423.  The  correct  citation  is  not  "  Otaria  dela- 
kndii"  Init  "  Olarie  de  Delalandc,"  as  given  above.  G.  Cuvier  refers  (Oss. 
Fos..  ;til  (Ml.,  v,  1825, 220,  pi.  xv5"  ,  fig.  5.  skull)  to  it  as  "Otarie  du  Cap"  "  recu 
Piir  M.  Delalande." 


214 


FAMILY   OTARIIDiE. 


MYTIIICAIi  AND   UNDiyi'lOKMINAllLE   SPECIES. 

In  tlic.  |)n!(;(i«liiif;'  piij^c's  r<'i<'i'('.n<'('-  has  bocii  iiiiido  to  v.'irious 
siMMrics  (IcsciiluMl  loo  iiiipcilecMy  to  iidinit  of  rcoo/^iiHioii. 
Sonic  ol"  lln'sc,  1  liiivo  (loiilttl'iilly  ;illo(!iito<l  iissibov*^;  otlici's  I 
liiiNc  iiiiulc  no  iittonijjl  lo  (Iclcrniinc.  Ainoiijn'  tlu^s('  nrc  tln' 
follow  in;^' : 

I.  l*/i()c<i  pusillo,  H(!iiKEr.i;i{,  Siiiij^ct.,  iii,  |177(;?|,  .'{I4,  biiscd, 
US  Jiln'iuly  stilted  (s«',c above,  p.  11)1),  on  Hulfon's  "  IN^lit  IMuKpic," 
a  yoim^-  I'^iir  Seal  from  an  unknown  locaHty.  iJnffon  speaks  ol 
it  as  i'eported  to  liavt-  been  brou<;lit  from  the  Indies  and  the 
|j(!vant  (Hist.  Nat.,  \..i,  1705,  ;Ul),and  lat(!r  (ib.,.'Mr>)  (lalls  it  ''Ic 
IMitit  phoipie  noil'  <l('.s  liides  &  <lu  Ijovaiit." 

Li.  I'liora  lov{firolli^<,HuA^V,  (Jeiieial  Zoiil.,  i,  I.SOO,  25(),  Itascd 
on  tlio  Iion;4-n«'eked  Seal  of  Vtvow  (IMiisenm,  n»S(»,  115)  iiiid 
Paisons  (IMiik  Trans.,  xlvii,  1751-51',  pi.  vi).  Though  said  hy 
Sliaw  to  1m!  "earless,"  (Iray*  eontribiit<!s  the  following  his 
tory;  "Theie  formerly  existed  in  tli«^  Miisoum  of  tlie  b'oyal 
!Soei<'ty  an  IOare<l  Seal  without  any  habitat;  it  is  <'alled  tiic 
lionjjf-neeked  Seal  in  (Irew's  'Rarities',  p.  *.>5,  described  iiiid 
lij;iii'cd  under  that  name  by  Parsons  in  the  Phil  Trans,  xlvii,  t. 
(i,  and  iH)ticed  inrennant's  '(J|iia«lrupeds',  ii,p.  ii74.  Dr.  Slinw. 
ill  his  'Zoolojiy',  i,  ]».  250,  Iranslatcd  the  iiaiiic.  into  I'lutni  Ion- 
{ficollis,  ami  copied  Parsons's  lijiiir<'s.  The  name;  and  the  loriii 
of  the  fi'ont  feet  are  enough  to  show  that  it  is  an  Fiare<l  Sciil; 
for  Ihe  neck  of  theses  animals  is  always  lonj;  compared  with  tiic 
lu'ck  of  tlu^  lOarless  Seals  or  PlioritUv.  I-'iseher,  in  his  'Synopisis'. 
j>.  240,  overlookinji'  this  character  aiul  the  (h's<'rii»tion  of  tlic 
front  feet,  (considers  it  as  the  saiiK*.  as  tin*  Sea-Leopard  of  AVcd- 
dell  {I'lioea  Weddcllii)  from  the  Antarctic  (hreaii,  an  Earless 
Seal.  Thou{;h  the  habitat  is  not  ;;iven,  there  can  be  no  donhf, 
when  we  consider  the,  ••eojiraphieal  distribution  of  the  lOiircd 
Seal,  that  it  must  have  been  receiv«'d  either  from  the  soiithcni 
part  of  South  America  or  from  the  (Jape  of  (rood  Flope,  as  tlic 
animals  of  the  North  Paeille  and  of  Australia  were  not  known 
or  brou^jht  to  l<^ny,iand  in  1(JS(».  As  no  a<'count  of  the  i'olorot 
the  fur  is  j;iven,  it  is  impossible  to  (h^termine  to  which  species 
inhabitiufjf  these  c(mntries  it  should  be  referred.  It  is  most 
I)robably  the  Sea  Lion  {Otaria  leonina),  as  that  is  the  aniiiiiO 
which  is  most  {generally  distributed  and  commonly  brou{,ditt(! 
England.     The  sailors  sometimes  call   it  the    'Long necked 


•Ann.  iinil  Mii^;.  Xuf.  HiMl.,  4tli  Hcr.,  i,  18(W,  j)]), 217, 218, 


mtgmmm 


SPECIES. 


215 


Soul'."  ^Jniy,  liow(;v('r,  liinl  Ibniicily  iclornMl  if  (l()ul)tliilly 
(C)it.  Seals,  lS.j(>,  i;{;  O.it.  S«':i1h  aiul  WliiilcH,  ISfX;,  r.(5)  to 
An-lorcplitiliiN  foll.hniiliciis. 

.!.  I'lioni  JhirrNcnis,  SlIAW,  <  Icii.  Zoiil.,  i,  LSOO,  li(J(),  ii  .siiiiill, 
••vfllowislr'  l')iir<'(l  Seal,  (l«'S<'ril)('(l  ('loiii  a  spcciiiH'ii  in  llio 
liCvcriaii  .Miisciirii  Itioiijilil  from  llic  Straits  of  Ma;;«'l!aii.  It  is 
tlic  "l-laicd  Seal"  of  I'ciinaiil  ((^>iia(l.,  ii,  L'TS),  an<l  tlie.  (Hnria 
Jlanncriis  of  Dcsiiiaicst  (Mam.,  ISL'O,  LTjL').  I"'i(»m  its  size  (al)oiit 
(wo  feci  loiij"),  cohtr,  ainl  lialiitat,  it  is  pn'siimably  refciaWh'  to 
(Htiria  jiih(tt(t,  hut  lias  hox'.u  rcfern-il  by  (Jray  1(»  his  I'honirctnH 
lioolitri. 

I.  Oturid  rinerca,  rj^;i.H)N,  Voy.  Terr.  Aiistr.,  ii,  1S1(»,  .Vt,  77, 
is  iiicicly  icfcnc'l  to  in  such  j^ein'ral  terms  that  it,  is  Avholly  iu- 
deterininaldc.  The  name,  h<)\ve\ei',  has  Iwen  commonly  referred 
to  the  llairSeal  of  Australia,  for  \vhi(^li  species  (ho  name  has 
l»('cn  adopted  hy  I'eters  (see  above,  p.  L'O.'J). 

."».  Olarid  (ilhintllis,  I'l^iKON,  V^)y.  aux  T<'ri'.  Austr.,  ii,  ISKJ, 
IIS.  An  l'iai('<l  Seal,  cu^^ht  to  nine  feet  lonj;',  distinsnisiied  by 
ii  hnj;('  white  spot  on  the  middle  an<l  upper  i)art  of  the  neck. 
()l)scrved  in  ;j;i('at  numbers  on  the  islaiuls  near  Ihiss  Straits. 
No  taii^fibh'  <*haractcrs  jfiven,  and  wholly  Jinn'cof^iiizable.  Ite- 
fcrred,  liow(^ver,  by  I'eters,  in  I.S77,  to  his  '■'■  I'himctop'mH  ciuvrea 
(I'ci'oii),"  the  Znloplnix  lohatiis  of  (Iray. 

(!.  (Haria  voronnta,  Dksmauks'I',  Mam.,  bS2(),  251.  Saya 
Dcsman'st :  '■'■  I'hoca  ri)ron<(ta,  Ulainv.  ICspece,  nouvelh^observ6(i 
dans  U\  Musi'iim  <le  Hidlock,  A  Londres."  Locality  unknown. 
Tliouj-h  said  to  be  an  Kan-d  Seal,  one  loot  and  a  lialf  long, 
black,  sparsely  and  irrefiidarly  sp(>tted  with  yellow,  the  Ibro 
feet  are  said  to  hsiv<!  live  toes,  nearly  equal,  and  armed  with 
very  strong,  curved,  sharp  nails,  while  the  liind  feet  have  live 
nails,  '' H/a/.s  <h}passen  par  den pointCH  mcmhrancunes^'' — a  (!oinbi- 
nation  of  characters  iinkDown  in  nature. 

7.  Otarin  porelnu,  F.  CuviEU,  iJict.  des  Sci.  Nat.,xxxix,  182G, 
55!).  Has<Ml  on  the  Phoca  porcina,  Molina,  J  Fist.  Nat.  du  Chile, 
200,  recognizable  merely  as  an  Eared  Seal,  which  (jlray  and 
l*(!teis  have  thouglit  jmsaibly  nrferable  to  the  Arctocephalns 
faUdmidicuH. 

<S.  Oinria  pvronl,  Desmakest,  Mam.,  1820,  250.  The  Hame 
as  Phoca  ptmlla,  Schreber,  and  t\w  Petit  Phoquo  of  IJuffon, 
already  noticed. 

!>.  Otariafabricii,  LESSON,  Uict.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,1828, 
419,=  Phoca  ursina,  Fabricius,  Faun.  Grcenl.,  6.    Based  on  a 


216 


FAMILY    OTAKIID^. 


■ii 


supposed  species  of  Eared  Seal  erroneously  believed  by  Fabri- 
eius  to  exist  in  the  Greenland  seas,  but  wlio  never  saw  tbe 
animal,  and  described  it  mainly  from  what  were  <loubtless  fab- 
ulous reports  rife  among  the  Greeulanders.  The  sup])osed 
species  is  entirely  a  myth,  at  least  so  far  as  having  any  relation 
to  an  Otary.  (See,  further,  Brown,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Loud.,  18G8, 
pj).  357,  358.) 

10.  "Ofarm  aurita,  Hi^mboldt."  This  is  unknown  to  me. 
Peters,  in  1877,  referred  it  doubtfully  to  Arctocephalus  falkland- 
icus. 

11.  Arctocephalus  eulophus,  Scott,  Mam.  Eecent  and  Ex- 
tinct, 1873,  19.  Based  wholly  on  the  testimony  of  an  "  expe- 
rienced sealer."  Not  determinable.  Habitat. —  "New  Zea- 
land," "Patagonia,"  "Juan  Fernandez"!    (See  above,  p.  199.) 

Other  species,  composite  in  character,  are  determinable  only 
by  reterence  to  the  types,  among  which  are  Otaria  stelleri,  Tern- 
minck,  Otaria  lamari,  Miiller,  etc.,  noticed  elsewhere. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  DISTRIBUTION. 

The  most  striking  fact  in  respect  to  the  distribution  of  tlie 
Otariidw  is  their  entire  absence  from  the  waters  of  the  North 
Atlantic. 

As  already  noticed,  the  Eared  Seals  are  obviously  divisible 
by  the  charfuiter  of  the  pelage,  into  two  groups,  which  are  com- 
mercially distinguished  as  the  "Uair Seals"  and  the  "Fur Seals,'" 
which  are  likewise  respectively  known  as  the  "Sea  Lions"  aud 
the- "  Sea  Bears."  The  two  groups  have  nearly  the  same  geo- 
graphical distribution,  and  are  commonly  found  frequenting  the 
same  shores,  but  generally  living  apart.  Usually  only  one  spe- 
cies of  each  is  met  with  at  the  same  localities,  and  it  is  worthy 
of  note,  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  coast  of  California,  uo 
naturalist  has  ever  reported  the  occurrence  together  of  two 
species  of  Hair  Seals  or  two  species  of  Fur  Seals,  althongb 
doubtless  two  species  of  Hair  Seals  exist  on  the  islands  and 
shores  of  Tasmania  and  Australia,  as  well  as  on  the  Califomiaii 
coast. 

The  Ilair  and  Fur  Seals  are  about  equally  and  similarly 
represented  on  both  sides  of  the  equator,  but  they  are  confined 
almost  wholly  to  the  temperate  and  colder  latitudes.  Of  the 
nine  species  provisionally  above  recognized,  two  of  the  five 
Hair  Seals  are  northern  and  three  southern  j  of  the  four  Fur 


FOSSIL   OTARIES 


217 


Seals,  throe  an'  southern  and  one  only  is  northern,  but  the 
tlinc  southern  are  elosel.v  related  (perhaps  doubtfully  distinet, 
at  least  two  of  them),  and  ar«'  evidently  reeent  and  but  slij^htly 
(lilleientiated  forms  of  a  eommon  aneestral  sto<'k.  Of  the  two 
Eared  Seals  of  largest  size  {Eidiietopiax  HtcUeri  and  Of  arid  ju- 
h(iUt),  one  is  northern  and  the  other  southern,  and,  though  dif- 
fering generically  in  the  structure  of  the  skull,  are  very  similar 
iu  external  characters,  and  geographically  are  strictly  represent- 
ative. ZalophuH  is  the  only  genus  occurriifg  on  both  sides  of 
the  equator,  but  the  species  are  diflereut  in  the  two  hemispheres.* 
The  Fur  Seals  of  the  north  are  the  strict  geographical  repre- 
sentatives of  those  of  the  south.  Phocarctos  Jioolceri  is  Austral- 
asian, and  has  no  corresponding  form  in  the  Northern  Hemi- 
sphere. No  species  of  Eared  Seal  is  known  from  the  North 
Atlantic.  Several  of  the  southern  species  range  northward 
into  the  equatorial  regions,  reaching  the  Galapagos  Islands  and 
the  northern  shores  of  Australia. 

FOSSIL   OTARIES. 

Tlie  only  fossil  renuiins  unquestionably  referable  to  the  Ota- 
lies  are  those  found  by  Dr.  Ilaastt  in  the  Moa  Caves  of  New 
Zealand.  These  have  been  referred  by  Dr.  Haast  to  the  species 
of  Kared  Seals  still  inhabiting  the  New  Zealand  coast.  |  Hence 
no  fossil  remains  have  thus  far  been  discovered  outside  of  the 
lacsi'iit  habitat  of  the  grouj),  their  supi)osed  occurrence  in  the 
Tertiary  formations  of  Europe  requiring  confirmation.  The 
abseuci.  of  the  Otariida'  from  the  North  ^Vtlantic  renders  any 

*  This  statement  is  made  with  Bomc  reservation,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
it  is  not  quite  clear  what  the  species  arc  that  are  found  in  the  Japan  Seas. 
Both  EnmvtopiaH  aUlleri  and  CallorhiniiH  urniinin  extend  southward,  appa- 
rently in  small  numbers,  along  the  east  coast  of  Asia  to  Japan.  Zalo})huii 
lohatiiK  has  been  accredited  to  Japan,  but  apparently  on  the  basis  of  Teni- 
niinik's  Oluria  sfelleri,  which  is  evidently  a  composite  spiu-ies,  which  has  been 
vct'cned,  at  different  times,  in  part  to  Z.  lobatiin  and  Z.  valifoiuiaiiiiK  {—{/H- 
h'lpii,  uiitt.).  The  latter  has  as  yet  been  certainly  found  nowhere  except  on 
till'  Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States,  and  Z.  lobatun  has  not  been  positively 
iihntitied  from  any  point  north  of  Australia.  Temmiuck'slignres  1-4,  pi.  xxii, 
ol  the  Fauna  Japonica,  seem  unquestionably  to  represent  skulls  of  Zalophus, 
'mt  whethtT  the  Australian  or  the  Californiun  species,  or  a  third,  as  yet  un- 
iiaiueil,  is  apparently  by  no  means  settled.  If  ititroves  to  be  the  Z.  lohatns, 
it  fonn.i  an  exceptional  case  of  the  same  species  occumng  on  both  sides  of 
'111'  I'ciuiitor. 

t-Vrtdor,  V(d.  xiv,  pp.  517,  518,  Oct.26,  lri7(). 

tDi".  Haast  identities  them  as  "Arctocej)halii8  hbatioi  (?)  and  A.  vincrcuv" 
ami  '■L!iip(<oj)hoca  /)'oj>tcfl?i»." 


218 


FAMILY    OTARIID/E. 


indications  of  tlioirf(»ni!('ri)i('scncT  in  Knioiicofsiu'cinl  intorcsi, 
and  calls  l"oi-  a  <'ntical  examination  of  the  sn]ti)oscd  evidence  ot 
tlieir  loiiner  existence  tliere. 

(iervais,  many  years  sin<-e,*  described  and  liyni'ed  a  tooth 
which  he  releired,  with  (hnibt,  to  Otaria  {'■^Otnria  i  priscu"), 
Itnt  Van  Ueneden  has  since  determined  it  to  be  referable  to 
Sqtidlndon.  ]M.  K.  l)elfortrie,+  in  1871*.  described  two  fossil  teeth 
fi'om  the  bone  l)reecia  of  Saint-Medard-en-.Ialle,  near  Uordeaiix. 
which  he  considei'cd  as  represent  injj;"  two  s]»ecies  of  Otary,  wiiich 
he  named,  iv  ])ectively,  0/<r/*m  (niilrimw  and  Otnria  levlvml. 
The  tirst  is  based  nj)on  a  last  upper  molar  havinj;'  some  resem- 
blance to  the  last  superior  molar  of  Eunictojnafi  steUerl ;  tlic 
(►tlier  is  an  "incisive  inferieure  externe,"  not  nuich  unlik*'  the 
corres])ondin}i'  tooth  of  sonu'  of  tlu^  Otaries.  31.  Delfortrie 
observes  that  these  teeth  have  a  strikinjj^  analogy  to  those  of 
OtarUi  jubma  tigured  by  Blainville,  and  to  those  o\'  Eumeiop'm 
sti-IJeri  and  ('allorhiuus  ursinus  tigiired  by  myseli.  "Cette  anii 
logic,"  says  'M.  Delfortrie,  "disons-nous,  nous  permet  d'attribiicr 
sans  hesitation  ji  des  Otarides,  les  deux  dents  de  Saint-^bMlanl. 
en  en  faisant  toutefois  deux  especes  distinctes,  en  raisoii  des 
caracteres  bien  tranches  qu'elles  presentent."  T?esi)ectin{'  tiiese 
teeth,  I^rofessor  Van  Beneden  remarks:  "Ces  dents  de  VOtom 
Oiuh'iana  me  semblant  bien  se  rapprocher  do  celles  de  rchijiiits 

In  another  connection,  the  same  writer  adds :  "  Sans  avoir  vii 
les  originaux  nous  ne  pouvons  toutefois  nous  defendrederidw 
que  ces  molaires  et  ces  incisives  pourraient  bien  appartcnir  a 
un  anim  il  fossile  voisin  du  Felaglus  monavhm  de  la  3Ie(litcni! 
n^e.  Xous  esp^roUiS  que  I'on  pourra  bientot  comparer  avec  le 
soin  necessaire  ces  dents  interessantes  avec  les  especes  voisiiie^ 
vivantes  et  fossiles  et  nous  ne  serious  pas  surpris  de  voir  leu- 
contrer  certaines  affinites  <iui  echappent  jusqu'sV  present.  Le 
genre  Falaophom  que  nous  <lecrivons  plus  loin  n'est  pasbieii 
61oigne  des  rclmjivH  de  la  Mediterranee,  et  la  dent  qui  a  seni 
de  type  a  VOiariu  OudHana  n'est  pent  etre  (lu'une  preniolaiit 
de  notre  Fahvophoca ;  celle  sur  laquelle  est  6tablie  YOtariaL( 
clercii,  est  pent  etre  une  incisive  sup6rieure  du  meme  aniinal.'j 
I  agree  entirely  with  M.  Van  Beneden  that  these  teeth  cannot  k 

■' Zoolofjfie  ft  la  Piil(5oiito]ogie  fran^aises,  18.')0-r)5,  p.  5J70,  pi.  viii,  lig.  l^' 
t  Acti'H  (le  la  Soiidt*^  Linndenue  de  Bordeaux,  xxviii,  4«  livr.,  1872. 
{Ann.  dii  Mu8,  Roy.  d'llist.  Nat.  de  Belgique,  i,  jirem. part.,  1877,  p. 25. 
i^Ibid.,  J).  57. 


m 


FOSSIL   OTARIES. 


219 


acci'i>tO(l  as  satisfactory  ])r()of  of  tlie  presence  of  Otaries  iu  the 
Tertiary  fauna  of  lOiiropo. 

N'mii  lU'iK'dcii  also  n'fcrs  t(»  a  Immorns  oi'un  Otary  iu  the  Mu- 
s(Miiii  of  tli(^  CJeoloyieal  Institute  of  Vienna,  supposed  to  have 
hccii  taken  from  the  bed  of  the  Danube,  and  adds  that  it  bears 
ii  close  resenibhince  to  the  same  part  in  Otariajnhata,  if  indeed 
it  is  not  referable  to  that  species,  but  adds:  "Get  os,  en 
tout  cas,  n'est  pas  fossile,"  He  also  refers  to  a  skull  found  by 
Valenciennes  on  the  shore  iu  the  department  of  Laude,  meu- 
tioned  by  Gervais,*  and  says  it  is  still  unknown  how  it  came  to 
bo  fount  on  the  coast. 

Van  r>enedcu,  however,  believes  that  he  has  proof  of  the  ex- 
istence of  fossil  Otaries  in  Europe  iu  his  Mesotaria  ambigua,i  a 
species  i)reseuting  many  remarkable  charactei's,  which  ally  it, 
he  believes,  in  some  points,  to  the  Otaries.  This  species  is  rep- 
resented by  the  greater  jiart  of  the  bones  of  the  skeleton  aud 
iiuinerous  teeth,  but  the  skull  is  not  known.|  The  teeth,  he 
says,  arc  unlike  those  of  any  other  genus,  while  the  bones  indi- 
cate a  s])ccial  mode  of  life,  and  a  size  about  equal  to  or  rather 
larger  than  that  of  Phoca  (jnenlundka.^  The  ilium  is  described 
as  resembling  more  the  san)e  part  in  the  Otaries  than  the  Seals, 
and  as  indicating  a  mode  of  life  more  terrestrial  than  aquatic. 
Tlie  humerus,  on  the  other  hand,  is  stated  to  more  resemble 
tiiat  of  the  Seals  than  that  of  the  Otaries. 

Of  tlie  fenuu'  he  says:  "Nous  avons  trois  fenuirs  assez  complets 
qui  indiquent  que  cet  os  s'^loigne  par  sa  conformation  des  autres 
Aui]>hit(''riens.  La  tete,  ainsi  que  le  col,  tieuLcnt  de  I'Otarie, 
coiiune  les  condyles,  et  le  (jrarnl  trochanter,  pen  large,  ue  s'eleve 
I>as  au-dessus  de  la  tetc  de  I'os.  La  tete  est  comparativement 
petite.  La  cavit6  trochant<5rique  est  profonde  et  etroite  vers  le 
milieu  <le  I'os  et  tout  contre  le  col.  Le  caractere  se  rapporte  A  la 
position  du  membre  posterieur  qui  rapproche  ainsi  des  Otaries 
raiiimal  qui  nous  occupe.  Les  Mds(>taries  etaient  moins  aqua- 
ti([ues  que  les  Phoques  actuels." 

Upon  careful  comparison  of  his  excellent  flgures  (pi.  ix)  of 
the  fenuir,  humerus,  scapula,  and  fragment  of  pelvis,  with  the 

*Zo()logie  ct  la  Pal^-ontologio  fran5ai.es,  p.  27<>. 

tAim.  (In  Mns.  Roy.  d'Hist.  Nat.  do  Belgiqne,  i,  1877,  p.  5C,  pi.  i. 

{Van  IJenedcn  reports  having  two  canines,  three  molars,  seven  cervical 
vcrtcline  and  an  axis,  eix  dorsal  and  seven  Ininb.ar  vertebrie,  aright  ilinni  and 
11  left  iscliinui,  the  distal  end  of  a  scapnla,  four  right  and  five  left  humeri,  a 
loft  and  a  right  femur,  six  tibiic,  and  four  metatarsal  bones. 

^  The  parts  of  the  skeleton  figured  by  Van  Beneden  correspond  very  nearly 
iu  size  with  the  corresponding  parts  of  Cj/ntophora  cristata. 


220 


FAMILY  OTARIID^:. 


rorrespondiiifj;  i)arts  of  tin:  skelt'ton  in  Iiv«'  siu'cies  of  Otarics, 
vcpirst'iitiii;''  all  tlio  j-ciu'ia  of  that  yronp,  aiul  with  tlio  primi- 
l»al  types  of  tlu'  IMiocids,  1  fail  to  api)r.t'<'iat«>  any  iiiij)ortaiit  up 
l)roa('h  toward  thf  fonnor,  or  any  niarketl  departure  from  tiic 
latt«'r,  especially  tiie  snl)fauiil>  Ci/ntophorina'.  In  tii«'  femur,  f(»r 
e.\anJi)le,  there  is  in  Memtaria  no  trace  of  a  trochanter  mi)t<n\ 
wlneh  is  always  strongly  developed  in  the  Otaries,  as  well  a.s 
in  the  AValruses,  but  absent  in  the  Plioiads,  this  feature  alone 
serving  to  at  on(!e  distinguish  the  (Iressigrade  from  the  Kepti- 
grade  Pinnipeds.  The  thick  short  form  of  the  femur  in  Men- 
otnria,  with  its  greatly  enlarged  distal  extremity,  and  the  great 
transverse  breadth  and  thickness  of  the  whole  uoue  in  propor- 
tion to  its  length,  gives  it  a  very  close  resemblance  in  its  gen- 
eral form  and  proportions  to  the  same  part  in  Cytitophora  and 
MncrorhinuH  {Morunga  of  many  authors),  while  it  places  it  in 
strong  contrast  with  the  same  bor  in  any  of  the  Otariids. 
The  scapula  is  also  a  very  characteristic  bone  among  the  Pin- 
nipeds, and  even  the  small  portion  (the  lower  extremity)  shown 
in  Van  Beneden's  figure  (pi.  ix,  fig.  7)  serves  to  emphasize  and 
contirm  the  relationship  of  jl/t'.sofar/rt  with  the  Plioeids,  and  the 
wide  divergence  of  this  type  from  tlie  Otarii<ls,  as  shown  eispc- 
I'ially  in  the  obli(piity  of  the  articular  surface  of  the  glenoid 
cavity.  The  portion  of  the  pelvis  figured  fpl.  ix,  fig.  .S)  is  de- 
cidedly Phocine  in  its  proportions,  and  in  the:  tlivergenct^  of  the 
iliac,  crest,  while  it  is  very  unlike  the  same  part  in  the  Otariids. 
Finally,  it  may  be  noted  that  the  tout  enaemhlc  of  all  the  bones 
of  McHotnrla  represented  in  Van  Beneden's  plate  is  strikingly 
that  met  with  in  the  heavier  types  of  Phocids,  especially  the 
genera  Cystophora  and  Macrorhinux,  and  very  unlike  that  of  the 
Otaries.  In  all  the  latter,  the  bones  are  relatively  snuill,  dense, 
and  slender,  and  especially  is  this  the  case  with  the  bones  of 
the  limbs,  none  of  them  approaching  the  thick  stout  form  char- 
acterizing these  parts  in  Meaotaria.  The  proportions,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  details  of  structure  in  the  principal  bones  in  the  Otaries, 
are  so  widely  different  from  what  is  met  with  in  the  Phocids,  that 
general  contour  alone  serves  at  once  as  a  basis  for  their  dis 
crimination. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing,  it  seems  to  me  evident  that  if  the 
distribution  of  the  OtariUhv  formerly  embraced  the  shores  of 
Europe,  we  have  still  to  wait  for  evidence  of  such  a  former  dis- 
tribution ;  and  that  iti  Europe,  as  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  of 
North  .America,  the  only  fossil  remains  of  Pinnipeds  tlius  far 


^iL, 


MILK    DENTITION. 


221 


found  aro  ivfi'iabU'  to  the  IMiocids  on  the  one  liiuul,  and  to  the 
WiiliMsos  on  \\n\  otlu'i",  indicatin};'  for  the  Otaiiids  tlic  same 
(•uri(»iislv  limited  habitat  as  now. 


MILK  DENTITION. 

Tlic  milk  tlentition  in  the  IMnnijieds  rarely  persists  much 
lu'voinl  fo'tal  life,  and  is  never  to  any  |j[reat  de}>ree  fnnetional, 
1111(1  the  dental  formnla  of  the  temporary  teeth  is  snbstan- 
tially  the  same  in  all.  In  the  Walrnses,  however,  two  of  the 
posterior  npi)er  milk  nudars  and  the  last  lower  one  often  remain 
till  a  comparatively  late  jjeriod  of  life,  but  all  traces  of  the 
otliers  disappear  soon  alter  birth.  The  two  nuddlo  pairs  ot* 
incisois  probably  never  pieree  the  <;ums,  and  the  others  scarcely 
]i('isist  beyond  the  fcetal  period.  The  feruuda  for  the  temporary 
dentition  of  this  <;roni)  is  usually  reeofjfnized  as  I.  i|~;J,  C.  \~^, 
M.  ,|~..|  iov  M.  ]~l)-  I"  tl'^  Seals,  however,  the  nund)er  of 
molars  appears  to  never  exceed  ij^jj  •  l'»  the  P^arless  Seals  ''the 
milk-teeth  are  extremely  rudimentary  in  size  and  form,  and  per- 
tl'c'tly  lunetionless.  The  majority  of  them  never  ent  the  gums 
and  are  absorbed  actually  before  birth,  and  certainly  within  a 
week  after  birth  scarcely  a  trace  of  any  of  them  remains.''* 
The  milk  molars  are  three  in  inind)er  on  each  side,  both  above 
aud  below,  and  are  replaced  respectively  by  the  second,  third, 
and  fourth  molars  of  the  permanent  set.  The  canines  are 
all  represented  in  the  temporary  set.  The  number  of  tem- 
porary incisors  varies  in  the  ditterent  genera,  it  corresponding 
up  arently  with  the  juimber  in  the  permanent  set.  In  Phoca 
I-  ilina,  1\  j/r<xnlan(lica,  and  I*,  foetida,  they  ha^e  been  found 
to  b(^  :!~;^,  but  the  two  inner  ones  of  the  npper  jaw  are  absorbed 
lonji  before  birth.  In  the  Elephant  Seal,  Professor  Flower 
found,  in  a  specimen  eleven  inches  long,  "  a  complete  set  of 
vory  minnte  teeth,  viz.  I.  ^,  V.  \,  M.  §,  on  each  side ;  all  of  the 
f<implest  character."t 

In  the  Eared  Seals,  the  milk  molars  are  of  the  same  num- 
ber as  in  the  Phocinic,  namely  l^l,  and  hold,  approximately  at 
least,  the  same  position  relatively  to  the  molars  of  the  perma- 
nent set.    They  are  separated  by  wide  diastema,  and  the  middle 


*  Flower,  "  Kcin.arks  on  tlic  Ilomologitis  and  Notation  of  thcj  Teeth  of  the 
Jlainnialia,"  Jouni.  Pliys.  and  Anat.,  iii,  1868,  p.  2(59. 
tll)i(I.,  p.  271,  tig.  4.  '  ' 


222 


FAMILY   OTARIIDiE. 


molar  is  much  smaller  than  either  of  the  others.  The  miO 
incisors  are  rei)laced  early  in  fcetal  life  by  the  permanent  oi 
which  are  ready  to  cut  the  gum  at  birth.  The  outer  up 
incisor  remains  much  longer,  persisting  quite  till  after  birth 
do  also  the  temporary  molars,  while  the  canines  are  not  si 
for  some  weeks,  at  least  Ave  or  six  weeks.  As  Professor  Fh»i 
has  observed,  "  It  is  very  interesting  t.)  note  that  in  the  Ea 
Seal3  (genus  Otaria  [or  family  Otariidw]}.  which  more  nesi 
approach  the  terrestrial  Carnivora  in  many  i«oint8  of  struct 
as  well  as  habits,  the  milk-teeth  are  less  rudimentary  j 
evanescent  than  in  the  true  Heals,  the  canines  especially  be 
of  moderate  si?    ".nd  retained  for  several  weeks."* 

The  milk  dentition  of  the  Eared  Seals  has  already  been 
scribed  in  two  sjecies  of  Arctocephulm,  amt  I  am  able  to  i 
some  account  of  it  in  Enmetopian  and  Zalophus. 

Van  Beneden  found,  in  1871,  in  a  young  skull  of  "  Otaria 
silla-'f  ("=  Otaria  delalandi,''^  C\\y.,=  Arctocephalus  antarctic 
Allen,  ex  Thunberg),  the  Fur  Seal  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
milk  dentition  to  be  1.  j^,  C.  J~J^  31.  ^;  but  he  supposed 
absence  of  the  other  lower  incisors  to  be  due  to  their  havi 
already  fallen.  The  two  inner  superioi-  incisors  were  mi 
smaller  than  the  outer  one,  appearing  like  little  white  gra 
stuck  upon  the  gum.  The  outer  had  a  long  slender  root  am 
distinct  crown.  The  canines  were  comparatively  large,  w 
long  roots  and  a  lengthened  crown,  and  both  the  upi)er  ii 
lower  were  of  siu)ilar  form.  The  superior  molars  were  se 
rated  by  considerable  intervals,  the  iirs"-  being  over  the  spi 
between  the  first  and  second  permanent  im  ^lars,  the  second  o' 
the  space  between  the  second  and  third,  and  the  fourth  o^ 
the  fourth  permanent  tooth.  The  middle  milk  molar  he  fou 
to  be  uuich  smaller  than  either  the  first  or  third,  the  two  li 
named  being  of  nearly  equal  size,  but  only  the  third  was  doul 
rooted.  The  lower  milk  molars  were  smaller  than  the  upj 
all  single-rooted,  and  held  the  same  position  relatively  to  1 
l^ermanent  teeth  as  the  upper  ones.  The  middle  one,  as  in  1 
upper  series,  was  much  smaller  than  either  the  first  or  third 

Later  Malm  described  the  milk  dentition  of  Arctoceplia 
nigrescensX  {=Arctocephalu8  australia)  as  existing  in  a  special 

*  Journ.  Phys.  and  Anat.,  iii,  1868,  p.  269. 

i  "Sur  lea  dents  de  lait  de  V Otaria  puailla,"  Bull,  de  la  Acad.  Eoy.  de  I 
giqne,  t.  xxxi,  1871,  pp.  61-67  (illustrations). 
t(EfveT.  af  Kongl.  Vetensk.-Akad,  Forhandl.,  1872,  No.  7,  p.  63. 


MILK    DENTITION. 


223 


iiiciisiirinj;  7.'M»  iiiiii.  from  tln'  nose  to  tlic  end  of  tlic  tail,  the  .skull 
hiiviii^t  ii  It'iiylli  of  IL'.'J  mill.,  the  spei-imeii  when  killed  haviiiy 
hct'ii  inobaltly  a  few  weeks  old.  The  formula  of  the  milk  den- 
til ion  foniid  by  Malm  in  thi.ssjM'eies  isyiven  asl.  J~^,  ('.  Jl£j,  IM.  rJlE"i' 
Tilt'  third  or  last  lower  molar  he  describes  as  standiii},' over  the 
t'oiiitli  of  tlni  iiennanent  set,  and  as  havinj^  two  iliverj-iny  roots. 
The  lirst  of  the  two  upper  milk  molars  stands  over  the  third 
pcvinaiient  molar,  and  the  second  (also  double-rooted)  over  the 
fourth,  these  milk  molars  beinjj^  probably  in  reality  the  second 
and  third  respe<!tively,  the  lirst  haviii};  doubtless  already  fallen, 
as  had  all  the  incisors  except  the  exterior  upper  ones,  owiii};'  to 
the  post  ftetal  aj^e  of  the  specimens.  The  formula  j^iven  by 
Malm  corresponds  nearly  with  that  of  youny;  skulls  of  ZalophuH, 
presently  to  be  noticed,  taken  probably  from  individuals  one  or 
two  months  old. 

In  a  very  young  skull  of  Emnctopim  atelier i  (No.  4703,  Nat. 
Mas.,  Ban  Francisco,  Cal.,  Dr.  "NV.  O.  Ay  res,  labelled  by  the 
collector  as  "three  or  four  days  old"),  the  milk  teeth  have  all 
fallen  (probably  by  maceration),  l)ut  the  alveoli  of  all  but  the 
middle  incisors  are  still  distinct,  and  indicate  the  following 
forinula:  I.  J~J,  C\  \'^\,  M.  i^!|.  Thus,  of  the  incisors  the  pres- 
ence of  only  a:,  outer  pair  is  indicated,  the  middle  ones,  beinj-i 
rootless  and  probably  imidanted  only  on  the  yum,  would  leave 
no  trace  of  their  former  presence.  The  alveoli  of  the  molars 
show  that,  b>  th  above  and  below,  the  middle  one  was  much 
smaller  than  the  others.  These  alveoli  are  exterior  to  the  per- 
uianent  teeth,  which  do  not  vertically  reiduce  them,  that  of  the 
Hist  upper  milk  molar  being  opposite  the  spaee  between  the 
tirst  and  second  permanent  molars;  the  second  opposite  the 
space  between  the  second  and  third  permanent  molars,  while 
the  third  is  nearly  opposite  the  fourth  tooth  of  the  permanent 
set.  In  the  lower  jaw  the  alveoli  of  the  milk  molars  are  re- 
spectively just  behind  and  exterior  respectively  to  the  second, 
third,  and  fourth  permanent  teeth. 

Ill  three  foetal  skulls  of  ZaUphiu  (No.  (•15G,  Mus.  Comp.  Zool.. 
Xos.  15G60,  (J ,  15661,  9  ,  Nat.  Mus.,  all  from  the  Santa  Barbara 
Jslands),  the  milk  teeth  are  all  still  in  situ,  except  the  middle 
incisors,  which  are  replaced  by  permanent  incisors  that  were 
apparently  about  ready  to  pierce  the  gum.  As  in  EumetopiuH 
and  Arctoeephalns,  the  middle  molar,  both  above  and  below, 
is  much  the  smallest,  and  is  placed  very  close  to  the  third,  leav- 


224 


FAMILY   OTABIIDiE. 


IM 


m 


k-- 


inj;  ii  vory  brand  ijitcrval  Ixitwcon  tli<!  lii'Hi  iiiul  hwjoihI.  TlKt 
first  (ill  Xo.  inOdO)  stiiiidH  above  lli«'  sccoisd  pcriiuiiH'iit  foolli; 
(lie  sct.-oiid  is  Just  bchiiKl  tlu^  tiiird,  wliilc  tlic  foin.'!i  is  a  little 
imti'rior  to,  i»iit  iiciirly  over,  tlic  I'oiirtli.  In  No.  <)!.'»(»  the  milk 
iii)»lin's  stiiiid  directly  over  the  sei'oiid,  thii'd,  iiiid  ibiirtli  iicr 
iiiiiiieiit  ones.  In  w^veriil  other  yonn;;  skidls,  the  tliird  milk 
moliir  is  still  in  i)lii<  e,  while  all  the  others,  excrept  'Ik  eiiiiiiics. 
liiivc  disappeared.  Some  of  them  were  prohahly  seNcral  weeks 
old,  showing;  that  at,  hiast  tln'-  eanines  are  persistent  for  h  eon 
siderable  period  after  birth.  In  two  yonnj;-  sknlls  of  ('ullorliiiniK, 
known  to  liav<^  been  kilhid  when  betw<'en  fonr  and  live  weeks 
(»ld,  the  milk  eanines  are  still  in  pla<M',  and  a  trae<M'emaiiis  ot' 
the  iilveolns  of  the  third  su]Krrior  milk  molar. 

in  all  probability,  the  dental  lormida  is  the,  same  in  all  tli*- 
Kared  S«siIh,  the  in(!isors,  exeept  tin;  extc^rior  npi)er,  <lisappeiir 
inp'  Ix'fore  birth.  Of  the.  molars  the  middle  is  smaller  than  tlie 
others,  while  the,  thii'd  is  lonf',<'sl  j)ersiHtent.  The  eanines  ap- 
])(^ar  to  Miinain  for  stn'eral  months. 

IllUK(ii;LAUITIi;S  oi"  dkntition. 

TUo.  Eared  Seals  seem  to  rather  frecpiently  jtresent  (sases  of 
Hnjiernuinerary  molars,  and  nior»'  rarely  <'ases  of  suppression  of 
Tn<»larH.  In  resixict  to  sniierniimerary  molars,  I  am  able  t<> 
ree«)rd  the  followiiiff  instanees:  In  (UillorhiniiH  ursinus  I  have 
noted  the  following'  irref,adarities:  Skull  No.  L'DL'l*  (M.  ('.  Z. 
(!«;ll.)  has  M.  J^~J,  the  normal  niiiiib<!r  bein;^  """;  in  anotluT 
(Nat.  Mas.  Coll.,  No.  11701),  M.  Il'|;  ami  in  still  (►thers  (.M.  C 
Z.  (^oll..  No.  17H7;  N.  M.  Coll.,  113270),  M.  ;^-f;.  In  eaeh  ease, 
the  idt'iitity  of  the  species  is  Ix^yond  qiuistion.  In  Zttloithnu 
ml'tfortiiannH  =  (jillr.-ipii,  aiujt.,  I  hav<^  noted  the  followinj;':  two 
sknlls  (Nat.  Miis.  Coll.,  Xo.  lol'.")!;  M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  "So.  (ll(iL') 
eaeh  with  M.  "-J,  ami  one  (M.  i).  Z.  Coll.,  No.^JHW)  with  M. ":';. 
the  normal  iiuud»er  Ixunji  M.  l~~.  In  nearly  ev<ay  case  tlic 
supernumerary  iiiohirs  were  as  ])«frfeetly<leveh)p<'d  aw  the  others. 
About  flv<i  i>er  cent,  of  the  skidls  of  these  two  spe<!ies  (of  wliidi 
I  have  (>xamined  not  less  than  thirty  of  ea«!h)  lU'esent  one  <»' 
more  supernumerary  molars.  I  have  also  found  su|)i)ressi(»ii  <>t 
molars  in  ArvtoatjihabiH  amUutliH  (M.  i\  Z.  Coll.,  N<».   ll.'U,— 

M.  :■-•;). 

The  supernumerary  molars  are  placed  (in  all  the  iiistance.s  1 


OKNERAL   OHSKRVATIONS. 


225 


liavt'  seen)  hcliiiid  tin-  liist,  molar  ol'  flic,  noniiiil  ,s«>ri<'H.  They 
iii'c  iisiimII.v  smaller  than  the  iiocrna!  inolai'H,  sonictiiiieH  alinoHt 
iiidiiiifiitai'.v,  usually  wilhont  accessory  cusps,  and  with  ii 
siiiiiotli  or  nearly  Ninooth  ciii^'iiliiiii.  They  are  lieiKre  <>;eiierally 
M-ce^^iii/altle  by  their  size  and  I'orni.  In  (^ases  of  snppressiou 
:',  is  usually  th<'.  antepennltiniate  nu)hir  rhaf  is  missing'.  This 
iiiohir  also  I'rccpHMitly  tails  late  in  lite,  Init  traces  of  an  alveolus 
ill  siicli  cases  usually  atti'st  its  t'onner  presence. 

I'OSlTKtN   ()!•'    I'lli;    LAST    IJIM'KK    I'lOUMAM'-N'r    MOLAK. 

Ill  species  with  the  snp<'rioi'  molars  a — 5,  the  last  (<'.\cept  in 
Eiiiiirtojti(iH)  is  j»la<*e<l  opposite  the:  posterioi- edj;-e  (»f  the  /.yf,'o- 
iiiatic  process  of  the  nmxillary,  varying' sli;;htly  in  position  in 
(litl'cicnt  individuals  lielon.^in^'  to  the  sann^  speities,  maiidy, 
lioucxcr,  in  conse(pH'nc«'  of  tln^  thickenin;;  of  the  mastoid  i)ro- 
(css  ill  old  a^-c.  In  species  havin;;'  the  suiM-rioi- molars  ii  —  (J, 
the  last  is  usmdiy*  t'utirely  Itehind  the  zy^-aniatic  process 
ofllic  maxillary,  the  tilth  molar  holdin^^  tlu'  same  relalivci  posi- 
tion as  in  the  tlve-molar<!d  s|)ecies.  'I'he  excteption  presented 
iiy  KiiiuvlopiuH  seems  at  first  view  to  favoi'  the  theory  that  the 
last  iiiolai-  is  homoroHJitally  tlui  sixth,  and  t'  it  tlu!  lifth  is  siip- 
|)icss('d,  hut  in  reality  its  position  is  ]>oHte«ior  to  that  of  th« 
last  molar  in  tlu',  six-molare<l  sp((ei(!s,  while  tlu^  sjjace  between 
it  and  tli<'  fourth  is  e(|ual  to  or  ^reat^'r  than  that  occupied 
by  two  molars. 

(JKMIKAI.  OHSKRVATIONS. 

Tlic  laru<!St  spectic^s  (d'  the  Otaries  (}i;«nierii  Otaria  and  Eume- 
Idjiidif)  uiv  I  Fair  Heals,  while  th<'.  smallest  (f^c^nera  CallorhinuH 
and  AnitxTpluduH)  are  Fur  Seals;  but  the  species  of  Zalophufij 
allli()ii>,di  Hair  tS(!als,  arc*  hitermediate  in  size  betwetuithe  jtlier 
Hair  Seals  and  the  l''iir  Seals.  All  th<',  Ifair  S(^als  hav,  «;osu'.se, 
iianl,  stilf  hail',  varyinn"  in  length  with  at;e  siml  seiison,  and  are 
wliolly  wit  hout  soft  underfnr.  All  tlie  Fur  Hcnils  hav<i  an  abund- 
:int  soft,  silky  unih'rfni',  ^nvinj;'  to  the  skins  of  the  females  und 
younger  males  {^reat.  valu<^  as  articles  of  (sominercc.  Tho 
loii;f(!',  coarser  ovxirhair  vaiies  in  hiiifffh  and  abundauco  with 
siasoii  aiidajye.  All  tln^  Hair  Heals  ar<'- y«dlowish- or  reddish- 
lii'(»v'ii{iii  ZtUophuH  sometimes  brownishbhudi),  {jfcnerally  dark- 
'^1  when  younji;',  and  becominj;'  lij^liter  witli  age,  ami  also  in  tho 
i^aiiK!  i  idividuals  toward  the  moulting  season.    There  is  also 

'In  J'lioiiirr.tim  ]ti}{h  thi'i  Wi'ili  and  hixIIi  arc  Itoluiid  llio  posterior  (!dt(o  of 
|llii:  z,V(r(iiiiiiii(t  iii'o<:('HH  of  till!  iiiaxillury. 
Misc.  i»nb.  No.  12 15 


226 


FAMILY    OTARIIDiE. 


considerable  range  of  individual  variation  iu  representatives 
of  the  same  species,  so  that  coloration  alone  fails  to  afford  sat- 
isfactory diagnostic  characters.  All  the  Fur  Seals  are  black 
when  young,  but  they  become  lighter  with  age,  through  an 
abundant  admixture  of  grayish  hairs  which  vary  from  yellow 
ish-gray  to  whitish-graj'.  The  southern  Fur  Seals  are  generally, 
when  adult,  much  grayer  than  the  northern.  There  is  hence  a 
wide  range  of  color  variation  with  age  in  the  same  species,  as 
there  is  also  among  conspeciflc  individuals  of  the  same  sex  and 
age.  While  some  have  the  breast  and  sides  pale  yellowish-giaj , 
others  have  these  parts  stronglj'  rufous,  the  general  tint  also 
showing  to  some  extent  these  differences. 

There  is  also  a  wonderful  disparity  in  size  between  the  sexes,* 
the  weight  oT  the  adult  males  being  generally  three  to  live 

"The  sexual  difference  in  size  varies  only  slightly  iu  the  different  genera; 
it  is  greatest,  apparently,  in  Olar'ui,  aud  least  iu  ArctocephaUiH.  It  is  very 
much  less  iu  Arctocephalus  miairalia  than  in  the  northern  Fur  Seal ;  whilo 
relatively  small  in  Zalophus,  it  is  ^cry  great  in  both  Otaria  and  Eumetop'm. 
In  Otaria  jubata,  the  average  dimensions  of  eight  old  male  skulls  are,  length 
350  mm.,  breadth  2*23  mm.;  of  four  old  female  skulls,  length  2G1  mm.,  breadth 
143  mm.  In  Humdopiaa  atelleri  the  average  length  of  ten  old  male  skulls  is 
37.')  mm.,  breadth  221  mm.;  of  two  old  female  skulls,  length  29G  mm.,  breadth 
157  mm.  In  Zalophna  californianus  very  old  male  skulls  obtain  a  length  ot 
290  mm.  to  330  mm.,  -while  very  old  females  reach  220  mm.  to  237  mm.  I'ivi' 
old  male  skulls  average,  length  269  mm.,  i^readth  157  mm:  live  old  female 
skulls,  length  219  mm.,  breadth  103  mn.  In  Arctoccphahtu  atiatralia  two  old 
male  skulls  average,  length  260  mm.,  breadth  145  mm.,  two  old  fciiialo 
skulls,  length  230  mm.,  breadth  121  mm.  In  CaUorhimia  iirainua  eight  adult 
male  skulls  (not  generally  very  old)  average,  length  243  mm.,  breadth  I'ii 
mm, ;  four  female  skulls  of  nearly  corresponding  age  a\  erage,  length  188  in. : 
breadth  96  mm.  These  data  may  be  tabulated  as  follows,  100,  in  the  colnm!! 
of  "Approximate  ratio,"  representing  the  male  sex: 


Species. 


otaria  jubata 

Do 

Eiimetopias  stcUori 

Do 

Zalophns  californianus  . 

Do 

Arctocephalus  australis 

Do 

Callorhinns  nrainus  — 

Do 


? 
? 

cf 
9 
d" 
9 
ef 
9 


a 


^   a 


8 
4 

10 
2 
3 
5 
2 
2 
8 
4 


to 


350 
261 
375 
296 
289 
219 
260 
230 
243 
188 


1 


Approximate  ratio. 


223 
143 
221 
157 
157 
103 
145 
121 
123 
02 


Length 

Brcadtli 

Length 

Breadth 

Length 

Breadth 

Length 

Breadth 

Length 

Breadth 


64-100 > 

^"^^O"  {=75-100. 
76-100  5 

«1-100  ). 4.100. 

66-100 i 

88-100  )^g5.1,X). 

83-100 > 

77-100)^73.100. 

75-100 > 


HABITS. 


227 


times  tliat  of  the  adult  I'euiales  of  tlio  sanu'  spocios.  There 
aro  also  veiy  great  ditt'ereiKH'ts  in  the  form  of  the  skull,  esi)e- 
cially  in  iv'spect  to  the  (leveh>]uneut  of  crests  and  i»rotul)erauees 
for  inuscuhir  attaehnieut,  these  being-  only  slightly  (h'veloped 
in  females  and  enonuously  so  in  the  males.  Witli  such  reunirk- 
iible  variations  in  eolor  and  eianial  characters,  di'pendent  upon 
age  and  sex,  it  is  not  a  matter  of  suri)rise  that  many  nominal 
species  have  arisen  througli  a  uiisai)i)reeiation  of  the  real  signiti- 
cauce  of  these  differences.* 

HABITS. 

Tlie  Eared  Seals  show  also  a  remarkable  resemblaiu'e  in  tlieir 
gregarious  and  polygamous  habits.    All  the  species,  wherever 
occurring,  like  the  Walruses   and   Sea  Elei)hants,  resort  iu 
great  numbers  to  i)articular  breeding  stations,  which,  in  seal- 
ers' parlance,  have  acquired  the  strangely  inappropriate  name 
of "  rookeries."    The  older  males  arrive  tirst  at  the  breeding 
grounds,  where  they  immediately  select  their  stations  and  await 
tbe  arrival  of  the  females.    They  keep  up  a  perpetual  warfare 
for  their  favorite  sites,  and  afterward  iu  defense  of  their  harems. 
The  number  of  females  acquired  by  the  successful  males  varies 
l'roh>  a  dozen  to  tifteen  or  more,  which  they  guard  with  the  utmost 
joalous;;, — ujight  being  with  them  the  law  of  right.    The  strong- 
est males  are  miturally  the  most  successful  iu  gathering  about 
tlu'ui  large  harems.    The  nuiles,  during  the  breeding  seasouT^ 
remain  wholly  on  laud,  .and  they  will  sufl'er  <leath  rather  thau 
leave  their  chosen  spot.    Thej"  thus  sustain,  for  a  ])eriod  of  sev^- 
eral  weeks,  an  uninterrupted  fast.    They  arrive  at  the  breeding 
stations  fat  and  vigorous,  and  leave  them  weak  and  enuiciated, 
liaving  been  nourished  through  their  long  i)eriod  of  fasting 
wholly  by  the  fat  of  their  own  bodies.    The  fenuiles  remain 
uninterruptedly  on  laud  for  a  much  shorter  perioil,  but  for  a  con- 
siderable time  after  their  anival  do  not  leave  the  harems.    The 
detailed  account  given  a  century  ago  by  Steller,  and  recently  cou- 
tirmed  by  Bryant  and  Elliott,  of  the  habits  of  the  northern  Fur 
and  Hair  Seals  during  the  breeding  season,  is  well  known  to 
apply,  in  greater  or  less  detail,  to  nearly  all  the  species  of  the 
feuiily,  and  presumably  to  all     As  the  observations  by  Messrs. 
Elliott  and  Bryant  are  presented  later  in  this  work  at  length,  it 
u  unnecessary  to  give  further  details  iu  the  present  connectiou. 

"Of  about  Jifty  synouyms  pertaining  to  the  Eared  Seals,  probably  two-thirds 
liavc  bi'cu  l)a8e(l,  directly  or  indirectly,  upon  differences  dependent  on  sex  and 
ago,  and  t  ho  rest  npon  the  defective  descriptions  of  these  auiuials  by  travellers. 


♦ 


228 


FAMILY    OTAUIID.E. 


i 
I 

■■h 


'■i 


PRODUCTS. 

Tlie  prodxu'ts  of  the  EaiTcl  Seals  vary  in  iiiiportauce  with  tlif 
speeies,   the  llair  Seals  yieldinji'  only  ()il,   their  sldns  bciiiij 
almost  Aiilueless  except  to  the  natives  of  the  countries  these 
animals  freipient.     The  produets  of  the  Eared  Hair  Seals  arc. 
consequently,  not  ditferent  from  those  of  the  common  Earless 
Seals,  and  at  present  are  of  far  h'ss  comnu-r.  ial  imi)or(ance,  in 
consequence  of  the  more  limited  source  of  sui)i»ly.    The  Fur 
Seals,  on  the  other  hand,  arc  hunted  almost  exclusively  f(»r 
their  fur,  which  forms  the  well-known  and  hi},ddy-valued  ''Seal 
fur"  of  furriers.     The  fur  dill'ers  in  (quality  with  season  and 
the   sex   and  ajic  of   the  animals,  the   most   valuable  beiiii; 
obtained  from  the  females  and  rather  youny  males.     In  the 
young  of  the  second  year  taken  "in  season,"  the  skin  ''uii- 
jducked"  forms  ii  rich  and  soft  fur,  the  very  thick,  silky  red 
dish-brown  underfur  beinj;'  slijjjhtl.y  overtoi>i»ed  by  short,  very 
soft,  tine,  j^ray  overhair.     Later  in  tlu'  season,  and  esi)eciiill.\ 
iu  the  old  aninuils,  the  overhair  is  coarser  aiul  longer,  and  even 
somewhat  harsh,  beneath  which,  however,  is  still  the  heavy 
soft  underfur.    Dealers  sort  the  skins  into  grades,  in  accord 
auce  with  the  size  of  the  skins  and  the  quality  of  the  fur,  these 
features  depending  upon  the  age  and  sex  of  the  animal,  ratlior 
than  ui>ou  the  species.    i)r.  Gray  refers  to  what  he  <'alls  Ardo- 
ceplialux  faMandkm  as  being  "easily  known  from  all  other 
Fur  Seals  in  the  British  Museum  by  the  evenness,  shortness. 
<doseuess,  and  elasticity  of  the  fur,  and  the  length  of  the  under 
fur.    The  fur  is  soft  enough  to  wear  as  a  rich  fur,  without  the 
removal  of  the  longer  hairs,  which  are  always  removed  in  other 
Fur  Seals."*    This,  however,  is  not  a  peculiarity  of  the  Falk 
land  Island  Fur  Seal,  the  overh.air  in  prime  young  skins  of  the 
Alaskan  Fur  Seal  being  equally  rich  aiul  soft.    They  are  also 
often  made  up  aiul  worn  "  without  the  removal  of  the  longer 
hairs,"  and  are  by  some  prefeiTed  to  the  prepared  or  "dressed" 
furs  of  tlie  furrier.    The  Australian  Fiu-  Seal  appears  to  differ 
little  in  the  quality  or  color  of  its  pelage  from  the  Alaskan  and 
Falkland  Island  species.    The  Fur  Seal  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  although  one  of  the  Fur  Seals  of  commerce,  appears  to 
have,  according  to  Gray's  account  of  the  few  examples  ho  lias 
examined,  a  shorter  coat  of  underfur.    I  have,  however,  met 
with  no  statement  respecting  the  Cape  Fur  Seal  peltries  that 
indicates  that  they  are  inferior  in  quality  to  those  of  other  local 
•  Aun.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist. ,  4tli  ser. ,  i,  1808,  p.  103. 


DESTRUCTION   OF   FUR   SEALS 


229 


itk\s.  As  regards  <'()l()r  and  tlu'  variations  of  color  with  ago, 
the  Cape  of  Good  llojx'  sjH'cies  ai>i)ears  not  to  difler  ai)]>re('ia- 
l)lv  from  llie  otlu'rs.* 


DKSIinCTION   »»1'   TlIK   Fll{    SKALS    I'OJI    TlIKlll    I'KLTlllES. 

Tilt'  value  of  tlie  jx'lti^es  of  the  l-'nr  Seal  has  led  to  whole- 
sale destruction,  amounting  at  some  localities  ahnost  to  I'xter- 
iiiiiiatioii.  TIh^  tratlic  in  their  skins  appears  to  have  begun 
toward  tlie  end  of  the  last  century.  Captain  Fanning,  of  the 
sliii)"r)etsey,"ofXew  York,  obtained  a  full  cargo  of  choieo  Fur 
Seal  skius  at  the  island  of  ^Nfasafuera,  on  the  coast  of  Chili,  in 
179S,  Avliich  lie  took  to  the  Canton  market.  Captain  Fanning 
states  that  on  h'aving  the  island,  after  procuring  his  cargo,  he 
ostiinated  there  were  still  left  on  the  island  between  500,000 
and  700,000  Fur  Seals,  and  adds  that  subsecjuently  little  less 
than  a  million  of  Fur  Seal  skins  wei'e  taken  at  the  island  of 
Masafuera  alone.t  a  small  islet  of  not  over  twenty-five  miles 
ill  circiuiiferencc,  iind  shijiijed  to  Caiiton.|  Captain  Scammon 
states  that  the  sealing  fleet  otV  the  coast  of  Chili,  in  ISOl, 
aiii(»iiiited  to  thirty  vessels,  many  of  which  were  ships  of  the 
h\Y\n'v  class,  and  nearly  all  carried  the  American  tlag.  Xot- 
witlistaiidiug  this  great  slaughter,  it  ai)pears  that  Fur  Seals 
ooiitiiiued  to  exist  there  as  late  as  181."),  when  Captain  Fanning 
apiiii  obtained  them  at  this  island.§ 

In  the  year  1800,  the  Fur  Seal  business  appears  to  have  been 
at  its  height  at  the  Georgian  Islands,  where,  in  the  single  season, 
112.000  Fur  Seals  are  reported  to  have  been  taken,  of  which 
57,000  were  secured  by  a  single  American  vessel  (the  "Aspasia," 
iiiulor  Captain  Fanning).  Vancouver,  at  about  this  date,  re- 
ported the  existence  of  large  numbers  of  Fur  Seals  on  the  south- 
west coast  of  New  Holland.  Attention  was  at  once  turned  to 
this  new  field,  and  in  1804  the  brig  "  Union,"  of  New  Yoik,  Capt. 
Isaac  Pendleton,  visited  this  part  of  the  Australian  coast,  but  not 
finding  these  animals  there  in  satisfactory  numbers,  repaired  to 
Border's  Island,  where  he  secured  only  part  of  a  cargo  (14,000 
skins),  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season.  Later  G0,000  were 
(•btained  at  Antipodes  Island.    About  1806,  the  American  ship 

'S<c  (iiay.  Ami,  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th8er.,i,  1868,  pp.  218, 219 ;  Scott, 
Mum.  Kcc'iit  and  Extinct,  1873,  pp.  14, 15  ;  also  Pagfes,  iu  Iluifon's  Hist.  Nat., 
Suppl.,  vi,p.357. 

tFaiming's  Voyages  to  the  South  Sea,  etc., pp.  117, 118.  .;,. 

{II).,  i>.  :i64. 

ni'.,p.299. 


li 


2:30 


FAMILY    OTARIIDiE. 


-f 


"Catliiuiue,"  of  New  York  (Capt.  IT.  raiiniiifi),  visited  flio  Cio- 
zetto  Islaiids,  whore  tliey  landed,  and  found  vast  nunibeis  ot 
Fur  Seals,  but  obtained  tlieir  earj^o  from  Prince  Kdwnid's 
Islands,  situated  a  few  liundred  miles  southeast  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  where  other  vessels  the  same  year  obtained  lull 
carfi'oes. 

In  ISoO,  the  supply  of  Fur  Seals  in  the  southern  seas  luul 
so  ^ireatly  decreased  that  the  vessels  enjiaged  in  this  enterpiist' 
"{generally  made  losinj;'  voyages,  from  the  fact  that  those 
places  which  were  the  resort  of  Seals,"  says  Captain  r>enjaiiiiii 
Pendleton,  "had  been  abandoned  by  them,  or  cut  oif  from 
them,"  so  that  the  discovery  of  new  sealing  grounds  vas 
needed.  Undiscovered  resorts  were  believed  to  exist,  from  tlie 
fact  that  large  nund)ers  of  Fur  Seals  Avere  seen  while  eruisinj; 
far  out  at  sea,  which  must  repair  once  a  year  to  some  favorite 
breeding  station.* 

Captain  Weddell  states  that  during  the  years  1820  an<l  1S1»1 
over  ;]00,0(K)  Fur  Seals  were  taken  at  the  South  Shetland  Isl 
ands  alone,  and  that  at  the  end  of  the  second  year  the  species 
had  there  become  almost  exterminated.  In  addition  to  tlie 
inunber  killed  for  their  furs,  he  estimates  that  not  less  than 
KKMKIO  newly-born  young  died  in  <'onse(pienee  of  tlu  destnie 
tion  of  their  nu)thers.  So  indiscriminate  was  the  slan^ii- 
ter,  that  whenever  a  Seal  reached  the  beach,  of  whatever  de- 
nomination, it  was  inunediately  killed.  ]\rr.  Scott  states,  on 
the  authority  of  Mr.  INForris,  an  exix-rienced  sealer,  that  a  like 
indiscriminate  killing  was  caixied  on  at  Antipodes  Island,  oti 
the  coast  of  New  South  Wales,  from  which  island  alone  not 
less  than  400,000  skins  were  obtained  «luring  the  years  1S14 
and  1815.  A  single  ship  is  said  to  have  taken  home  10(>,(HHi 
in  bulk,  which,  through  hack  of  care  in  curing,  si)oiled  on  the 
way,  and  on  the  arrival  of  the  ship  in  London  the  skins  were 
dug  out  of  the  hold  and  sold  as  manure!  At  about  the  same 
time  there  was  a  similar  wasteful  and  indiscriminate  slaughter 
of  Fur  Seals  at  the  Aleutian  Islands,  Avhere  for  some  years 
they  were  killed  at  the  rate  of  200,000  a  year,  glutting  the  luiii 
ket  to  such  an  extent  that  the  skins  did  not  bring  enou},'h  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  transportation.  Later  the  destruction 
of  Fur  Seals  at  these  islands  was  placed  under  rigid  restrio 
tions  (see  infra  the  general  history  of  the  Northern  Fur  Seal). 
ill  consequence  of  which  undue  decrease  has  been  wisely  pw- 
*  Faniiiiig's  VoyngeH,  p.  487. 


m 


m 


GENUS     I.UMEIOPIAS. 


231 


\ ciitod.  But  ii()\\ii('r<>  ('l.s»>  liiis  there  been  systematic  protection 
of  tlie  Fur  Seals,  or  any  nn>iisnres  taken  to  prevent  wasteful  or 
iiiidiic  destruction. 

(iENu:>«  EUIMETOPIAS,  (fill 

(Hiiria,  ill  imit  of  various  smllKirs. 

AfilKirphuhi^  (ill  |>;nl),  OitAY.  Cat.  Seals  and  Wliali's,  18()(),  51. 
IjiiiiiUpiux.  (ill, I,.  I'nic.  Kssi'x  IiiHfitnto,  v.  7,  11,  July,  li^6(i.    Type  '•  Ofaria 
t)ilii'iinii(iiiiin,  I/i'ssou,  =  Arclorrphalua  montt'rienmn,  Gray." 

Molars  ,|~  J  =|[;;  the  ujjper  hinder  pair  separated  from  the 
others  by  a  considerable  interval;  the  last  only  double -rooted. 
Postorbital  ]>roccsses  (juadrate.  Palatine  surface  of  the  inter- 
iiiaxillaries  tiat,  only  slightly  de])re.ssed*  and  greatly  contracted 
posteiiorly  ;  tlu^  i)alatals  moderately  jtroduced,  extending  about 
three-fourths  of  the  distance  from  the  anterior  end  of  the  zygo- 
matic arch  to  the  pterygoid  ]>rocess;  their  posterior  margiu 
straight,  ()!•  slightly  or  deeply  emarginate;  rarely  deeply  so  in 
old  age. 

JjKinetuinas  differs  from  Oturia,  as  restricted  by  Gill,  in  hav- 
ing one  pair  less  of  upi>er  molars,  a  inU(;h  less  posterior  exten- 
sion (»f  the  palatine  bones,  and  in  having  the  posterior  i>ortiou 
of  the  palatal  surface  less  than  one-third,  instead  of  more  than 
one  half,  the  width  of  the  anterior  jjortion,  and  but  slightly  in- 
stead of  deei)ly  dei)ressedj  also  in  the  greater  depth  of  the 
skull  anteriorly,  and  in  the  less  de^■elopmellt  of  the  occipital 
and  sagittal  crests.  In  Euimtopins  the  depth  of  the  .skull  at 
the  anterior  border  t)f  the  orbits  is  nearly  as  great  as  in  the 
plane  of  the  occiput,  while  in  Otaria  these  i»roportions  are  as 
13  to  18,  there  being  in  the  latter  a  marked  declination  anteri- 
orly in  the  superior  outline  of  th(?  skull.  The  breadth  of  the 
skull  at  the  temiioral  fossai  is  also  much  greater  than  iu  Otaria ; 
that  is,  the  skull  is  nuich  less  constricted  behind  the  orbits. 
The  postorbital  processes  also  differ  considerably  iii  form  iu 
the  two  genera,  while  another  noteworthy  difference  is  the  uu- 
usnally  great  development  in  Otaria  of  the  i)terygoid  hamuli.* 

*A  coniparisou  of  mlult  lualo  skulla  oi  Eumeiopias  and  Otaria,  of  strictly 
t'oricsiiondiug  ages,  shows  the  following  differences : 

Eumvioima  stcUeri  (No.  176.")):  height  of  skull  iu  occipital  plane  155  mm.; 
lieiglit  of  skull  at  anterior  edge  of  orbits  152  mm. 

Otaria  jubata  {No.  1095):  height  of  sknll  in  occipital  plane  180  mm.;  height 
of  skull  at  anterior  edge  of  orbits  130  mm. 

Comparing  the  same  skulls  in  respect  to  the  development  of  the  pterygoid 
hamuli  it  is  found  that  when  placed  on  a  plane  surface  the  skull  of  E.  aiel- 


'2:\-2 


EiMKToriAs  .sti:lm;ri — s tellers  sea  lion. 


Kuiiutopias  (lilVcis  IVoiii  Zdlnitlin-s  tliioii^ii  the  jnosciM'o  ol'  a 
wi(U'  space  iK'twecii  the  lotutli  iiiid  lit'fli  i)airs  of  ii]»ju'r  molars, 
the  less  t'lnaijiiiialioii  of  llic  jiostcrior  lioidcr  of  the  palatiiu' 
l)oiu's,  tlio  (luadiate  instead  oi'  the  tiiaiij^ulav  and  posterioily 
pointed  form  of  tin-  postorbital  proeesses,  li'c  less  relative 
breadth  of  the  i)osterior  nares,  and  the  larger  size  of  tlu'  faciiil 
angle;  also  throngh  its  nuieh  broader  mnzzle.  the  less  degree 
of  the  postorbital  eonstrietion  of  the  sknll,  and  its  nineh  less 
developed  sagittal  crest. 

Enmcf(>pias  difl'ers  too  widely  fr»)ni  ('(lUorhinUN  and  Ardoce- 
2)hal)is,  in  dentition  and  cranial  characters  as  well  as  in  size  and' 
pelage,  to  render  comparison  necessary.  The  genns  is  at  once 
distinguishable  from  all  the  others  of  the  family  by  the  wide 
space  between  the  fourth  and  fifth  upi)er  molars.  In  distrihu 
tion  it  is  restricted  to  the  shores  and  islands  of  the  North  Pa- 
cific  Ocean,  ranging  from  Southern  California  northward  to 
Behring's  Straits.  Its  geographical  rt'presentative  is  the  Otarin 
jiihata  of  the  Southern  Seas,  which  ranges  from  tlu^  equatorial 
regions  (Galapagos  Islands)  southward. 

EUM1':T0PIAS  STF.LT.EIU,  {/.mo»)  PHern. 

StcUer's  Sra  Lion. 

Leo  mariniis,  Stki.lku,  Nov.  Coniiii.  rctvop.,  xi,  1751,  :5(iO. 

Phoca  juhaia,  Scin?EBKn,  Sangetli.,  iii,  1778,  ;?0(),  i»l.  Ixxxiii  11  (iu  part  only; 
uot  P.  Jnhala,  Forstpr,  with  wliicli,  however,  it  is  iu  part  con- 
foundi'c)). — Gmkmx,  Syst.  Nat.,  i,  1788,  63  (iu  part  ;  =  P.  _/H&a<(i, 
Schrol»cr). — Pandeu  &■  D'Altox,  Skolcte  dor  Eobbou  und  Lamau- 
tine,  182(i,  ])!.  iii,  figs,  d,  e,  /.— Hamiltox,  Marino  Aniphib.,  1839,232 
(iu  part — not  the  fignrc  of  the  skull). 

Phoca  (Otaria)  jubata,  Richardson,  Zool.  Beechey's  Voy.,  1839,  6. 

Otaria  jubata,  P£uox,  Voyage  Terr.  Austr.,  ii,  1816,  40.— NiLSSON,  Arch.  i. 
Naturgeseh.,  1841, 329  (iu  part  only  ;  includes  also  the  true  Otaria  ju- 
bata).— ?  Veatcii,  J.  E.  Browne's  Resources  of  the  Pacific  Slope, 
[app.],  150  (probably  only  iu  part,  if  at  all). 

Otaria  steUeri,  Lesson, Diet.  Class.  Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828, 420.— J.  MCller,  Ar- 
chivf.  Naturgeseh.,  1841,  330,  333.— ScHiNZ,  Synop.  Mam.,  i,  1844, 
473.— Gray,  Cat.  Seals  iu  Brit.  Mus.,  1850, 47 ;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales 
iu  Brit.  Mus.,  1866,  liO.— Sclater,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lend.,  1868, 
190.— Scott,  Mam.  Recent  and  Extinct,  1873,  22. 

Phoca  atelleri, Fischer,  Synop.  Maai.,  1829,  231. 

leri  rests  anteriorly  on  the  mastoid  processes  and  the  points  of  the  canines, 
the  points  of  the  pterygoid  hannili  being  several  millimetres  above  the  plane 
of  rest,  while  in  O.  jubata  the  skull  in  the  same  position,  rests  posteriorly  on 
the  pterygoid  hamuli,  which  project  f)™"*  below  a  plane  connecting  the  mas- 
toid processes  and  the  points  of  the  canines. 


^i  »ii 


EXTEKN.M.  CHARACTERS. 


233 


Olai ill  [,/■*: iiK'lop'nix)  f^tillcii.  ri".Ti;i!s,  Moimtsl).  Akml.  liirliii,  l-iliJ,  ■•i7l,(')71. 

Einnrliijiinn  stclhri,  ('>U\\.  Aiiii.  mihI  Maj;,  Xal.  llisl.,  :!il  scr.,  xviii,  18:i;'), 'i:'.:'. ; 
Sni)i>l.  Cat.  Seals  ami  ^V  hairs  in  lit  it.  Mils..  1-^71.  :'(l ;  I'nir.  Zoiil.  Sor. 
Loud.,  IHT'J.  7;!7  (in  jiart),  liK«.  ••,  ■'>  ('l'"  yoiiim  skull  nii  wliii  li 
.iriloci'ithtilii-^  itioiilcniiixin,livn\.  was  in  [larl  liascih;  I'luc  Zixil.  ."^or, 
Loud.,  1-'7;i,  77<)  (its  (•(•curiciici'  in  ,lai>an  siarcd  lolic  <lonhiriil) : 
Hand-LLsf  orSciils,  <■!(■.,  l.>^74,  -in.— .\u.l'.x,  Bull.  .Miis.  Coui]).  /ool.,  ii. 
1870.  ir).  jdl.  i,  iiijiyy;.  it-lT),  and  li.u^'.  1  ■.'>in  text.— ScammoN,  Maiin-- 
Maui.,  l~7-4.  i'J4.  (our  woodcuis  of  iniinial  \<\>.  l-'li,  l\;7.  —  Li.i.ioiT, 
Kf'l)oit  oil  the  I'lyldlov  or  S<al  Islaud.s  of  AljisUa,  \!*f.i  (text  not 
])af;('d,  tiv<'  i)lalcs);  Coudiliou  of  .Vllaiis  in  .\liiska.  }!*''■,  l.Vi;  Scvib- 
uer's  Montlilv,  xvi,  Oct.,  lr<7H,  H7i>  (iioimlar  aciounl,  with  liffiircs). 

'Stemmiito^nan  Htdlcri,  \\s  Ukni-.dk.n,  Ann.  dn  Mus.  Roy.  d'Hist.  Nat.  dn  IJcl- 
yiciui',  ]it.  i,  ]H77,  l.">(in  text), — la]iHus  pcniia'  foi'  L'liiiiclopiun nlvlhri .* 

Pltoca  Iconiini,  Pai.la.'^,  Zoog.  Rosso-Asiat.,  i,  IKU,  104  (^—  /'.,/«/«(/«,  (iincliu). 

Arctocrphahiit  monU'ru'tigin,  GliAY,  Proc.  Zool,  Soc.  Lond.,  Ifihi),  :{5H,  ;U>0,  pi. 
Ixxii,  .sknli  (in  part  only;  the  .skin  rcffvaMt'  to  ('uUorUiuHn  urxiinis): 
Cat.  Scal.s  and  Whahs,  IHdO,  4t). 

ArctiHq)halusmUj'oniiaiuiii,GnA\',  Cat.  Seals  andAVhalcs,  IHtili,  .'>!  (:^A.  nioiili- 
/•(('M.SI.S,  Gray,  lf')\),  in  part ;  not  r^-  Oluria  cnliforninnn,  Loason). 

IJimitiii>iiin  caliJ'oniianii>i,  (iiLL,  I'roc.  Es.scx  lust.,  v,  IHtitl,  115  {^^  .Inlocepliuluii 
iiioiitn-icimH,  Gray,  1859,"  and  i)ossil)ly  al.so  [identical]  with  O/ana 
xUlleri,  Miiller":  lienee  not  =::-  (>.  lalifoniiaiKi,  Lesson). 

? Eiiiiiiliiiiidti  rloiigulim,  Glt.vv,  I'roc.  Zool.  Soc  Lond.,  l<-'7;{,  77t),  tigs.  1.  'J 
(—  A',  stelleri,  Gray,  ib.,  187-J,  7;?7,  tigs.  1-:?,  .Japan  ? ). 

n'liiiinrclnx  cldiiiiafiifi.  GlJAY,  Hand-List  Seals,  etc.,  1H74,  :?n,  pi.  xxi,  xxii. 

]l<rrliiw(ii,  .Stki.LKK,  Hcsclireili.  vou  sonderbarer  Meerthiere,  17.");!,  lu'i. 

Lv  Lion  maiiii,  BuFFON,  Hist.  Nat.,  Sii]t]>l.,  vi,  178*2,  X\7  (in  ]>art  only). 

LcniiiiK  Seal,  ricxxAxr,  Arctic  Zool.,  i, ,  '200  (in  ])art  only). 

Lion  Moriii,  CllOUls,  ^'oyag•c  PittorcsiiiU',  lies  Alt5outieuue,  18'iiJ,  V2  (not 
—  Lion  mariii  dr  In  Califoniic,  pi.  xi,  ''I'ort  Sau-Fiancisco  et  scs 
Habitants"). 

Leo  muriiiiiM,  the  Sra  Kuit/,  Em.iott,  Scribner's  Monthly,  xvi,  87!),  Oct.,  1878. 

"Sec-Vitchic,"  Russian;  Lion  maiin,  French:  iSccldice,  German;  Sea  Lion, 
Hair  Seal,  English. 

Habitat. —  Shores  of  the  North  Paciti(%  from  Behriii<>'s 
Strait.s  .southward  to  California  and  Japan. 

External  Charactersi. —  Length  of  full-grown  male  eleven 
to  twelve  and  a  half  or  thirteen  feet,  of  which  the  tail  forms 
three  or  four  inches ;  girth  about  eight  to  ten  feet ;  weight  vari- 
ously estimated  at  from  one  thousand  to  twelve  hundred  or 
thirteen  hundred  pounds.*    The  weight  of  the  full-grown  female 

*  A  .skull  of  this  species  in  the  National  Mnsonm  (No.  4702),  collected  at 
Fort  Poiut,  Bay  of  San  Fraucisco,  .luly,  1854,  bears  a  l.-ihel  with  the  fidlow- 
ing  l('j;i'iid:  "Length  13  ft.  8  in. ;  weight,  by  estini.ate,  one  ton." 

Captain  Bryant,  in  some  MSS.  notes  on  this  species  recently  received, 
states  that  the  full-grown  male  measures  13^  to  14  feet  from  the  tip  of  the 
nose  to  the  end  of  the  ouMretchcd  hind-feet,  and  from  7i  to  9  feet  in  girth 


231       Kl'MllTOIMAM   STFJ.LKRI — STELLKH's    SEA    LION. 


is  said  to  rnnjjc  from  lour  ImiMlicd  tollNc  liiiiidrcd  poiiiHls,  with 
ii  lon^rtli  of  ci^ilil  to  nine  tWi.  Tlic  color  Viirics  uitli  ;i^M'  iiiul 
scnsoji.  Tlic  yoiiii;;'  sue  ''of  :i  ricli  diirk  ('lit'stiiut-l)r(»\vii." 
TIk'  iiduUs,  on  their  first  iirrivid  iit  tlit'lr  breed iti^-;,n'oiiiHls  in 
spriiij;-,  present  no  sexiinl  dissiniilarity  of  color,  wliieli  is  tlicii 
lij-iit  l)ro\vnisli-rnfoiis,  «'arker  lteliin<l  the  fore  limbs  and  on  tiic 
abdoawn.  Later  the  color  ehan{;es  to  "brij,dit  ;;<)l(len-rulous 
or  oeher."  The  pi'layc  is  moulted  in  Anj-iist,  and  the  newcdat. 
when  fully  <;rown  in  NovtMuber.  is  "li;,dit  sepia  or  xandykc 
brown,  with  deejx'r  shades,  ainmst  <lark  upon  the  belly."  At 
this  season  the  femah's  are  somewhat  liyhter-eoloi'ed  than  tlic 
males,  and  occasionally  specimens  of  both  sexes  are  seen  with 
l>atches  of  dark  brown  on  a  yellowish-rufous  ^-round  [KUiott). 
\\\  two  adult  males  in  the  .Museum  of  Comparative  Zoiiloj^y. 
and  another  adult  male  in  tin*  Xational  Museum,  the  jjcnt  ral 
color  of  the  upi)er  side  of  the  body  ^'arios  from  pale  yellow  isli 
brown  to  reddish-brown,  beeominy;  much  darker  toward  the 
tail.  Tlie  sides  below  the  mediairiine  are  re<ldish,  shadiii;. 
above  into  the  lif^liter  color  of  tlu^  back,  and  below  ])assin;i  into 
the  dusky  reddish-brown  of  the  lower  surface,  which  latter  be 
comes  darker  posteriorly.  The  lind)s  are  dark  red<lish-l»r{>\vn. 
ax»proaching  black,  especially  «'xtenially.  Th«'  hairs  are  indi- 
vidually variable  in  color,  some  beiny  entirely  pale  yellowish. 
others  yellowish  only  at  the  tips  and  dark  below,  while  othcis 
are  wholly  dark  reddish-brown  or  nearly  black  throujihoiit. 
The  relative  proportion  of  the  light  and  dark  hairs  d«'teriniiics 
the  general  color  of  the  body.  The  pelage  consists  of  two  kinds 
of  hair,  the  one  abundant,  straight,  stiff",  coarse  and  Hattemd. 
and  constituting  the  outer  coat ;  the  other  very  short,  exceed 
ingly  sparse  .and  finer,  and  in  such  small  cjuantity  as  t(»  he 
detected  only  on  close  inspection.  The  hair  is  longest  on  the 
anterior  upper  portion  of  the  body,  where  on  tlu;  neck  and 
shoulders  it  attains  a  length  of  40  mm.;  it  decreases  in  length  pos 
teriorly,  and  toward  the  tail  has  a  length  of  only  15  mm.  It  is 
still  shorter  on  the  abdomen,  becomes  still  more  reduced  on  the 
limbs,  and  disappears  entirely  toward  the  ends  of  the  digits. 
The  end  of  the  nose,  the  soles  and  palms,  the  anal  region,  and 
the  extra-digital  cartilaginous  flaps  are  naked  and  blacdi  (in 

around  the  clicst,  and  that  tlu*  average  weight  is  over  one  thousand  ])oiimls. 
He  gives  the  length  of  the  full-grown  fen  Ue  as  8^  to  9^ feet,  and  the  circiiui- 
ference  at  the  shoulders  as  4,  the  I'emal  s  being  relatively  much  BJciiden'r 
than  th(  males.  The  weight  of  the  fem  'o  he  states  to  bo  one-third  tbiit 
of  the  male. 


EXTERNAL   CnARACTERS. 


235 


lil'r  ••(lull  MiU'-MiK'lv  ").  TIh'  whiskers  are  louy,  shMider,  ami 
ryliiulrical,  wliilc  <»!•  hrownisli-wliite,  and  set  in  four  or  five 
nitlior  iiKlislliifl  rows.  Some  ol"  tlie  I(m:  est  liave  sometimes  ii 
l(ii;;tliof")OOmm.,orab(nit  twt'iityiuehes,  witlia  iiiaxiinimi  thiek- 
iicss  o\''2  mm.  Tliey  are  set  in  several  rows,  and  number  between 
thirty  and  forty,  incrcasinji'  in  lenf;tli  from  tlio  inner  ones  totlio 
outer,  wliieli  are  longest.  The  ears  are  short  an<l  iKunted, 
liroader,  but  only  half  the  h'ugth  of  those  of  the  Northern  Fur 
Seal  {('((UorliiiiK.s  iirsiniis). 

The  fore  feet  are  lari-e,  trianyular,  situated  a  little  in  front  of 
the  middle  of  the  body.  They  terminate  in  a  thiek,  hard,  mem- 
branous tlai>,  whieh  is  slightly  and  somewh-»t  irregularly  in- 
dented on  the  inner  side.  The  terminations  of  the  digits  are 
indicated  by  snudl  (drcular  horny  disks  or  rudimentary  nails. 
'Die  liind  feet  are  broad,  ami  gradmilly  widen  from  the  tarsus, 
reaching  their  greatest  breadth  at  the  eml  of  the  toes.  Their 
length  is  short  as  compared  to  their  breadth,  tlui  distance  be- 
tween the  ends  of  the  outer  toes  when  spread  exceeding  half 
of  the  length  of  the  foot,  nuiasured  from  the  tarsal  joint.  The 
toes  terminate  in  strong  cartilaginous  tlaps,  covered  Avitli  a, 
thick  leathei\v  naked  membrane,  which  is  deeply  indented  oppo- 
site the  intervals  between  the  toes,  and  serves  to  connect  the 
(li\ crging  digits.  The  three  middle  toes  are  provided  with  long, 
welldeveloped  nails;  the  outer  toes  a^e  without  true  nails,  but 
ill  place  of  them  are  thickened,  horny  disks.  The  outer  toes 
are  slightly  longer  than  the  three  middle  ones,  which  are  sub- 
e(|ual.    The  nails  on  all  the  feet  are  bluish  horn-color. 

The  following  table  of  external  measurements  of  two  males, 
one  very  aged  and  the  other  adult,  both  from  St.  Paul's  Island, 
\la8ka,  indicates  the  general  proportions  of  the  body.  A  part 
were  taken  from  a  moist  flat  skin  before  stuflfing,  and  the  others 
from  mounted  skins. 


1  ■■•K  . 


•••  H 

Mi 


-»  S  o    ^  *  • 


9  r»  t  ^5 


23(J       i;UMKT0PIA8    8TELLKHI — STELLEU's    8EA    LION. 
Mcanurcnicnls  from  iwo  Skhm  of  Kdmktoi'Iah  stki-M'.im. 


'No.  SO-'l,  C..11. 
|Ko.  2020,('(>1I.  MiiH.  Cdiiip.  Zim''1.,|  Mus.  Ciuiiip. 
I         (/.nljoiit  10  ji'iirsolil,  I  /<Hil.,o'"i«boiit , 


Length  of  body | 

LcoKth  of  tail 

Extent  of  outstiotchcd  foro  limbs 

Length  of  hand i 

Breadth  of  hand 

Lengt  h  (if  foot 

Breadth  of  foot  at  tarsus 

Breadth  of  foot  at  ends  of  1  lie  toe-flaps.  I 

Len^'th  of  flap  of  onter  toe 

Length  of  flap  of  second  toe 

Length  of  llap  of  third  toe ' 

Length  of  flap  of  fourth  toe 

Length  of  flap  of  inner  too ' 

Distanee  from  end  of  nose  to  eye | 

Distanc  .>  from  end  of  noso  to  ear 

Distuneo  between  the  eyes  

Distance  between  the  ears 

Lengtli  of  the  ear j 

Lengtli  of  longest  harbulo 

Dist.  between  points  of  longest  barbules 
Circumference  of  the  body  at  fore  limbs. 
Cireumfereuce  of  tho  body  uearthotall. 
Circumference  of  tho  head  at  the  ears. . 
Length  of  body  to  end  of  hind  limbs  . . 


13  years  old. 

Unmounted. 

.Miiuuted. 

Motiuted. 

2, 750 

2,  700 

3,010 

100 

100 

110 

2,  302 

575 

500 

flfiO 

337 

335 

•JOO 

559 

S40 

010 

210 

210 

230 

483 

445 

440 

200 

200 

220 

17& 

ISO 

210 

152 

147 

190 

104 

150 

100 

104 

150 

165       1 

215 

100 

170 

308 

303 

380 

100 

105 

210 

372 

370 

420       1 

37 

35 

35       1 

342 

342 

1 

800 

800 



2,250 

2,600 



1,000 

1,020       ' 

.... 

1,000 

980 



3, 450 

8,700       ! 

il#< 


i  ,1 


CaptJiiii  Scanimon  gives  the  following  external  measurenieiits 
of  a  full-grown  male  taken  at  the  Farallone  Islands,  July  17, 
1872. 

ft.  in.         mm. 

Length  from  tip  of  iiose  to  end  of  hind  flippers 12  0  :^3, 060 

Length  of  hind  flii)pers 2  2=    OGO 

Breadth  of  hind  flippers  (expanded) 0  9  =    220 

Circumference  of  hody  behind  fore  limbs 7  0  =2, 150 

From  nose  to  fore  limb.s 5  0  =1,526 

Length  of  fore  flipper 2  tJ  =    753 

Breadth  of  foro  flipper 1  4=    470 

Distance  between  extremities  of  fore  limbs 10  0=3,035 

Length  of  ear li=      4* 

\    Length  of  tail 7=    17" 

■    Length  (.flon'f.  eat  vhiskers 1  6=    457 

.  '   Lengtli  <il' longest  hind  claw li=      32 

■   0 ,  f    e  ,  ,    ," «  "i    «   c        ,  t.  »  ."    • 


SKULL. 


237 


Skill. — The  skull  Viirios  ^fioatly  in  (lillcivnt  in(Uvi<luiils, 
even  of  tlie  same  «o\,  not  only  in  its  ycncial  form,  but  in  the 
sliiipt'  oi'its  tlin't'n'Ut  bon«'s.  In  tlic  niah's  tin' occipital  and  me- 
dial crests  are  not  nuicli  devi'loped  before  t!ie  fifth  or  sixth 
yciii'.  The  bones  thii'ken  ;;reatly  after  the  animal  attains  ma- 
turity, and  the  palate  becomes  more  llattened.  In  the  adult 
male  the  brain-box  naiy  be  described  as  sulxpuulrate,  nar- 
nmcr  anteriorly,  where  the  skull  is  abruptly  contracted.  The 
;;rcatcst  diameter  of  the  skull  is  at  the  i)osterior  end  of  the 
zygoma,  and  is  e«iual  to  three-lifths  of  its  length.  The  post- 
orbital  i)r(K'(»sses  are  stron^jly  <levelope(l  and  (luadrate;  the  fore- 
licad  is  tiat,  and  the  facial  protile  is  either  abruptly  ov  yrad- 
uiilly  dci'linedj  the  mu/.zle  is  broad,  its  breadth  at  the  eanines 
bcin;;  rather  nuue  than  one-fourth  the  total  length  of  the  skull. 
The  jtalatal  surface  of  the  iutermaxilhiries  is  Hat,  or  slif^htly  de- 
]»rosscd  anteriorly,  and  very  sli{;htly  contracted  posteriorly.  Lat- 
cnilly  the  intermaxillaries  reach  nearly  to  the  end  of  the  palatals. 
Tlu'  latter  are  nuicli  contracted  posteriorly,  aud  terminate  quite 
far  in  front  of  t'e  liauuili  i)teryj;()idci.  Both  the  anterior  and 
posterior  nares  arc  a  little  narrower  than  high.  The  nasals  are 
widest  anteriorly.  The  last  (fifth)  pair  of  upper  molars  is  placed 
far  behind  the  fourth  pair,  the  space  betAveen  them  being  about 
equal  to  that  occupied  by  two  molars.  The  nmles  in  old  age 
huAc  exceedingly  high  occipital  aud  sagittal  crests,  most  devel- 
oped posteriorly;  anteriorly  they  diverge  and  terminate  in  the 
hinder  edge  of  the  postorbital  processes. 

The  lower  jaw  is  massive  and  strong.  Its  coronoid  i)rocesses 
are  greatly  developed,  as  are  the  tuberosities  at  the  angle  of 
the  rami,  and  a  second  tuberosity  on  the  lower  inner  edge  of 
each  ramus. 

The  skull  in  the  female  is  not  only  much  smaller  than  in  the 
male,  but  lacks  entirely  the  high  crests  seen  in  the  male,  and 
all  the  processes  are  much  less  developed.  The  teeth,  espe- 
cially the  canines,  are  much  smaller,  and  the  bones  are  all  thin- 
ner aud  weaker,  the  weight  of  the  adult  female  skull  being 
only  about  one-third  of  that  of  the  male  of  corresponding  age. 
The  skull  of  a  full-grown  female  of  this  species  attains  only 
ai)out  the  linear  dimensions  of  an  adult  male  skull  of  Callorhinus 
ur  sinus. 


!: 


238       EUMETOPIAS   STELLERI — STELLER's    SEA  LION. 


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O  O  IS  O  O  CO  I"}  10  O  O  CO 
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a 
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a 

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t-  M  t-  CO  fe 

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i^^^i^l: 


TEETH. 


239 


Tkk'J'II. — TLc  lust  upper  Jiioi.ir  is  double  rooted,  sind  its  erown 
directed  backward.  All  the  other  luolais  are  single-rooted,  with 
a  sliylit  median  longitudinal  groove  on  the  outside.  Their 
<;io\viis  are  irregidarly  conical,  pointed,  aiul  jut  out  over  their 
contracted  necks;  inner  side  of  the  crowns  hollowed.  Surface 
id  the  crowns  roughened  with  minute  longitudinal  grooves  and 
ridges.  The  upper  molars  have  no  trace  of  the  supplemental 
points  to  the  crowns  seen  in  many  species  of  this  family.  The 
lower  molars,  particularly  the  third  and  fourth,  ha\e  very 
slight  accessory  cusps.  Necks  of  the  molars  uniform  in  size 
with  tho  upper  part  of  the  fangs.  Fangs  of  the  molars  gradu- 
ally tapering,  those  of  the  first  and  second  upper  much  curved 
inward;  that  of  the  third  less  so;  that  of  the  fourth  straight; 
the  two  fangs  of  the  fifth  are  directed  abruptly  forward,  the 
posterior  one  much  the  smaller.  Canines  of  both  jaws  very 
large;  the  upper,  however,  much  the  larger;  the  lower  more 
curved.  Of  the  six  incisors  of  the  upper  jaw,  those  of  the 
outer  pair  are  mucli  larger  than  the  middle  ones,  two-thirds 
as  long  as  the  canines,  and  much  like  them  in  form.  The  mid- 
dle ones  have  their  antero-posterior  diameter  nearly  twice  their 
lateral  diameter,  and  their  crowns  are  divided  transversely. 
The  fangs  of  the  inner  pair  are  slightly  bifid.  Of  the  four 
lower  incisors,  the  outer  are  much  the  longer.  * 

MeaaurcmcHtu  of  the  TeethA 
A. — Teeth  of  the  UrPEn  Jaw. 


Holara. 


Total  length 

Length  of  the  crown 
"  neckt 
"      ioot§. 


1  Aiiteio-postcrior  diameter  || j    11. 5 

j  Lateriil  fliameter  || ^     6. 5 


• 

.a 

Incisors. 

t 

i 

1, 

1 

1 
1 

37 

13 

6 

18 

40 
11 

6 
23 
11.5 

8.5 

84 

34 

6 

03 

23 

7 

29 
5 

7 

25 
4 
7 



13 
10 

24 
20 

15 
12 

7 
5 

« 

< 

*  For  figures  of  the  teeth,  see  Bull.  Mas.  Comp.  Zool.,  vol.  ii,  j)!.  i,  ligg. 
"i-.V  (one-half  natural  size). 

tThps"'  measurements  are  takt^n  from  a  middle-aged  specimen,  in  which 
the  dentition  is  perfect  and  normal.  Tn  old  age  many  of  the  teeth  are  usually 
1iink(>n,  and  a  portion  of  them  often  entirely  wanting,  through  loss  from 
accident.  As  the  lower  canines  could  not  be  removed  without  removing  a 
portion  of  the  jaw,  they  have  not  been  fully  measured, 

{The  distaice  from  the  crown  to  the  alveolus. 

^  The  portion  of  the  tooth  inserted  in  the  jaw. 

II  At  tlie  base  of  the  crown. 


fi 


240       EUMETOPIAS   STELLERI — STELLER's   SEA   LION. 


B. — Tketii  of  the  Lowi;k  Jaw. 

Molurs. 


Iii('is<i;». 


a 


30 
12 


Totallength 28  42  42 

Lengtli  of  the  crown 10  12  14 

"  '•      iierk* 

'•      loott :  11!  ^  2^1  23!    -2 

Antei'o-posteiior  ilianieter^ !t  i  13  15  j    12.ri| 

Lateral  diaincttT  J i  C  i    !»  10 


0 


30 

10  :i.'. 

.'  7 
V> 

10..".  20 

K..')  IV 


31 
H 
4 

HI 


Skeleton. — Vertebral  forimila :  Cervical  vertebra',  7:  dorsal. 
ir»;  lumbar,  5;  caudal  (iucludiufj  the  four  sacral),  variable; 
probable  average,  IG. 

Ten  of  the  fifteen  ribs  articulate  with  the  .st<'rniini;  their 
sternal  portions  are  entirely  cartilaginous.  Their  os.seous  ])(»r- 
tions  evidently  increase  niucli  in  length  alter  middle  age.  Tlio 
apophyses  of  the  vertebne  are  well  devt;loi>ed.  Of  the  neiinil 
spines  of  the  dorsal  vertebne,  the  first,  .second,  and  third  are 
sub-equal,  130  mm.  long;  they  gradually  shoi-ten  jwsteriorly,  tlie 
last  having  a  length  of  oidy  75  mm. 

The  sternum  is  normally  composed  of  nine  thick  ami  broad 
osseous  segments,  the  first  and  last  very  long,  the  eighth  short- 
est. Between  the  eighth  and  ninth  a  shorter  cartilaginous 
one  is  sometimes  intercalated  (as  in  specimen  No.  2020). 

The  pelvis  is  well  developed.  The  ilia  are  very  long  and  nar- 
row antero-posteriorly.  The  i)ubic  bones  are  unanchylosed, 
they  being  merely  approximate  at  their  posterior  exti'cmitiois. 
Probably  in  the  femjiles  (as  in  Callorhimm  ursinus),  they  are 
widely  separated,  and  the  Avhole  pelvis  is  much  smaller  than  in 
the  males  and  differently  shaped. 

The  humerus,  as  in  the  other  Pinnipeds,  is  short  and  thiek. 
with  the  greater  tuberosity  enormously  developed.  The  bones  of 
the  forearm  are  also  very  large  and  strong,  with  all  their  i)io 
cesses  greatly  developed ;  in  length  they  but  slightly  exceed  the 
humerus.  The  length  of  neither  of  the  segments  of  the  arm 
quite  equals  the  length  of  the  bones  of  the  first  digit  (inch'dinjr 
its  metacarpal  Ixme)  of  the  hand.  The  first  digit  of  the  hand  is 
the  longest,  twice  as  long  as  the  fifth,  and  very  thick  and  strong. 

*Tho  distance  from  the  crown  to  the  alveolus. 
tTho  portion  inserted  in  tho  jaw. 
t  At  the  base  oi'  tho  crown. 


SKELETON. 


241 


The  bones  of  the  hinder  limbs  are  also  sliort  and  thick,  espe- 
cially llie  leinur,  whieli  is  scarcely  more  than  one-third  as  long 
as  The  tibia.  The  latter  in  length  about  e(iuals  the  foot.  The 
relative  lenj^th  of  the  digits  is  as  follows,  tln^  lon{j;est  being 
niciitioiied  lirst:  5th,  1st,  2d,  3d,  and  4t[».  The  third  and 
lourtli  are  of  equal  length,  and  but  little  shorter  than  the  sec- 
ond. In  respect  to  size,  the  metatarsal  and  phalangeal  bones 
(if  the  lifth  digit  are  nearly  twice  as  large  as  those  of  the  lirst, 
while  those  of  the  lirst  are  about  twice  the  size  of  those  of 
cither  of  the  other  three.  As  previously  noticed,  the  three 
iiiitldle  digits  of  the  foot  are  supplied  with  long  narrow  nails; 
the  tirst  and  fifth  with  rudimentary  ones. 

McamremcnUi  of  the  Bones  of  the  Hand  (Metacarpal  and  I'ludamjial). 


I 


•  length  of  metncarpal  and  plip- 

langcs - 

lA'Dgtli  of  iiKitacaipal  bone 

Length  of  Ist  phalanx 

Length  of  2(1  phalanx    

L  -ngtli  of  3(1  phaloux 


Middle-aged  Hpcclmen. 


Very  old  specimen. 


.    I     . 


I 


•a 


4. 1  •■?.    :a 


352 

152 

140 

60 


310 

110 

05 

80 

25 


a 


S 


I  -^ 


240 
85 
70 
60 
25 


200 
SO 
55 
45 
20 


•a 


.4 
•a 


«     .       M 


I 


177 
80 
65 
20 
12 


357  320 
160  I  110 
140  05 
57  {  80 
,    35 


*5 

•a 

'3 


250 
00 
70 
65 
25 


■a 

-3 


205 
80 
60 
45 
20 


185 
85 
65 
18 
17 


Measuioncnta  of  the  Bones  of  tlie  Foot  (Metatarsal  and  Phalangeal). 


Length  of  metatarsal  and  phalan- 


ges  

Length  of  metatarsal  bono  . . 

Hugth  of  Ist  phalanx 

Length  of  2d  phalanx 

Length  of  3d  phalanx 

Length  of  nail 


Middle-aged  specimen. 


310 

120 

140 

50 


«i 

•«i 

•a 

•a 

•a 

-d 

s 

S 

290 
05 
00 
75 
30 
40 


290 
95 
90 
75 
30 
40 


•a 


305 
110 
90 
80 
25 
37 


:a 


328 

130 

93 

70 

35 


Very  old  specimen. 


•a 

■a 


320 
145 
130 

45 


•a 
■■5 


317 

110 

100 

80 

27 

50 


•a 


327 

110 

105 

85 

27 

55 


•a 
■■3 


350 

120 

105 

05 

30 

50 


-a 
■s 


350 
130 
110 

75 
35 


Tli(3  liyoid  bono  is  greatly  developed.  Each  ramus  consists 
i)f  five  segments,  its  two  rami  being  connected  together  by  a 
transverse  segment  articulating  wi*^^h  the  juncture  of  the  fourth 
iiud  llfth  segments.  All  the  parts  Oi"  the  hyoid  bone  are  very 
tliick,  esixicially  the  transverse  and  anterior  segments;  rela- 
tively much  more  so  than  in  GallorhintyS,  In  the  common  Phoca^ 
mac.  Pub.  No,  12 IG 


242       EUMETOPIAS   8TELLERI — STELLER's   SEA   LION. 


the  byoid  bone  is  reduced  almost  to  a  bony  filament.  The  length 
of  the  hyoid  bone  in  the  present  species  is  270  mm. ;  of  the  trans- 
verse segment,  05  mm. ;  circumference  of  the  transverse  segment, 
45  mm.;  of  this  segment  at  the  thickest  i^art,  95  mm. 

The  OS  penis  is  170  mm.  long,  slightly  arched,  somewhat  Hat- 
tened  above,  especially  posteriorly,  sharply  convex  below,  and 
abruptly  expanded  and  squarely  truncate  at  the  end.  Its  cir 
cumference  at  the  base  is  72  mm. ;  just  behind  the  terminal  ex 
pansion,  32  mm. ;  of  the  terminal  expansion  itself,  65""". 
Measurements  of  the  Skeleton. 


Whole  length  of  skeleton  (including  skuU)  . . 

Length  of  sknll 

Length  of  cervical  vertebras 

Length  of  dorsal  vertebras 

Length  of  lumbar  verl  /bras 

Length  of  caudal  vertobras 

Length  of  first  rib 

Length  of  first  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  first  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 

Length  of  second  rib 

Length  of  second  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  second  rib,  cartilaginous  portion  . . 

Length  of  third  rib 

Length  of  third  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  third  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 

Length  of  fourth  rib 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  fourth  rib.  cartilaginous  portion... 

Length  of  fifth  rib 

Length  of  fifth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  fifth  rib,  cartilnginous  portion 

Length  of  sixth  rib 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 

Length  of  seventh  rib 

Length  of  seventh  rib,  osseoua  portion 

Length  of  seventh  rib,  cartilaginous  portion.. 

Length  of  eighth  rib 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion. . . 

Length  of  ninth  rib 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 

Length  of  tenth  rib ,.. 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 

Length  of  eleventh  rib,  osseous  portion  only. 


No.  2920, 

rf.lOy'rs 

old. 


2,750 
374 
600 

1,050 
340 
440 
260 
130 
130 
345 
175 
170 
410 
230 
180 
470 
280 
190 
535 
320 
215 
580 
360 
220 
640 
400 
240 
670 
420 
250 
710 
420 
290 
750 
420 
330 
430 


No.  2921, 

rf.lSy'n! 

old. 


2,935 
3S5 
540 

1,090 
400 
520 
240 
140 
100 
305 
185 
120 
410 
270 
140 
470 
330 
140 
5J0 
370 
160 
300 
4M 
170 

eo 

440 
160 
670 
4S0 
190 
6M 
4« 
200 
745 
4»i 


IHi:; 


SKELETON. 


243 


Meaaurvnients  of  the  Skeleton — Coiitinui-d. 


No,  2920,  I  No.  2921, 

,^,  10  y'rs  1(^,15  y'rs 

old.  old. 


i  Lengtli  of  twelfth  rib,  osseous  portion  only 

Length  (if  thirteenth  lib,  osseous  portion  only 

I.c'ii);th  of  fourteenth  rili,  osseous  portion  only , 

Len^'l  h  of  flft<'cnth  ril),  osseous  portion  only 

Lt'ii>;tli  of  sternum  (ossified  portion) 

L(uj,'th  of  sternum,  Ist  scfpiient 

Li'iij;th  of  sternum,  2d  segment 

Length  of  st^-rnum,  M  segment , 

Length  of  stenimu,  4th  segment 

Length  of  sternum,  5tli  secment 

Length  of  sternum,  0th  segment 

Lengtli  of  gtemum,  7tli  segment 

Length  of  sternum,  8tli  segment 

Lengtli  of  st^-'inum,  9th  segment 

Length  of  supemumery  eartiLige  (between  8th  and  9th) 

Lengtli  of  scupulii 

Breadth  of  scapula , 

Greatest  height  of  its  spino , 

Length  of  humerus , 

( 'ircunifevence  of  its  head 

Least  eireuraference  of  the  humerus 

Length  of  radius 

Length  of  ulna 

Longest  diameter  of  upper  end  of  ulna 

Length  of  earpus 

Length  of  metaearjius  and  1st  digit 

Lengtli  of  iiiftaeaipus  aud  2d  digit 

Length  of  metacarpus  and  3d  digit 

Length  of  metacarpus  .and  4th  digit 

Length  of  metacarpus  and  5th  digit 

Length  of  femur 

Cheumference  of  neck • 

Length  uf  tibia •. 

Length  of  fibula 

Length  of  tarsus 

Length  of  metatarsus  and  Ist  digit 

Length  of  metatarsus  and  2d  digit 

Length  of  metatarsus  and  3d  digit 

Length  of  metatarsoe  and  4tli  digit 

Length  of  metatarsus  and  5th  digit 

Length  of  innominate  bono 

Greatest  width  of  the  pelvis  anteriorly 

Length  of  ilium 

Length  of  ischio-pubic  bones 

Length  of  thyroid  foramen 

Lengtli  of  OS  penis 

■^iiUhof  hand  at  base  of  digits 

Width  of  foot  at  base  of  digits 


490 
450 
410 
340 
700 
130 

70 

70 

65 

63 

60 

60 

55 

70 

30 
830 
350  I 

45  i 
300  j 
300  I 
170  I 
260  I 
310  I 
100  I 

80  I 
350  j 
310  \ 
240  i 
200 
170 
170 
125 
320 
310 
140 
310 
290 
290 
305 
227 
320 
140 
140 
140 


500 

470 

460 

350 

840 

180 

90 

85 

80 

85 

75 

73 

65 

77 


370 
380 

52 
285 
290 
180 
260 
310 
130 

80 
360 
320 
250 
205 
185 
220 
120 
340 
330 
160 
270 
290 
270 
285 
310 
360 
160 
160 
200 
200 
170 


140 


p'iM 


244       EUMETOPIAS    STELLKRI — STKLIKU's    SEA    LION. 

The  above,  table  j^ivcs  the  priiK-ipal  iiieasiiroiiu'iitsofthebonofj 
of  tbt'  skcU'toii.  .McasiirciMcnls  of  two  spcciiiiciis  are  j^iveii,  as 
in  l>revioiis  tables,  foi'tlie  purpose  of  illiistratiiij;'  the  variations 
thai  oeeur  in  the  relative  si/e  of  (litVerent  parts  after  maturity 
is  attain«'(l,  and  also  for  the  [>nrpose  of  illnstratin<>-  individual 
variation,  whieh  in  some  i)artieulars  these  specimens  exhibit 
in  a  marked  dej-Tee.  The  ribs,  it  will  be  observed,  diifer  hut 
isliji'litly  in  total  lenf;th  in  the  two;  riot  nearly  so  uuieh  as 
would  be  expeeted  from  the  nuieh  jL>reater  bulk  of  the  body  of 
the  older  specimen.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  principal  diller 
ences  in  the  ribs  consist  in  the  relative  length  of  the  bony  to 
the  cartilaj-inons  portions,  in  the  older  the  ossified  portion  be 
inj;'  nnu'h  lonjier  and  tli«'  cartilagin<ms  nuich  shorter  than  in  tlii' 
youn}ier.  An  irregularity  will  hi\  also  observed  in  respect  to  the 
sternum,  the  younger  specini'u  having  a  supernumerary  car- 
tilaginous  segment  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  normal  onos. 

Sexual,  Adolescent,  and  Individual  Variation.— In 
res[)ect  to  external  characters,  m.>  material,  consisting  merely  of 
three  adult  males,  does  not  furnish  many  facts  toiichii  g  these 
l)oints.  These  si)ecimeus,  however,  dift'er  considerably  from 
each  other,  not  only  in  color,  but  in  size  and  i>roportioiis.  Some 
of  these  dift'erences  are  clearly  due  to  age  (one  of  the  specimens 
being  nuich  younger  than  the  others),  but  others  equally  great 
cannot  be  thus  explained.  The  body  increases  greatly  in  bulk, 
and  the  bones  in  size  and  density,  after  the  animal  has  reached 
its  adult  length.  The  crests  of  the  skull  are  almost  wholly 
developed  after  this  period,  and  in  great  measure  also  the  spines 
or  ridges  of  the  scapula.  The  tuberosities  for  the  attachment  of 
muscles  also  increase  in  size,  as  do  the  vertebral  or  osseous  por 
tious  of  the  ribs,  as  shown  by  the  measurements  already  given. 
The  teeth  also  change  nuich  in  size  and  form  after  maturity  is 
attained,  and  in  old  age  often  become  much  worn  and  broken 
by  long  use.  The  general  form  of  the  skull  in  the  males  differs 
considerably  in  dilBfereut  individuals  of  the  same  age,  and  also 
undergoes  great  modification  with  age.*  As  already  stated,  tliis 
consists  mainly  in  the  development  of  the  crests  and  processes 
for  the  attachment  of  muscles,  and  in  the  size  and  form  of  the 
teeth. 

Mr.  Elliott  states  that  the  young,  when  first  born,  have  ;i 
■weight  of  about  twenty  to  twenty-five  pounds,  and  a  l^ugtli  of 

*Seo  Bull.  Mu8.  Comp.  Zool.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  56-60. 


^TBjf 


COMPARISON    WITH    ALLIED    SPECIES. 


245 


about  two  i't'oi,  and  dcst'iiLvf^  their  color  at  tliis  ago  as  being 
••(laik  clioeolate-brown."  When  they  are  a  year  okl  ho  says 
tlicy  liave  tlie  sain<>  (•oh)ras  the  achilts.  On  their  arrival  at  the 
I'nbilov  Islands  in  s]>rinji',  Mi".  l''^lliott  slates  that  he  was  nu- 
\[h\v  to  (liseern  any  marked  dissimilarity  of  e()!orin;n'  between 
the  males  and  females,  and  adds  that  the  "young  males  and 
yearlings"  have  the  same  color  as  tlu'  adults,  with  here  and 
tluTc  an  animal  marked  with  irregularly  disjjosed  patclies  of 
(lark  brown.  After  their  arrival,  the  general  color  gradually 
becomes  .somewhat  lighter  or  more  golden,  and  darker  agaiu 
after  the  moult. 

As  already  noted,  the  .sexual  differences  in  the  skull  are 
strongly  marked.  They  are,  however,  only  parallel  Avith  those 
seen  in  the  other  .s])ecics  of  Otaries.  The  skeleton  of  the  female 
is  still  unknown  to  me,  but  nuiy  beiuxvsumed  to  differ  from  that 
of  tlie  male  very  much,  as  is  found  to  be  the  case  in  the  Fur  Seal, 
as  described  further  on. 

(lixxHJAPniCAL  Vauiation. — The  material  at  hand  seems  to 
indicate  that  there  is  no  marked  variation  in  size  with  U)cality. 
A  considerable  series  of  skulls  from  the  California  coast  indi- 
cates that  the  species  attains  fully  as  large  a  size  there  as  at  the 
I'rybilov  Islands.  One  of  the  largest  skulls  I  have  seen  came 
trom  the  Farallone  Islands,  the  extreme  southern  limit  repre- 
sented by  the  s})ecimens  before  ine. 

Comparison  with  Allied  Species. — Eumetopias  stelleri  is 
tlie  largest  of  the  Eared  Seals,  very  much  exceeding  in  size  any 
of  the  other  species  of  the  family  except  Otaria  juhata^  which 
alone  it  sufBciently  resembles  in  external  features  to  render  com- 
parison necessary.  While  widely  distinct  from  the  latter  in 
cranial  characters,  it  seems  to  quite  closely  resemble  it  in  exter- 
nal features,  so  far  as  may  be  judged  from  descriptions.  The 
character  of  the  pelage,  the  color,  and  the  conformation  of  the 
linib.s  are  nuicli  the  same  in  both.  In  neither  is  there  a  distinct 
"mane,"  so  often  attributed  to  them,  and  especially  to  the 
Soaiiicrn  Sea  Lion,  although  the  hair  on  the  neck  and  shoul- 
ders is  longer  than  elseAvhere,  the  resemblance  to  the  mane  of 
the  Lion  being  duo  to  the  heavy  folds  of  skin  over  the  shoul- 
ders when  tlie  head  is  raised,  more  than  to  the  existence  of  an 
abundance  of  lengthened  hair  that  can  in  any  true  sense  be 
cousiddied  as  forming  a  mane  such  as  is  seen  in  Leo.*    The  skins 

*  AtLordiug  to  Captain  Bryant,  "At  tho  fourth  year  of  ago  the  uceli  and 
sliouldcrs  tlijcken,  from  having  a  thick  layer  of  fat  nndc-r  the  skin,  tlu'  skin 


n 


246      EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI — STELLER's    SEA   LION. 

of  tbese  two  species  at  my  coinniand  arc  in  the  one  casd  those 
of  very  young  animals,  and  in  the  other  of  very  old  males.  A 
fine  series  of  the  skulls  of  each  enables  me,  however,  to  s])eiik 
with  confidence  in  respect  to  the  matter  of  comparative  size. 
The  largest  old  male  skull  of  Eumctopias  steJlcri  has  a  length  of 
400  mm.,  Avhile  none  fall  below  375  una.,  the  average  being  about 
390  nun.  In  Otaria  jiihata,  the  largest  old  male  skull  in  a  series 
of  a  dozen  barely  reaches  372  mm.,  and  several  fall  below  340  nini.; 
the  average  being  about  355  mm.,  or  about  50  mm.  shorter  than 
tlie  average  of  a  similar  series  of  Eumctopias  steUeri.  Adult 
female  skulls  of  the  last-named  species  reach  290  to  300  mm,, 
while  old  female  skulls  of  0*ariajubata  about  265  nun.  Accord- 
ingly it  seems  fair  to  conclude  that  the  linear  measurements  of 
Otaria  jitbata  are  about  one-eighth  less  than  those  of  Eumetopm 
stelleri,  with  a  corresponding  difference  in  the  bulk  and  weight  of 
the  entire  animal  in  the  two  species.  As  very  few  measure 
ments  of  the  skulls  of  Otaria  jubata  have  been  as  yet  published. 
I  append  the  following  for  comparison  with  those  of  Eitmeto- 
plan  stcUcri  already  given  {antea^  p.  238).  The  wide  differences  in 
dentition  and  cranial  structure  liave  already  been  suflBciently 
indicated. 

itself  beiug  loose  and  flabbj'.  When  the  animal  is  at  rest  ou  a  rock  with  its 
hind  flippers  folded  under  its  body,  its  head  erect  and  the  shoulders  tliiown 
back,  the  loose  skin  and  fat  lies  in  folds,  looking  like  the  mane  of  a  Lion; 
hence  its  name  Sea  Lion.  This  thickening  of  the  neck  is  peculiar  to  the 
adult  male." — MSS,  notes. 


mmmmmmmmmasm^sam 


COMPARISON    WITH    ALLIED    SPECIES. 


247 


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24  S       EUMETOPIAS   STELLKRl— STELLEU's   SEA   LION. 

CiEOGKAl'IIKAL  J^I^TKim  TIOX. — TllC  klloMli  riin;;('  of  tills 
sporh's  cxtciids  iiloii;;'  tlu'  west  coiist  of  XorUi  AiiH-rica  fioiii 
the  FiniilloiK'  Lslaiids,  in  liititiidc  ;57o  10' N.,  to  tlir  Prvbilov 
Lsliiiids.  Its  iiortliciii  limit  ol'  distribution  is  not  (h'linitcly 
known,  bnt  it  docs  not  iipia-iir  to  Imvc  been  nu't  with  north  nl' 
about  the  latitude  of  St.  Matthew's  Island  (about  latitude  OP). 
Keither  m-.  ^^  .  II.  ])all  nor  3Ir.  II.  \V.  Elliott  <ias  met  with  it 
above  this  point,  and  they  have  both  inl'ornu'd  nie  that  tlicv 
have  no  reason  to  sup[tose  it  extends  any  further  northward 
or  beyond  the  .southern  limit  of  tloating'  iee.  According  td 
Steller,  it  existed  in  his  time  alony  the  whole  ea.stern  eoa.st  of 
Kamtehatka  and  southward  to  the  Kurile  Lslands,  He  found 
it  abundant  on  Behring's  and  Cojtper  Islands,  where  it  is  still 
well  known  to  exist.  If  Dr.  Gray's  Eumtioinns  eloiuftttus,  as 
originally  described  in  1873  (the  same  specimen  was  referred  by 
him  in  ]871i  to  U.  utelleri),  be  referable,  as  I  believe  (see  hij'ra, 
p.  -52)  to  the  female  of  JJ.  xtellcri,  the  range  of  this  .sjjecies  a])- 
pear.,  to  extend  .soutliAvard  on  the  Asiatic  coast  as  far  as 
Japan. 

Althongh  the  Sea  Lions  of  the  California  coa.st  that  have  of 
late  years  attracted  so  much  attention  appear  to  be  tlu;  smaller 
species  (Zalophu-s  (■aliforuiauits),  the  ocenrrence  of  the  present 
species  there  is  also  fully  established,  where  it  is  resident  the 
whole  year,  and  where  it  brings  forth  its  young,  as  proven  by 
specimens  transmitted  some  years  since  by  Dr.  Ayres  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institution. 


I 


General  History. — The  Northern  Sea  Liou  was  first  de- 
scribed in  1751  by  Steller,  who,  under  the  name  of  Leo  marims, 
gave  a  somewhat  detailed  account  of  its  habits  and  its  geograph- 
ical range,  so  far  as  known  to  him.  His  description  of  the  an- 
imal, however,  is  quite  unsatisfactory.  Steller's  Leo  marims, 
in  size^  general  form,  and  color,  closely  resembles  the  Southern 
Sea  Lion  {Otaria  juhata),  with  which  Steller's  animal  was  con 
founded  by  Pennant,  Bufibn,  and  by  nearly  all  subsequent 
writers  for. almost  a  century.  Peron,  in  181C,  first  distinctly 
affirmed  the  Northern  and  Southern  Sea  Lions  to  be  specifically 
distinct,  without,  as  Temminck  says,  "  avoir  vu  ni  I'une  ni  I'autrc. 
et  sans  ^tablir  leurs  caracteres  distiuctifs."*  Lesson,  in  1828, 
gave  it  the  specific  name  it  now  bears,  in  honor  of  Steller,  its 
first  describer.    The  following  year  Fischer,  on  the  authority  of 

*  Faiiu.  Jap.,  Mara.  Marins,  1842,  p.  7. 


GENERAL    HISTOKY. 


249 


Lesson,  also  rc(;();;iii/,('(l  its  distinctin'ss  IVoiii  llic  soutliciii  sih'- 
civs.  Xilssoii,  ill  IS  10,  in  Iiis  cclchiiitcd  nioiioyiiipli  <»!'  tlif  Seals, 
reunited  them.  .Miiller,  lioweNcr,  in  an  appendix  to  Dr.  W. 
I'eters's  translation  of  Nilsson's  «'ssa.v,  imhlislied  in  tiie  Areliiv 
Inr  Xatnrj-vscliielite  lor  ISll.  separated  it  a^ain,  and  pointed 
oiil  some  of  tile  dilVerenccs  in  the  skulls  that  serve  to  distin 
guisli  the  two  sju'cies.  (Irav,  in  his  Catalojiuc  of  the  Seals. 
j)iil)lislied  in  l.S.")(»,  also  rejiarded  it  as  distinct.  r>nt  one  is  led 
to  infer  that  he  had  not  then  seen  six-cimens  of  it,  and  tliat  he 
rested  his  belief  in  the  existence  of  sueli  a  species  mainly  on 
^teller's  account  of  it,  as  he  himself  expressly  states  in  his 
later  papers.  Tlie  skull  received  sul>se(pu?ntly  at  the  British 
^[nsenm  from  ^lonterey,  California,  and  ti};nred  and  described  by 
Gray,  in  1859,  as  a  new  sjjecies,  under  the  name  Arctocephalus 
moiitvrlcHffiK,  proved,  however,  to  be  of  this  species,  as  lirst 
atliriiied  by  Dr.  Gill,  and  latei-  by  Professor  Peters  and  by  Gray 
himself.  AVith  the  exce])tioii  of  the  (ij;ures  of  an  imi>erfect 
skull  of  Steller's  Sea  Lion  from  Kamtchatka,  fiiven  by  Pander 
ami  D'Alton  in  182G,  Dr.  Gray's  excellent  ti<4ure*  (a  view  in 
laolile)  is  the  only  one  of  its  skull  published  i)rior  to  187(5.  The 
(iiilv  specimens  of  the  animal  extant,  up  to  about  ten  years 
since,  in  tU<'  Euro])ean  museums,  seem  to  have  consisted  of  the 
two  skulls  and  a  stull'ed  skin  in  the  JJerlin  Museum  mentioned 
h,v  Peters,  and  the  skull  in  the  British  Museum  tiyured  and 
4k'scribed  by  Gray. 

With  the  Monterey  skull  abov(^njentioned,  Dr.  Gray  received 
another  very  youny  skull,  and  the  skin  of  a  Fur  Seal,  both  of 
which  were  said  to  have  belonged  to  one  animal,  and  which  he 
liesitatinyly  leferred  to  his  Aretocephalus  inonteriemuA  Later, 
however,  he  regarded  them  as  representing  a  new  species,! 
which  he  called  Arctocephalus  caiifornimitis.  Still  later  lie  refer 
red  his  A.  caUfornianm  to  Eametopias  isteUeri  §  {=Arctocephalii.s 
moHteriemifi,  Gray,  of  earlier  date),  and  in  1872 1|  published  tigures 
of  this  young  California  skull.  Concerning  the  skin  above  re- 
ferred to  he  remarked  at  one  time  as  follows:  "If  the  skin  sent 
last  year  by  Mr.  Taylor  to  Mr.  Guruey,  and  by  that  gentleman 
presented  to  the  Museum,  is  the  young  of  this  species  [A.  mon- 

'  I'roc.  ZoiJl.  Soc.  Load.,  1859,  pi.  Ixii. 
'i'roc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  Id59,  i».  ;358. 
;C;it.  Seals  ami  Whales,  18iJ6,  p.  49. 

v^Aun,  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  M  sories,  186C,  voL  xviii,  p.  '2'S'S;   Hand- 
list of  Seals,  etc.,  1874,  40. 
ilPioc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1872,  pp.  740,741.  .  ;     .;    ' 


250      EUMETOPIAS   STELLERI — STELLER's   SEA   LION. 

teriensifi],  tlie  yoimg:  aiiiinal  is  blackish,  silvcrtMl  by  the  slioit 
white  tips  to  the  short  black  hairs;  those  on  tho  nape  and 
hinder  parts  of  the  body  with  lonj,a'r  Whitii  tips,  iniikin}^'  thoM' 
parts  whiter  and  more  silvery.    The  under-fur  is  very  abuinl 
ant,  reachiny  nearly  to  the  eiul  ol"  the  hair.     The  eiid  ot  the 
nose  and  sides  of  the  face  are  whitish.    The  whiskers  are  i-loii 
;,'uted,  rigid,  smooth,  and  white.     The  hind  feet  are  cloiijAiitc. 
with  rather  long- tlaps  to  tlM'  toes.     The  skull  is  small  for  the 
size  of  the  skin,  and  I  should  have  doubted  its  belotigiiiy  to 
the  skin  if  it  were  not  accompjMned  by  the  following  labtl: 
'Sknll  of  the  ]<\tr  Seal  I  sent  last  year.     It  is  very  imperfect, 
from  my  forgetting  where  I  had  put  it;  but  it  must  «lo  until  airi 
dent  throws  anotlu'r  in  the  way;  the  other  bones  were  lost.— 
A.  S.  T.'"*     Dr.  Gray,  in  his  "Hand-List."  published  in  1S74. 
refers  the  skidls  of  both  A.  mov.tcriennis  and  A.  caJifornionn* 
to  Eumetopim  (ttellvri,  but  makes  no  reference  to  the  skin.    As 
he  seems,  however,  to  have  become  settled  in  his  opinion  tbat 
this  skin  is  identical  with  his  A.  monteriensis,  this  nisiy  nc 
count  for  the  statement  made  by  him  in  180(5, t  and  sultse 
quently  reiterated,  |  that  the  Eumetopiax  stelleri  is  a  species  in 
which  ''  the  fur  is  very  dense,  staiuling  nearly  erect  from  the 
skin,  forming  a  very  soft,  elastic  coat,  as  in  O.  falldandha  and 
0.  steUeri,  which,''  he  erroneously  says,  "are  the  only  Seals 
that  have  a  close,  soft,  elastic  fur."  § 

Lesso; ;  gave  the  name  Otaria  californiana  toasupposed  species 
of  Eared  Seal  based  solely  on  a  figure  entitled  "Jeune  lion  nun  in 
de  la  Califbrnie,"  published  by  Choris.||  The  following  is  tlie 
only  allusion  Choris  makes  to  this  animal,  in  this  eoiuieetioii, 
in  his  text:  "Les  rochers  dans  le  voisinage  de  la  bale  Sau 
Francisco  sont  ordinalrement  converts  de  lions  marins.  PI. 
XI."  In  his  chapter  on  the  "lies  A16outiennes,"  in  describing 
the  "Lions  marins,"  he  says:  "Cesanimaux  sontaussi  tr^s-com 
muns  au  port  de  San-Francisco,  sur  la  c6te  de  Californie,  oil 

*Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1850,  p.  :?58. 

t  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4tli  series,  1866,  vol.  i,  p.  101. 

tlbid.,  p. 'ilij. 

$  Dr.  Gray's  mistake  seems  to  have  misled  others  in  respect  to  the  real 
characters  of  Eumetopiaa  stclleri,  which  Dr.  Veatch,  on  the  authority  of  Gray, 
refers  to  as  tlie  "fur-coated  Eumatopias,"  which  he  supposed  to  be  the 
proper  name  of  the  Fur  Seal  of  the  North.  (See  "Report  of  Dr.  John  A. 
Veatch  on  Cerros  or  Cedros  Island,"  in  J.  Ross  Browne's  "Resources  of  the 
Pacific  Slope,"  [appendix],  p.  150,  1869.) 

II  Voyage  Pittoresque,  pi.  xi,  of  the  chapter  entitled  "Port  San-Francisco 
et  ses  habitants."    Tho  date  of  this  work  is  1822. 


iBiai£S£<SKBfc  :=3?S 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


261 


oil  U's  Noit  oil  noinbi'c  |)i'<)(li;;i('ii\  snr  los  rochers  do  la  bale. 
Ccttc  ('s[)('cc  iii'ii  piini  sc  (listin^uiiT  dc  cciix  qui  iWqiientent 
Ics  ik'.s  AlOoiiticnncs;  clh'  a  la  <'()ri)s  plus  lliu't  ct  plus  allongd, 
(>t  III  tc'tc  ])lu.s  line:  (piaut  a  la  couleur,  •■Ho  passe  lortoiiiont  an 
lirmi,  tandis  que  ceux  des  iles  Aleouiicunes  sont  d'une  coulcur 
plus  yiise,  out  le corps  plus  lond, les  mouvemcnts  plus  diOiciles, 
la  tote  plus  grossc  ot  plus  (5paisse;  la  coulcur  du  poll  des 
iiioustaohcs  plus  uoiratro  que  celui  des  iles  Aleoutieunes."  * 

It  thus  ai)pears  that  Choris  clearly  recognized  the  larger  aud 
the  smaller  Sea  Lious  of  the  west  coast  of  North  America,  aud 
coirootly  pointed  out  their  more  obvious  points  of  external 
difleronce.  Hence  Lesson's  name  Otaria  californiana,  founded 
on  Choris's  "Lion  marin  do  la  Califoraie,"  must  be  considered  as 
api>lying  exclusively  to  what  has  till  now  been  commonly  known 
as  ZolopliHK  (fiUespii. 

Dr.  Gill,  however,  in  his  "Prodrome,"  adopted  provisionally 
Lesson's  name  [californiana)  for  the  present  species,  but  at  the 
same  tinu'  asserted  its  identity  with  the  ArctocepliahiH  -  .  ,ac- 
rlnisin  of  Gray  (1859),  and  also  suggested  its  probab'  identity 
with  the  so-called  Otaria  stelleri  of  MUller.  Peters,  a  few  months 
later,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Gill's  suggestion  was  correct, 
since  which  time  the  name  stelleri  has  been  universally  accepted 
lor  the  laiger  northern  Hair  Seal.  The  Otaria  stelleri  of  Tern- 
uiinck,t  formerly  supposed  by  Grayf  and  also  by  Peters  § 
to  include  both  the  Australian  Eared  Seals  (viz,  Arctoceplialm 
cincreits  and  Zalophvs  lobattis),  has  finally  been  referred  by 
the  latter,  after  an  examination  of  the  original  specimens  in 
the  Leyden  Museum,  to  the  so-called  Zalophus  gillespii.  \\  I  be- 
lieve, however,  that  the  skull  of  the  J'oung  female  figured 
in  Fauna  Japonica  (pi.  xxii,  flgg.  5  and  6)  belongs  to  some 
other  species.  It  certainly  differs  greatly  in  proportions,  as 
well  as  in  dentition,  from  the  other  skulls  figured  in  that  work 
(same  plate),  and  called  0.  stelleri. 

The  northern  Sea  Lion  having  become  generally  recognized 
as  specifically  distinct  from  the  Sea  Lion  of  the  southern  seas, 
Dr.  Gill,  in  1866,  separated  the  two  generically.  This  had 
indeed  already  been  done  practically  by  Dr.  Gray,  inasmuch  as 

*  Voy.  Pittor.  aut.  tlu  Moudo,  Iles  Al^outieuues,  p.  13. 
tFauuii  Japouica,  Mam.  inarius,  p.  10. 

{Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  series,  1866,  vol.  xviii,  p.  229. 
Hlouatsberichte  Akad.  Berlin,  1866,  pp.  272,276. 

II  Ibid.,  p.  669.  See  further  on  this  point  posted,  under  Zalophus  cal\for- 
nianuH. 


tlv 


252       KUMETOPIAS    STEIXERI— STKI-LKU'S    6KA    LION 


111'  ])lacod  liis  A.  montericmiH  (  =  0.  .sfc//er/,  auct.)  in  the  geims 
Arc.occpJiahts,  and  llie  .southern  Sea  Lion  in  Otaria,  with  which 
he  associated  the  0.  stcUcri.  He  faiUnl,  however,  to  rccoguizo 
the  identity  of  hi«  A.montericnxifi  with  his  O.Hfelleri,  and  hence 
the  entire  jieneric  diversity  of  the  northern  and  southern  Sea 
Lions  seems  lo  have  escape!  his  observation.  Tlie  hitter  fact 
was  lirst  pointed  out  by  Dr.  Gill  in  his  "Prodrome,''  as  above 
stated. 

Dr.  Gray  has  recently  described  and  figured  the  skull  of  what 
he  at  first  regarded  as  a  second  species  of  Eiwietopian  from 
Japan,  and  which  he  called  Eiimetopian  elonyafus,*  but  he  sub- 
sequently transferred  it  to  his  "  genus*'  Phocarctos.]  In  his  first 
mention  of  it,  however,  he  referred  it  to  Euinetopias  stelleri.l 
The  ^^Phocarctos  clongatus'^  was  first  described  from  a  "nearly 
adult "  skull  (pl.  xxi,  Hand-List),  eleven  inches  long  and  seven 
and  a  half  broad  at  the  condyles,  and  placed  "in  the  genus 
Eumetop'uiH,  because  it  had  a  space  in  the  place  of  the  fifth 
upper  grinder."  Judging  from  the  figures  §  and  Dr.  Gray's  de- 
scription, it  seems  to  differ  in  no  important  point  from  the  skull 
of  an  adult  female,  E.  sfcllcri.  Later  !•<:  received  from  Japan 
a  younger  sku?l  (pi.  xxii,  Hand-List),  "  seven  and  a  Iialf 
inches  long  and  lour  and  a  half  inches  broad,"  which  agrees  in 
general  form  with  the  other,  but  has  a  "  shortei  pa'atej"  six 
uXiper  uiolars  (instead  of  five),  and  differs  "in  the  form  of  the 
internal  nostrils."  He  considered  the  two  as  both  belonging 
to  the  same  species,  and,  from  the  presence  of  six  upper  molars 
in  the  young  skull,  transferred  the  species  to  "  Phocarctos." 

Judging  from  Dr.  Gray's  figure  of  this  skull  (Hand-List  of 
Seals,  pl.  xxii),  it  seems  to  be  referable  to  Zalophits  (the  Japan 
species,  probably  Z.  lobatus),  the  last  pair  of  upper  molars 
be  ng  in  all  probability  supernumerary,  as  they  are  smalk: 
thaJi  the  others  and  differ  from  those  jireceding  them  just  as  do 
the  jL'ipcrunmerary  molars  in  skulls  of  Zaiophiis  californixmis. 

Dr.  Gray  seems  to  have  believed  that  Eumetopias  hac  in  early  hfe 
six  upi)er  molars  on  each  side,  and  that  the  fifth,  or  last  but  one,  is 
deciduous,  thus  leaving  a  vacuity  between  the  last  '^"io  molars 
on  either  side.  Of  this  T  have  seen  no  evidence ;  on  the  con- 
trary, I  have  found  in  a  very  young  skull  the  same  number  of 
molars  as  in  the  adult.    Thus  skull  Xo.  4703  ( National Museuir' 

"i'roc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Loud.,  187;i,7T(i,  (igg.  1,  '2, 

tilaud-liist  S<!a)H,  etc.,  1874,  ISO,  ])11.  xxi,  xxii. 

tProc.  ZooL  Soc.  Lond.,  Id72, 7:57,  figg.  1  (head),  2,  aud  ;{ (skull). 

$Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1872,  pp.  738,739;  Hand-List  of  Seals,  pl.  xsi. 


jgggm^mdgm^mmmfimmm 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


253 


from  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  labelled  by  the  collector,  Dr.  Ayres, 
as  "  o  or  i  (lays  old,"  shows  distinctl3'  the  alveoli  6f  the  milk 
tlentitiou,  with  the  permanent  molars,  five  in  nnmber,  just 
cutting  the  j;um.  The  last  (fifth)  uj)per  molar  is  placed  but 
little  further  from  the  fourth  than  the  fourth  is  from  the  third. 
The  broader  si)aco  between  the  loiuth  and  fifth  molars  is  al- 
icady  indicated,  but  is,  even  relatively,  nuich  less  than  in  the 
adults.  The  last  molar  stands  close  to  the  end  of  the  maxilla, 
and  hence  has  the  same  relative  position  at  this  early  period 
that  it  has  in  old  age.  As  the  si'^e  of  the  skull  increases,  how- 
over,  tlK  space  between  the  fourth  and  fifth  molars  becomes  en- 
larged. Dr.  Clray  says  that  in  a  "  foetal  skull"  of  this  species 
"  from  California  the  hind  ui)per  grinder  is  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  others,  as  in  the  very  old  skull  in  the  [British] 
Museum  and  the  two  adult  skulls  figured  by  Mr.  Allen ;  but 
there!  is  to  be  observed  on  each  side  a  concavity  in  the  place  of 
the  fifth  grinder — on  the  right  side  it  is  a  shallow,  small  cavity 
which  has  enclosed  a  rudimentary  tooth  ;*  on  the  other  side  the 
concavity  is  larger,  but  not  so  evidently  the  cavity  for  a  tooth. t" 

As  is  well  known,  the  Otaria  stelleri  of  Temminck's  "  Fauna 
Japonica"  is  a  Zaloplms  (at  least  in  part).| 

Since  the  publication  of  my  paper  on  the  Eared  Seals,  in  1870, 
our  knowledge  of  this  species  has  greatly  increased,  mainly 
through  the  published  observations  of  Captain  Scammon  and 
Mr.  H,  W.  Elliott.  Captain  Scammon,  however,  seems  to  have 
not  distinguished  the  two  species  occurring  in  California,  since 
he  gives  no  distinct  account  of  the  smaller  Californian  species, 
although  he  appears  to  have  given  mef^urements  of  a  female 
of  the  latter,  and  evidently  blends,  in  a  general  way,  the  history 
of  the  two.  Mr.  Elliott  has  not  only  published  a  very  full 
account  of  its  habits,  as  observed  by  him  during  several  years' 
residence  at  Saint  Paul's  Island,  but  also  a  most  admirable 
series  of  sketches  of  the  animals,  drawn  from  life.    In  the  fol- 

*As  already  stated,  Dr.  Gray  appears  to  have  beUoveni.that  the  last  or 
fifth  grindcrishomologically  the  sixth,  because  it  h;  ~' two  roots,  and  that  the 
lit'tli  i.s  deciduous,  a  theory  I  believe  i.T:°"ppo'ted.  Was  not  the  small  cav- 
ity he  liere  refers  to  as  having  enclosed  a  tooth  merely  the  alveolus  of  the 
last  milk  molar,  which  I  have  found  to  occupy  just  this  position?  Dr.  Gray 
liiiiiscir,  in  jneviously  referring  to  the  same  skull,  alludes  to  "a  small  pit" 
"at  the  back  edge  of  the  fourth  grinder,"  "from  which  no  doubt  a  small 
rndiiuciitiiry  tooth  has  fallen  o\\t."—Supiil.  Cat  Seals  and  Whaks,  pp.  29,  30. 

t  Hand-List  of  Seals,  p.  41. 

{For  further  remarks  on  "  Otaria  atclleri"  Temminck  see  infra,  under  Za- 
lopliiis  californianus,  - 


254      EUMETOPIAS   STELLERI — STELLER's   SEA   LION. 

lowing  pages  I  shall  borrow  largely  from  his  excellent  account 
of  its  habits.* 

Habits. — Aside  from  Steller's  early  account  of  the  northern 
Sea  Lion,  little  had  been  published  relating  to  the  habits  of  this 
species  prior  to  1870.  Kcw,  Luwever,  with  possibly  one  excep- 
tion, none  of  our  Pinnipeds  is  better  known. 

Steller  gave  a  very  full  description  of  the  habits  of  the  Sea 
Bear  {Callorhinus  ursinus),  and  remarked  that,  with  some  few 
exceptions  (which  he  specifies),  those  of  the  Sea  Lion  closely 
resemble  those  of  that  animal.  Choris  states:  "On  y  [Pile 
Saint-Georges]  tue  ime  grand  quantity  de  Lions  Marins ;  mais 
seulement  des  males,  a  cause  de  leur  grandeur  5  on  se  sert  de 
leur  peau  pour  recouvrir  les  canots,  et  des  intestins  pour  faire 
le  kamleyM,  especes  de  blouses  que  I'on  endosse  par-dessus  les 
autres  vetements  lorsqu'il  pluet  pour  ne  pas  se  mouiller.  La 
chair,  que  I'ou  fait  s^cher,  est  diT'e;  c'est  une  bonne  nourriture 

pour  I'hiver Les  jeunes  sont  tres-tendres  et  ont  le 

gout  de  poisson." 

"  Le  rivage  6tait  convert  de  troupes  innombrables  de  hous 
marins.  L'odeur  qu'ils  r6pandent  est  insupportable.  Ces  ani- 
maux  etaient  alors  dans  le  temps  du  rut.    L'on  voyait  de  tons 

*  Mr.  Elliott's  account  Avas  first  printed  in  his  "  Report  on  the  Prybilov 
Group,  or  Seal  Islands,  of  Alaska,"  in  1873.  The  work  is  an  oblong  quarto 
of  about  130  pages,  interleaved  with  about  40  photographic  plates.  The 
text,  however,  is  unpaged,  and  the  plates  are  not  numbered,  so  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  eite  it  definitelj-.  As  the  edition  was  limited  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty-live  copies,  and  was  privately  distributed,  it  is  almost 
inaccessible,  and  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  been  published.  ["]  The  text, 
however,  was  reprinted,  in  substance,  in  1875,  in  octavo  form,  as  one  of  the 
Reports  of  the  Treasury  Department  (of  which  Mr.  Elliott  was  Assistant 
Special  Agent  at  the  Fur  Seal  Islands;,  under  the  title  '  'A  Report  upon  the 
Condition  of  Affairs  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska."  This  edition  is  the  one 
quoted  in  the  present  Avork.  The  quarto  report  contains  live  plates  devoted 
to  the  Sea  Lion.  The  first  gives  a  nearly  front  view  of  an  adult  male.  The 
second  shows  several  natives  creeping  along  the  shore  in  order  to  get  be- 
tween a  herd  of  Sea  Lions  and  the  water  to  intercept  their  retreat.  A  third 
is  entitled  "  Capturing  the  Sea  Lion — Springing  the  Alarm,"  and  indicates 
the  stage  of  the  hunt  Avhen  the  hunters  expose  themselves  to  view  and  rush 
unon  the  herd  to  drive  them  inland.  A  part  are  retreating  land-ward,  while 
ochers  are  jdunging  precipitately  into  the  sea.  The  fourth,  "  Shooting  Sen 
Lion  Bulls,"  represents  the  killing  of  the  old  males  with  fii'earms.  The 
fifth  and  last  depicts  the  slaughter  of  the  females,  and  is  entitled,  "Speai- 
iDg  Sea  Lion  Cows,  'The  Death  Whirl.'"' 

{*  It  Is  well  known  that  opinions  of  "  what  constitutes  pnblication?"  lUfl'er.  Thavotho 
author's  permission  to  record  hero  my  own  view,  which  is,  that  a  printed  work  is  "pub- 
lished" if  a  single  copy  is  placed  in  a  piibix  Hbrarv.— Elliott  Coues.] 


m 


HABITS. 


5?55 


foics  Ics  lui'ik's  se  battle  entre  eux  pour  s'enlever  les  uns  aux 
aiitirs  les  femclles.  Cbaque  male  eu  rassemble  de  dix  j\  vingt, 
sc  inontre  jaloux,  lie  souffre  aiicuu  autre  male,  et  attaque  ceux 
(ini  tentent  de  s'approcber;  il  les  tue  par  ses  morsures  ou  s'eii 
liiit  tuer.  Dans  le  premier  cas,  il  s'empare  des  femelles  du 
vaiucii.  Nous  avons  trouve  plusieurs  males  dtendus  morts  sur 
la  plage,  des  seules  blessures  qu'ils  avaient  re5ues  dans  les  com- 
bats. Quelques  femelles  avaient  dejd  des  petits.  Les  Ai^outes 
en  prirent  plusieurs  douzaines  pour  nous.  L'animal  n'est  pas 
dangereux;  il  fuit  t\  Tapproche  de  I'homme,  excepts  depuls  la 
mimai  jusqu'ii la  mi-juin, qui  est  le  plus  fort  temps  du  rut,  et 
oil  les  femelles  mettent  bas  leurs  petits  5  alors  11  ne  se  laisse 
pas  approcher  et  il  attaque  meme."*  Choris's  plates  (Nos. 
XIV  and  XV  of  the  chapter  on  the  Aleutian  Islands,  the 
worli  is  not  regularly  paged)  doubtless  give  a  very  good  idea  of 
tbe  appearance  of  these  animals  and  the  Sea  Bears  when  assem 
blocl  ou  the  land.  Plate  XIV,  entitled  "Lions  Marius  dans 
I'iU'  (le  St.-Georges,"  gives  a  view  of  a  large  assemblage  of  these 
auiinals,  in  which  the  various  attitudes  are  duly  represented, 
the  animals  in  the  foreground  being  depicted  with  considerablf? 
accuracy  of  detail. 

Ill  1870  I  was  able  to  add  the  following  remarks  by  Captain 
Bryant:  "The  Sea  Lion  visits  St.  Paul's  Island  in  considerable 
numbers  to  rear  its  young.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the 
Seal  family,  the  male  frequently  measuring  thirteen  feet  in 
length,  and  weighing  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hundred  pound8.[t] 
Its  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Fur  Seal.  AVhen  roused 
to  auger  it  has  a  very  marked  resemblance,  through  the  form 
of  its  head  and  neck,  to  the  animal  from  which  it  is  named,  and 
its  voice,  when  roaring,  can  be  heard  to  a  great  distance.  Its 
body  is  thickly  covered  with  fine,  short,  dark  [ifj  brown  hair, 
without  any  fur.  Its  skin  is  of  considerable  value  as  an  article 
of  commerce  in  the  Territory,  it  being  used  in  making  all  kinds 
of  boats,  from  a  one-man  canoe  to  a  lighter  of  twenty  tons'  bur- 
den. The  natives  of  all  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  of  the  coast  as 
far  east  as  Sitka,  besides  those  of  many  ports  on  the  mainland 
to  the  north,  rely  on  this  island  for  a  supply  of  the  skins  of  this 
animal.  The  rookery  is  on  the  northeast  end  of  the  island,  and 
the  animals  have  to  be  driven  ten  or  eleven  miles  to  the  village 


'!  m, 


'  Voy.  Pittoresquo  autoiir  du  Monde,  lies  Aldoutieuncs,  pp.  12,  I'.J. 
tSeo  anted,  p.  233,  second  paragraph  ot'  Ibotnoto,  for  Captain  Bryant':* 
later  statemeuts  respecting  size  and  weight. 


'■i;!i  >'• 


s;  ; 


256      EUMET0PIA3    STELLERI — STELLER's  SEA   LION 

to  brinf;^  tlioir  skins  to  the  dryiiij^-frames.  It  soiiiotiiiM's 
roqiiircs  live  days  to  make  the  journe}',  as  at  n'oiiiiont  intervals 
they  have  to  be  allowed  to  rest.  It  is  a  somewhat  daujicroiis 
animal,  and  the  men  frequently  j;et  seriously  hurt  by  it  in  driv- 
ing and  killing'  it.  They  are  driven  together  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  the  Fur  Seals  are;  and  v.hile  eoniining  eaeh  other  hy 
treading  upon  each  otliers'  Hippers  the  small  ones  are  killcil 
with  lances,  but  the  larger  ones  have  to  be  shot. 

"  This  animal  is  the  most  com[)letely  consumed  of  any  on  the 
island.  Their  Hesh  is  preferred  to  that  of  the  Seal  for  dryiiijr 
for  winter  use.  After  the  skins  are  taken  off  (two  thousand  of 
which  are  required  annually  to  snpply  tin;  trading-posts  of  the 
Territory),  they  are  spread  in  ])iles  of  twenty-flve  each,  with 
the  flesh  side  down,  and  left  to  heat  until  the  haii-  is  loosened; 
it  is  then  scraped  off,  and  the  skins  are  stretched  on  frames  to 
dry.  The  blubber  is  removed  from  the  carcass  for  fuel  or  oil, 
and  the  flesh  is  cut  in  strips  and  dried  for  winter  use.  The  lin- 
ings of  their  throaty  are  saved  and  tanned  for  making  the  kj^s 
of  boots  and  shoes,  and  the  skin  of  the  flippers  is  used  for  tho 
soles.  Their  stomachs  are  turned,  cleaned,  and  dried,  and  are 
used  to  put  the  oil  in  when  boiled  out.  The  intestines  are 
dressed  and  sewed  together  into  water-i)roof  frocks,  which  are 
worn  Avhile  hunting  and  Ashing  in  the  boats.  The  sinews  of  tlie 
back  are  dried  and  stripped  to  make  the  thread  with  whi<^li  to 
sew  together  the  intestines,  and  to  fasten  the  skins  to  the  canoe- 
frames.  The  natives  receive  thirty-five  cents  apiece  for  the 
skins  when  ready  for  shipment.  But  these  skins  are  not  so  nnich 
valued  by  the  trader  for  the  i)rofit  he  makes  on  their  sale,  as 
for  the  advantage  it  gives  him  in  bargaining  with  the  luuiters, 
since  by  buying  these  they  are  able  to  secure  a  right  to  the 
purchase  of  the  hunter's  furs  on  his  return,  the  natives  always 
considering  such  contracts  binding."* 

The  following  careful  description  of  their  movements  on  land 
was  also  communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Theodore  Lyman  in  ISTD. 
who  had  recmtly  observed  the  Sea  Lions  on  the  ''  Seal  Kocks" 
near  San  Francisco.  His  remarks  may,  howcer,  relate  in  part 
to  the  smaller  species. 

" These  rocks,"  he  says,  "are  beset  with  hundreds  of  these 
animals, — some  still,  some  moving,  some  on  the  land,  and  sonic 
in  the  water.  As  they  ai»proach  to  ell'cct  a  landing,  the  head 
only  appears  decidedly  above  water.     This  is  their  familiar 

*Bull.  MuH.  Coinp.  Zool.,  ii,  pp.  64,65. 


um 


HABITS 


257 


ileincnt,  and  they  swim  with  great  speed  and  ease,  qnitc  im- 
iiiiuU'iil  of  the  heavy  surf  and  of  the  breakers  on  the  ledges. 
[ii  liiiuling,  they  arc  apt  to  take  advantage  of  a  heavy  wave, 
ivhich  helps  them  to  get  the  forward  flipj^ers  on  terra  firma. 
\stlie  wave  retreats,  they  begin  to  struggle  up  the  steep  rocks, 
:wisting  the  body  from  side  to  side,  with  a  clumsy  worm-like 
notion,  and  thus  alternately  work  their  flippers  into  positions 
svbero  they  imiy  force  the  body  a  little  onward.  xVt  such  times 
they  have  a  general  appearance  of  sprawling  over  the  ground. 
It  is  quite  astonishing  to  see  how  they  will  go  up  surfaces  having 
3ven  a  greater  inclination  than  45°,  and  where  a  man  would  have 
to  creep  with  much  exertion.  When  the  surface  is  nearly 
horizontal,  they  go  faster,  and  often  proceed  by  gathering  their 
liin(I-(iuarters  under  them,  raising  themselves  on  the  edges 
[)f  their  fore-limbs  and  then  giving  a  push,  whereby  they  make 
a  sort  of  tumble  forwards.  In  their  onward  path  they  are 
accompanied  by  the  loud  barking  of  all  the  Seals  they  pass } 
and  tliese  cries  may  be  heard  a  great  distance.  Having 
arrived  at  a  good  basking-place,  they  stretch  themselves  out  in 
various  attitudes, — often  on  the  side,  sometimes  nearly  on  the 
back,  but  commonly  on  the  belly,  with  the  flipi)ers  somewhat 
extended.  They  seem  much  oppressed  with  their  oicn  weight 
(which  is  usually  supported  by  the  water),  and  it  seemed  an 
exertion  for  them  even  to  raise  the  head,  though  it  is  often  kept 
up  for  a  long  time.  They  play  among  themselves  continually 
by  rolling  on  each  other  and  feigning  to  bite.  Often,  too,  they 
\rill  amuse  themselves  by  pushing  off  those  that  are  ti-ying  to 
land.  All  this  is  done  in  a  very  cumbrous  manner,  ami  is 
accompanied  by  incessant  barking.  As  they  issue  from  the 
water,  their  fur  is  dark  and  shining;  but,  as  it  dries,  it  becomes 
of  a  yellowish  brown.  Then  they  appear  to  feel  either  too  dry 
or  too  hot,  for  they  move  to  the  nearest  point  from  which  they 
may  tumble  into  the  sea.  I  saw  many  roll  off  a  ledge  at  least 
twenty  feet  high,  and  fall,  like  so  many  huge  brown  sacks,  into 
the  water,  dashing  up  showers  of  spray."* 

From  the  accounts  given  by  various  observers,  the  Sea  Lions 
evidently  move  with  much  less  facility  on  land  than  do  the  P  r 
Seals,  doubtless  mainly  from  their  much  greater  size.  The  young 
and  the  females  of  several  of  the  different  species  of  these 
auiniiils  are  described  as  walking  with  much  greater  ease  and 
rapidity  than  the  half-grown  and  the  more  unwieldy  old  males. 


*Bull.  Mns.  Conjp. 

xMisc.  Pub.  No.  12 17 


Zool.,  ii,  pp.  ()(),  67. 


l    t ., 


li-'i 


ffi 


258       EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI STELLER's    SEA    LION. 


Captaiii  Bryant  states  that  the  Fur  Seal  may  be  driven  at  the 
rate  of  a  mile  and  a  half  per  hour,  while,  according  to  the  Kuiue 
authority,  the  Sea  Lions  can  be  driven  with  .safety  but  about 
two  miles  a  day. 

Captain  Scammou,  in  1874,  published  a  very  interesting 
account  of  the  Sea  Lions  of  the  Aleutian  Lslands,  particularly 
as  respects  the  methods  employed  in  their  capture,  portions  of 
which  will  be  quoted  later.  His  ac<ount  is  devoted  largely, 
however,  to  the  Sea  Lions  of  the  Californiii  coast,  and  certainly 
includes  the  history  rf  the  smaller  species,  if  in  fact  this  part 
does  not  relate  nminb  '  >  the  latter.  At  about  the  same  time 
appeared  Mr.  H.  W.  Elliott's  more  detailed  history  of  the  north- 
ern species,  which  is  so  full  and  explicit  that  I  transcribe  it 
almost  entire. 

The  Sea  Lion,  he  says,  "has  a  really  leonine  ai>pearance  and 
bearing,  greatly  enhanced  by  the  rich,  golden-rufous  of  its  coat, 
ferocity  of  expression,  and  bull-dog-like  muzzle  and  cast  of  eye, 
not  round  and  full,  but  showing  the  white,  or  sclerotic  coat, 
with  a  light,  bright-brown  iris. 

"  Although  provided  with  flippers  to  all  external  view  as  the 
fur-seal,  he  cannot,  however,  make  use  of  them  in  the  same  free 
manner.  While  the  fur-seal  can  be  driven  five  or  six  miles  in 
twenty-four  hours,  the  sea-lion  can  barely  go  two,  the  conditions 
of  weather  and  roadway  being  the  same.  The  sea-lions  balance 
and  saving  their  long,  heavy  necks  to  and  fro,  with  every  liitcli 
up  behind  of  theii'  posteriors,  which  they  seldom  raise  from  the 
ground,  tlrawing  them  uj)  after  the  fore  feet  with  a  slide  over 
the  grass  or  sand,  rocks,  &c.,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  pausing 
frequently  to  take  a  sullen  and  ferocious  survey  of  the  tield  and 
the  drivers." 

"The  sea-lion  is  polygamous,  but  does  not  maintain  any  snch 
regular  system  and  method  in  preparing  for  and  attention  to 
its  harem  like  that  so  finely  illustrated  on  the  breeding-grounds 
of  the  fur-seal.  It  is  not  numerous,  comparatively  speaking, 
and  does  not '  haul '  more  than  a  few  rods  back  from  the  sea. 
It  cannot  be  visited  and  inspected  by  man,  being  so  .shy  and 
wary  that  or  the  slightest  approach  a  stam})ede  into  the  water 
is  the  certain  result.  The  males  come  out  and  locate  on  the 
narrow  belts  of  rookery-ground,  preferred  and  selected  by 
them;  the  cows  nmke  tlieir  ai)pearance  three  or  four  weeks 
after  them,  (1st  to  (Jth  June,)  and  are  not  subjected  to  that 
intense  jealous   supervision  so  characteristic  of  the  fur-seal 


HAUITS, 


259 


,-  -  s«<%r  jaw-j^c' ' 


i-       ■ :! 


Vm.  'M.—i:umtUq)>.m  »Ulhri.    Adult  uuilc,  fer.tiiU's,  mul  youug. 


I 


260       EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI STELLEU's    SEA    LION. 


liaiTiii.     The  bulls  lijilit 


ly  anioiifi'  tliomsolves,  ami  tiim 


■  I 


ott'lVoni  the  lueediiiji-jiiouiid  all  the  youiijicr  and  weak  iiialos, 

"The  cow  sea-lion  is  not  (^uite  half  the  size  ol"  the  male,  and 
will  measure  from  8  to  1)  feet  in  length,  with  a  weij^ht  of  I'oiu' 
and  five  hundred  pounds.  She  has  the  same  general  ciist  of 
countenance  and  build  of  the  bull,  but  as  she  does  not  siistiiiu 
any  lasting  period  of  over  a  week  or  ten  days,  she  never  comes 
out  so  grossly  fat  as  the  male  or  '  see-catch.' 

"  The  sea-lion  rookery  will  be  found  to  consist  of  about  teu 
to  fifteen  cows  to  the  bull.  The  cow  seems  at  all  times  to  have 
th(^  utmost  freedom  in  moving  from  place  to  place,  and  to  .start 
with  its  young,  i)icked  up  sometimes  by  the  nape,  into  the 
water,  and  ])lay  together  for  spells  in  the  surf-wash,  a  move- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  mother  never  made  by  the  fur-seal, 
and  showing,  in  this  respect,  much  more  attention  to  its  off- 
spring. 

"  They  are  divided  up  into  classes,  which  sustain,  in  a  gen- 
eral manner,  but  very  imperfectly,  nearly  the  same  relation  one 
to  the  other  as  do  those  of  the  fur-seal,  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken  at  length  and  in  detail ;  but  they  cannot  be  approaclied, 
inspected,  and  managed  like  the  other,  by  reason  of  their  wild 
and  timid  nature.  They  visit  the  islands  in  numbers  compara- 
tively small,  (I  can  only  estim.ate,)  not  over  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  thousand  on  Saint  Paul's  and  contiguous  islets,  and  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight  thousand  at  Saint  George.  On  Saint 
Paul's  Island  they  occupy  a  small  portion  of  the  breeding- 
ground  at  Northeast  Point,  in  common  with  the  CaUorhiiim, 
always  close  to  the  water,  and  taking  to  it  at  the  slightest  dis- 
turbance or  alarm. 

"  The  sea-lion  rookery  on  Saint  George's  Island  is  the  best 
place  upon  the  Seal  Islands  for  close  observation  of  these  ani- 
mals, and  the  following  note  was  made  upon  the  occasion  of 
one  of  my  visits,  (June  15,  1873  :) 

"  *  At  the  base  of  clift's,  over  400  feet  in  height,  on  the  east 
shore  of  the  island,  on  a  beach  50  or  60  feet  in  width  at  low 
water,  and  not  over  30  or  40  at  flood-tide,  lies  the  only  sea-lion 
rookery  on  Saint  George's  Island — some  three  cr  four  thousand 
cows  and  bulls.  The  entire  circuit  of  this  rookery-l»elt  was 
passed  over  by  us,  the  big,  timorous  bulls  rushihg  off  into  the 
water  as  quickly  as  the  cows,  all  leaving  their  young,  ^^any 
of  the  females,  perhaps  half  of  them,  had  only  just  given  birth 
to  their  young.     These  pups  will  weigh  at  least  twenty  to 


^ii 


HABITS. 


261 


t\v<'iit,\  fivo  poniids  on  an  avorage  wlicn  born,  arc  of  a  dark, 
cli(unliU('-l»i<)\vii,  Avitli  tlir  vyv  as  large  as  tlio  adult,  only  being 
a  siilViiscd,  wateiy,  gray-blue,  where  the  S(;lerotie  eoat  is  well 
iiiid  sharply  delined  in  its  maturity.  Tlioy  are  about  2  feet 
ill  length,  sohk'  longer  and  some  smaller.  As  all  the  imi)S  seen 
today  were  veiy  young,  som«^  at  this  instant  only  born,  they 
ucic  (lull  ami  apathetic,  not  seeming  to  notice  ns  unudi.  There 
arc.  I  sliould  say,  about  one-sixth  of  the  sea-lions  in  number  on 
tills  island,  when  compared  with  Saint  Paul's.  As  these  iini- 
luiils  lie  here  under  the  (jliffs,  they  cannot  be  approached  and 
(liivoii :  but  should  they  haul  a  few  hundred  rods  up  to  the 
sdiith.  then  they  can  be  easily  captnred.  *They  luive  hauled 
ill  this  manner  always  until  disturbed  in  18G8,  and  will  undoubt- 
edly do  so  again  if  not  molested. 

'"These  sea-lions,  when  they  took  to  the  water,  swam  out  to 
a  distance  of  lifty  yards  or  so,  and  huddled  all  up  together  in 
two  or  three  packs  or  squads  of  about  five  hundred  each,  hold- 
ing their  heads  and  necks  up  high  out  of  water,  all  roaring 
in  concert  and  incessantly,  making  such  a  deafening  noise  that 
we  could  scarcely  hear  ourselves  in  conversation  at  a  distance 
I'loin  them  of  over  a  hundred  yards.  This  roaring  of  sea-lions, 
thus  disturbed,  can  only  be  compared  to  the  hoarse  sound  of  a 
tempest  as  it  howls  through  the  rigging  of  a  ship,  or  the  play- 
ing of  a  living  gale  upon  the  bare  branches,  limbs,  and  trunks 
of  a  forest  grove.'  They  commenced  to  return  as  soon  as  we 
left  the  ground. 

"The  voice  of  the  sea-lion  is  a  deep,  grand  roar,  and  does  not 
have  the  flexibility  of  the  Callorhinns,  being  confined  to  a  low, 
mntteriug  growl  or  this  bass  roar.  The  pups  are  very  playful, 
but  are  almost  always  silent.  When  they  do  utter  sound,  it  is 
a  sharp,  short,  querulous  growling. 

"  The  natives  have  a  very  high  api)reciation  of  the  sea-lion, 
or  see-vitchic,  as  they  call  it,  and  base  this  regard  upon  the  supe- 
rior quality  of  the  flesh,  fat,  and  hide,  (for  making  covers  for 
tbeir  skin  boats,  MdarJcies  and  Udarrahs,)  sinews,  intestines,  &c. 

"As  I  have  before  said,  the  sea-lion  seldom  hauls  back  far 
from  the  water,  generally  very  close  to  the  surf-margin,  aind  in 
this  position  it  becomes  quite  a  difficult  task  for  the  natives  to 
approach  and  get  in  between  it  and  the  sea  unobserved,  for, 
unless  this  silent  approach  is  made,  the  beast  will  at  once  take 
the  alarm  and  bolt  into  the  water. 

"  By  reference  to  my  map  of  Saint  Paul's  [not  here  repro- 


262       EUMETOPIAS   STELLERI — STELLER's   SEA   LION. 

duced]  a  small  poiiit,  near  the  head  of  the  northeast  neck  of 
the  island,  will  be  seen,  upon  which  quite  a  lar^e  number  of 
sea-lions  are  always  to  be  found,  as  it  is  never  disturbed  exwpt 
on  the  occasion  of  tliis  annual  driving.  The  natives  step  down 
on  to  the  beach,  in  the  little  bight  Just  above  it,  and  begin  to 
crawl  on  all  fours  tiat  on  the  sand  down  to  tlie  end  of  the  iit'ck 
and  in  between  the  dozing  sea-lion  herd  and  the  water,  always 
selecting  a  semi-bright  moonlight  night.  If  the  wind  is  i'avor 
able,  cand  none  of  the  men  meet  with  an  accident,  the  natives 
will  almost  always  succeed  in  reaching  the  point  unobserved. 
when,  at  a  given  signal,  they  all  jump  up  on  their  feet  at  once, 
yell,  brandish  their  arms,  and  give  a  sudden  start,  or  alarm,  to 
the  herd  above  them,  for,  just  as  the  sea-lions  move,  upon  the 
first  impidse  of  surprise,  so  they  keep  on.  For  instance,  if  the 
animals  on  starting  up  are  sleeping  with  their  heads  j^ointed  in 
the  direction  of  the  water,  they  keep  straight  on  toward  it ;  but 
if  they  jump  up  looking  over  the  land,  they  follow  that  course 
just  as  desperately,  and  nothing  turns  them,  at  first,  either  one 
way  or  the  other.  Those  that  go  for  the  water  are,  of  course, 
lost,  but  the  natives  follow  the  land-leaders  and  keep  nvflnn 
them  on,  and  soon  have  them  in  their  control,  driviug  them 
back  into  a  small  pen,  which  they  extemporize  by  means  of 
little  stakes,  with  flags,  set  around  a  circuit  of  a  few  hundred 
square  feet,  and  where  they  keep  them  until  three  or  four  liuii 
dred,  at  least,  are  captured,  before  they  commence  their  drive 
of  ten  miles  overland  down  south  to  the  village. 

"The  natives,  latterly,  in  getting  this  annual  herd  of  sea- 
lions,  have  postponed  it  until  late  in  the  fall,  and  when  the  ani 
mals  are  scant  in  number  and  the  old  bulls  poor.  This  they 
were  obliged  to  do,  on  account  of  the  pressure  of  their  sealing- 
business  in  the  spring,  and  the  warmth  of  the  season  in  August 
and  September,  which  makes  the  driving  very  tedious,  lu  this 
way  I  have  not  been  permitted  to  behold  the  best-conditioned 
drives,  i.  e.,  those  in  which  a  majority  of  the  herd  is  made  up 
of  fine,  enormously  fat,  and  heavy  bulls,  some  fonr  or  five  liun 
dred  in  number. 

"  The  natives  are  compelled  to  go  to  the  northeast  point  of 
the  island  for  these  animals,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  only  place 
with  natural  advantages  where  they  can  be  approached  for  the 
purpose  of  capturing  alive.  Here  they  congregate  in  greatest 
number,  although  they  can  be  found,  two  or  three  thousand  of 
them,  on  the  southwest  point,  and  as  many  more  on  'See 
vitchie  Cammin '  and  Otter  Island. 


HABITS. 


263 


"  Cai)turing  tlie  sea-lion  drive  is  really  the  only  serious  busi- 
ness these  people  on  the  islands  have,  and  when  they  set  out 
for  llu'  task  tlie  picked  men  only  leave  the  village.  At  North- 
east Point  they  have  a  barrabkie,  in  which  they  sleep  and  eat 
while  {gathering  the  drove,  the  time  of  getting  which  depends 
upon  tlie  weather,  wind,  &c.  As  the  squads  are  captured,  night 
utter  night,  they  are  driven  up  close  by  the  barrabkie,  where 
tlic  natives  mount  constant  guard  over  them,  until  several  hun- 
dred animals  shall  have  been  secured,  and  all  is  ready  for  the 
drive  down  overland  to  the  village. 

"The  drove  is  started  and  conducted  in  the  same  general 
manner  as  that  which  1  have  detailed  in  speaking  of  the  fur- 
seal,  only  the  sea-lion  soon  becomes  very  sullen  and  unwilling 
to  move,  requiring  spells  of  frequent  rest.  It  cannot  x>ick  itself 
up  ii'om  the  ground  and  shamble  off  on  a  loping  gallop  for  a 
few  hundred  yards,  like  the  Callorhimts,  and  is  not  near  so  free 
and  agile  in  its  movements  on  land,  or  in  the  water  for  that  mat- 
ter, for  I  have  never  seen  the  Eumetopias  leap  from  the  water 
like  a  dolphin,  or  indulge  in  the  thousand  and  one  submarine 
acrobatic  displays  made  constantly  by  the  fur-seal. 

'•This  ground,  over  which  the  sea-lions  are  driven,  is  mostly 
a  rolling  level,  thickly  grassed  and  mossed  over,  with  here  and 
there  a  fresh-water  pond  into  which  the  animals  plunge  with 
gxeat  apparent  satisfaction,  seeming  to  cool  themselves,  and 
out  of  which  the  natives  have  no  trouble  in  driving  them.  The 
distance  between  the  sea-lion  pen  at  Northeast  Point  and  the 
Tillage  is  about  ten  miles,  as  the  sea-lions  are  driven,  and  occu- 
pies over  five  or  six  days  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances, such  as  wet,  cold  weather ;  and  when  a  little  warmer, 
or  as  in  July  or  August,  a  few  seasons  ago,  they  were  some 
three  weeks  coming  down  with  a  drove,  and  even  then  left  a 
hundred  or  so  along  on  the  road. 

"After  the  drove  has  been  brought  into  the  village  on  the 
killing-grounds,  the  natives  shoot  down  the  bulls  and  then  sur- 
roinid  and  huddle  up  the  cows,  spearing  them  just  behind  the 
fore-dippers.  The  killing  of  the  sea-lions  is  quite  an  exciting 
spectacle,  a  strange  and  unparalleled  exhibition  of  its  kind. 
•  .  .  .  The  bodies  are  at  once  stripped  of  their  hides  and 
much  of  the  flesh,  sinews,  intestines,  (with  which  the  native 
water-proof  coats,  &c.,  are  made,)  in  conjunction  with  the  throat- 
linings,  {oesophagus,)  and  the  skin  of  the  flippers,  which  is  ex- 
ceedingly tough  and  elastic,  and  used  for  soles  to  their  boots  or 
Harhosars.'' 


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i 

264      EUMETOPIAS   STELLERI — STELLER's    SEA   LION. 

"As  the  sea-lion  is  without  fur,  the  skin  has  little  or  no  om- 
mercial  value ;  the  hair  is  short,  and  longest  over  the  nape  of 
the  neck,  straight,  and  somewhat  coarse,  varying  in  color  greatly 
as  the  seasons  come  and  go.  For  instance,  when  the  Eumetopias 
makes  his  first  appearance  in  the  spring,  and  dries  out  upon 
the  land,  he  has  a  light-brownish,  rufous  tint,  darker  shades 
back  and  under  the  fore  flipiiers  and  on  the  abdomen ;  by  the 
expiration  of  a  month  or  six  weeks,  15th  June,  he  will  be  a  bright 
golden-rufous  or  ocher,  and  this  is  just  before  shedding,  which 
sets  in  by  the  middle  of  August,  or  a  little  earlier.  After  the 
new  coat  has  fairly  grown,  and  just  before  he  leaves  the  island 
for  the  season,  in  November,  it  will  be  alight  sepia,  or  vaudyke- 
brown,  with  deeper  shades,  almost  dark  upon  the  belly ;  the  cows, 
after  shedding,  do  not  color  up  so  dark  as  the  bulls,  but  when 
they  come  back  to  the  land  next  year  they  are  identically  the 
same  in  color,  so  that  the  eye  in  glancing  over  a  sea-Uon 
rookery  in  June  and  July  cannot  discern  any  noted  dissimilar- 
ity of  coloring  between  the  bulls  and  the  cows ;  and  also  the 
young  males  and  yearlings  appear  in  the  same  golden-brown 
and  ocher,  with  here  and  there  an  animal  spotted  somewhat 
like  a  leopard,  the  yellow,  rufous  ground  predominating,  with 
patches  of  dark-brown  irregularly  interspersed.  I  have  never 
seen  any  of  the  old  bulls  or  cows  thus  mottled,  and  think  very 
likely  it  is  due  to  some  irregularity  in  the  younger  animals 
during  the  season  of  shedding,  for  I  have  not  noticed  it  early 
in  the  season,  and  failed  to  observe  it  at  the  close.  Many  of 
the  old  bulls  have  a  grizzled  or  slightly  brindled  look  during 
the  shedding-period,  or,  that  is,  from  the  10th  August  up  to  the 
10th  or  20th  of  November ;  the  pups,  when  born,  are  of  a  rich, 
dark  chestnut-brown;  this  coat  they  shed  in  October,  and 
take  one  much  lighter,  but  stUl  darker  than  their  parents',  but 
not  a  great  deal. 

"Although,  as  I  have  already  indicated,  the  sea-lion,  in  its 
habit  and  disposition,  approximates  the  fur-seal,  yet  in  no 
respect  does  it  maintain  and  enforce  the  system  and  regularity 
found  on  the  breeding- grounds  of  the  Callorhinus.  The  time 
of  arrival  at,  stay  on,  and  departure  from  the  island  is  about 
uie  same ;  but  if  the  winter  is  an  open,  mild  one,  the  sea-hon 
will  be  seen  frequently  all  through  it,  and  the  natives  occasion- 
ally shoot  them  around  the  island  long  after  the  fur-seals  have 
entirely  disappeared  for  the  year.  It  also  does  not  confine  its 
landing  to  these  Prybilov  Islands  alone,  as  the  fur-seal  uuques- 


HABITS. 


265 


tionably  does,  with  reference  to  our  continent ;  for  it  lias  been 
aud  is  often  shot  ni)on  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  many  rocky 
islets  of  the  northwest  coast. 

"  The  sea-lion  in  no  respect  whatever  manifests  the  intelligence 
and  sagacity  exhibited  by  the  fur-seal,  and  must  be  rated  far 
below,  although  next,  in  natural  order.  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  putting  this  Eumctopias  of  the  Prybilov  Islands,  apart  fiom 
the  sea-lion  common  at  San  Francisco  and  Santa  Barbara,  as  a 
distinct  animal ;  and  I  call  attention  to  the  excellent  descrip- 
tion of  the  Calilornia  sea-lion,  made  public  in  the  Ai)ril  num- 
ber for  1872  of  the  Overland  Monthly,  by  Capt.  C.  M.  Scammon, 
in  which  the  distinguishing  characters,  externally,  of  this  animal 
are  well  defined,  and  by  Avhich  the  difference  between  the 
Eumetopias  of  Beiing  Sea  and  that  of  the  coast  of  California 
can  at  once  be  seen ;  and  also  I  notice  one  more  point  in  which 
the  dissimilarity  is  marked — the  northern  sea-lion  never  barks 
or  howls  like  the  animal  at  the  Farralones  [sic]  or  Santa  Bar- 
bara. Young  and  old,  both  sexes,  from  one  year  and  upward, 
have  only  a  deep  hass  growl,  and  prolonged,  steady  roar ;  while 
at  San  Francisco  sea-lions  break  out  incessantly  with  a  'honk- 
ing' bark  or  howl,  and  never  roar. 

"  I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  saying  that  all  the  sea-lions  met 
^vith  on  the  Californian  coast  are  different  from  E.  stelleri  of 
Bering  Sea.  1  am  well  satisfied  that  stragglers  from  the  north 
are  down  on  the  Farralones,  but  they  are  not  migrating  back 
and  forth  every  season ;  and  I  am  furthermore  certain  that  not 
a  single  animal  of  the  species  most  common  at  San  Francisco 
^'38  present  among  those  breeding  on  the  Prybilov  Islands  in 
1872-'73. 

"According  to  the  natives  of  Saint  George,  some  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago  the  Eumctopias  held  xlmost  exclusive  possession  of 
the  island,  being  there  in  great  luimbers,  some  two  or  three 
hundred  thousand;  and  that,  as  the  fur-seals  were  barely  per- 
mitted to  land  by  these  animals,  and  in  no  great  number,  the 
Russians  directed  them  (the  natives)  to  hunt  and  woriy  the 
sea-lions  oft'  from  the  island,  and  the  result  was  that  as  the  sea- 
lions  left,  the  fur-seals  came,  so  that  to-day  they  occupy  nearly 
the  same  ground  covered  by  the  Eumctopias  alone  sixty  years 
ago.  This  statement  is,  or  seems  to  be,  corroborated  by  Ghoris, 
ui  his  description  of  the  lies  S.-George's  et  S.-Paul's  [sic],  visited 
by  him  fifty  years  ago;  *  but  the  account  given  by  Bishop  Ven- 

"*  Voyage  Pittorusque  autoiir  du  Monde." 


"il 


T?  i  1 


266      EUMET0PIA8   8TELLEEI — STELLER'S   SEA   LION. 


Mk 

1 
i 

i 
i 
f 

i 

ii 

laminov,* differs  entirely  from  the  above,  for  by  it 

almost  as  many  fur-seals  were  taken  on  Saint  George,  during 
the  first  years  of  occupation,  as  on  Saint  Paul,  and  never  have 
been  less  than  one-sixth  of  the  number  on  the  larger  island. 
....  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  the  island  of  Saint 
George  never  was  resorted  to  in  any  great  numbers  by  the  fur- 
seal,  and  that  the  sea-lion  was  the  dominant  animal  there  until 
disturbed  and  driven  from  ii;s  breeding-grounds  by  the  people, 
who  sought  to  encourage  the  coming  of  its  more  valuable  rela- 
tive by  so  doing,  and  making  room  in  this  way  for  it. 

"The  sea-lion  has  but  little  value  save  to  the  natives,  and  is 
more  prized  on  account  of  its  flesh  and  skin,  by  the  people  liv- 
ing upon  the  islands  and  similar  positions,  than  it  would  be 
elsewhere.  The  matter  of  its  preservation  and  peipetuation 
should  be  left  entirely  to  them,  and  it  will  be  well  looked  after. 
It  is  singular  that  the  fat  of  the  sea-lion  should  be  so  different 
in  characters  of  ta  ;te  and  smell  from  that  of  the  fur-seal,  being 
free  t''om  any  taint  of  disagreeable  flavor  or  odor,  while  the 
blubber  of  the  latter,  although  so  closely  related,  is  most  repug- 
nant. The  flesh  of  the  sea-lion  cub  is  tender,  juicy,  light-col- 
ored, and  sUghtly  like  veal;  in  my  opinion,  quite  good.  As  the 
animal  grows  older,  the  meat  is  dry,  tough,  and  without  flavor."! 

Captain  Scammon  gives  a  few  particulars  respecting  the 
"drive,"  not  especially  refeiTed  tr  by  Mr.  Elliott.  "This 
'drive,'"  he  says,  "to  the  good-natured  Aleuts,  is  what  the 
buffalo  hunt  has  been  to  the  red-skins  on  the  plains  of  the 
Platte,  or  matama-time  with  the  old  Californians,  for  the  party 
starts  out  as  on  a  sporting  foray,  and  at  night  they  stealthily 
get  between  the  herd  of  Sea  Lions  and  the  water ;  then,  with 
professional  strategy,  they  manage  to  'cut  out'  six  or  eight  of 
the  largest  at  a  time,  and  drive  them  a  short  distance  inland, 
where  they  are  guarded  until  a  band  of  two  or  three  hundred 
aie  assembled.  Formerly  the  implement  used  in  driving  was  a 
pole  with  a  small  flag  at  the  end ;  but,  since  our  adopted  coun- 
try-folk have  become  Americanized,  that  Yankee  production,  a 
cotton  umbrella,  has  been  substituted,  and  it  is  said  that  any 
refractory  siutchin  the  'drive'  is  instantly  subdued  by  the  sud- 
den expansion  and  contraction  of  an  umbrella  in  the  hands  of 
a  pursuing  native. 

"  To  collect  the  desired  number  for  the  yearly,  supply  involves 

"•Zapeeskie  ob  Ostrovah  Oonahlashkenskaho  Otdayla,  St,  Petersburg, 
1840." 
t  Report  upon  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  152-159. 


HABITS. 


267 


Beveral  days ;  therefore  a  throng  of  villagers,  it  is  said,  sets  out 
prepared  with  everything  needful  for  the  campai  -  j.  As  tlie 
work  of  driving  goes  on  only  at  night,  the  day  is  passed  in 
sleeping  and  cooking  their  food  by  smoldering  lires  of  drift- 
wood and  seal-fat,  sheltered  by  their  umbrellas,  or  a  sort  of 
tent  contrived  by  spreading  blankets  and  garments  over  whales' 
ribs  in  lieu  of  tent-poles — never  forgetting  in  their  repast  the 
fragrant  c/w,  which  is  quaffed  in  numberless  cups  from  the 
steaming  sam-o-var.  At  length,  the  whole  troop  of  animals 
being  assembled,  a  flash  of  umbrellas  here  and  there,  with  the 
call  of  the  herdsmen,  brings  all  into  a  moving  phalanx.  But 
the  tir  >  for  driving  must  be  either  at  night,  aftei  the  dew  is 
fallen,  or  i  vn  a  dark,  misty,  or  rainy  day ;  as  the  thick  mat  of 
grass  that  covers  the  land  must  be  wet,  in  order  that  the  ani- 
mals may  easily  slip  along  in  their  vaulting  gait  over  the  green 
road  to  their  place  of  execution.  Under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances,  the  march  does  not  exceed  six  miles  in  the 
twenty-four  hours;  and  it  being  a  distance  of  four  leagues  or 
more  to  the  village,  three  days  and  nights,  or  more,  are  spent 
before  they  arrive  at  the  slaughtering-place.  There  they  are 
allowed  to  remain  quiet  for  a  day  or  two,  to  cool  their  blood, 
which  becomes  much  heated  by  the  tedious  journey;  after 
which  they  are  killed  by  shooting.  The  dead  animals  are  then 
skinned,  and  their  hides  packed  in  tiers  until  fermented  suf- 
ficiently to  start  the  hair,  when  they  are  stretched  on  frames  to 
dry,  and  eventually  become  the  covering  or  planking  for  the 
Aleutian  haidarlcm  and  baidarras.  The  fat  is  taken  off  and 
used  for  fuel,  or  the  oil  is  rendered  to  burn  in  their  lamps.  The 
flesh  is  cut  in  thin  pieces  from  the  carcass,  laid  in  the  open  air 
to  dry,  and  becomes  a  choice  article  of  food.  The  sinews  are 
extracted,  and  afterward  twisted  into  thread.  The  lining  of  the 
animal's  throat  is  put  through  a  course  of  tanning,  and  then 
made  into  boots,  the  soles  of  which  are  the  under  covering  of 
the  Sea  Lion's  fln-like  feet.  The  intestines  are  carefully  taken 
01)'  cleaned,  blown  up,  stretched  to  dry,  then  tanned,  and 
worked  into  water-proof  clothing.  The  stomach  is  emptied  of 
its  contents,  turned  inside  out,  then  inflated  and  dried  for  oil- 
bottles,  or  is  used  as  a  receptacle  for  the  preserved  meat ;  and 
what  remains  of  the  once  formidable  and  curious  animal  is 
only  a  mutilated  .skeleton." 

Captain  Scammon  adds  the  following  respecting  their  cap- 
ture on  the  Asiatic  coast :  "Crossing  Behring  and  the  Okhotsk 


!:  '   P- 


268      EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI  — STELLER's   SEA   LION. 


Seas,  to  the  coast  of  Siberia,  including  the  iieninsula  ot  Kaiu- 
schatka  and  the  ishind  of  Saghalien,  the  mode  of  cai)ture  by  tlio 
natives  chanj^es  from  that  of  the  eastern  continental  siiores.* 
The  inlets  iind  rivers  ot  these  Asiatic  regions  swarm  with  sal- 
mon from  .June  to  September,  and  at  this  season  the  Seals  fol- 
low and  prey  n])on  them  as  they  ascend  the  streams.  Tlie 
natives  tlien  select  such  i)laces  as  will  be  h^ft  nearly  bare  at 
low  tide,  and  then  set  their  nets — which  arc  made  of  seal- 
thonys — to  strong  stakes,  so  placed  as  to  form  a  curve  oj)en  to 
the  continence  of  the  stream.  These  nets  are  similar  to  gill- 
uets,  the  meshes  being  of  a  size  to  admit  a  Seal's  head, — which 
gives  free  passage  to  the  shoals  of  flsli — and  tin*  ])ursuing  ani- 
mal, as  soon  as  entangled  in  the  net,  struggles  forward  in  his 
efl'orts  to  escape,  but  is  held  tirndy  in  the  meshes,  where  it  re- 
mains till  low  water,  when  the  natives,  in  their  Hat -bottomed 
skin-boats,  approach  and  dispatch  the  victim  with  their  rude 
bone  implements.  As  the  season  becomes  warm,  the  animals 
of  both  sexes  congrcgjite  in  their  favorite  rookeries,  and  the 
females  climb  to  the  most  inaccessible  places  among  the  rocks 
and  crags  to  bring  forth  and  nurture  their  ofispring.  But  here 
they  are  Inuited  by  the  natives  accustomed  to  the  use  of  fire- 
arms, who  shoot  them  for  the  skins  of  the  young  ones,  which 
are  used  for  clothing. 

"In  this  region  also,  during  the  spring  and  fall,  after  the 
'net-sealing'  is  over,  great  numbers  of  Sea  Lions  are  captured 
upon  the  floating  ice,  with  gun  or  s])ear ;  and  during  the  rigor- 
ous months,  the  seal-hunters  cut  through  the  congealed  mass 
what  they  term  'breathing-holes'.  Through  these  the  Seals 
emerge,  to  the  frosted  surface,  and,  if  the  sun  peers  through  the 
wintry  clouds,  the  creatures,  warmed  into  new  life,  may  stroll 
hundreds  of  yards  away;  the  watchful  hunter,  secreted  beliiud 
a  cake  of  ice  or  a  bank  of  snow,  rushes  out  from  his  covert,  and 
places  a  covering  over  the  hide,  eft'ectually  preventing  the  an- 
imal's escape,  and  then  disiiatches  it  with  knife  and  si)ear.  Its 
jkin  is  stri[)ped  off,  scraped  clean',  closely  rolled,  ami  laid  away 

'Although  Caitiiiu  Scimmon  purports  to  i)e  speaking  of  "Sea  Lions,"  I 
have  recently  beiome  conviuced  (since  the  copy  of  this  article  was  sent  to 
the  printer)  that  very  little,  if  anything,  in  this  paragraph  and  the  next 
relates  to  any  species  of  Eared  Seal.  In  the  first  place,  the  localitv  is  one 
not  known  to  be  frequented,  except  casually,  by  Otaries,  while  the  acconnt 
of  the  capture  in  rets  and  in  the  ice,  and  especially  the  reference  to 
"breathing  holes,"  renders  it  almost  certain  that  the  animals  refened  to 
are  Phocids. 


^"^i 


\l^ 


HABITS. 


269 


until  the  hair  starts-^tliis  process  is  called  'scouring';  then  the 
Lair  is  scoured  off  and  tlie  l)arc  hide  is  stretched  to  season — a 
process  usuallj'  requiring  about  ten  days — when  it  is  taken 
down  and  rubbed  between  the  hands  to  make  it  pliable;  this 
coiii,>letes  the  whole  course  of  dressing  it.  The  i)repared  skins 
are  then  converted  into  harness  for  the  sledge-dogs  and  rein- 
deer, and  water-proof  bags ;  if  Avanted  for  the  soles  of  mocca- 
sins, or  to  cov.er  their  skin-boats,  they  are  dried  with  the  hair 
on,  and  become  nearly  as  stiff  as  plates  of  iron.  The  blubber 
of  the  auhnals,  if  killed  in  the  fall  or  winter,  is  preserved  by 
freezing,  and  is  vzed  for  food,  fuel,  and  lights,  as  desired ;  while 
the  same  part  of  those  taken  in  the  spring  and  summer  is  put 
in  the  skins  of  young  Seals,  and  placed  in  earthen  \aults,  where 
it  keeps  fresh  until  required  for  consumption.  The  residue  of 
the  onimal  is  tumbled  into  a  reservoir,  sunk  below  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  where  it  is  kept  for  the  mnter's  supply  of  food 
for  the  dogs,  which  live  upon  the  frozen  flesh  and  entrails  of 
the  Seals,  whose  skin  furnishes  the  tackle  by  which  they  trans- 
port the  primitive  sledge  over  the  snow-clad  wastes  of  Siberia 
and  Kamschatka."* 

Since  the  foregoing  was  transmitted  for  publication  I  have 
received  from  Captain  Charles  Bryant  a  very  full  account  of 
this  species,  based  on  his  many  years'  observations  as  United 
States  Treasury  Agent  at  the  Fur  Seal  Islands,  and  kindly  pre- 
pared by  my  request  for  use  in  the  present  connection.  Although 
so  much  space  has  already  been  devoted  to  the  history  of  this 
species,  it  seems  desirable  to  give  Captain  Bryant's  report 
nearly  in  full,  although  repeating  in  substance  some  of  the 
details  which  have  already  been  presented,  since  it  contains 
some  new  points,  and  is  at  least  based  on  long  experience. 
Some  portions,  relating  especially  to  the  products  of  the  Sea 
Lion  and  their  uses,  are  omitted,  since  they  are  fully  anticipated 
hy  Avluit  has  already  been  given. 

"Froni  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  Sea  Lions,"  says  Captain 
Bryant,  "breed  annually  on  the  Prybilov  or  Fur  Seal  Islands. 
They  do  not  leave  the  islands  in  winter,  as  do  the  Fur  Seals, 
to  return  in  spring,  but  remain  during  the  whole  year.  1  aey 
bring  forth  their  young  a  month  earUer  than  the  Fur  Seals, 
landing  during  the  months  of  May  and  June.  They  advance 
but  little  above  high  tide-mark,  and  those  of  all  ages  land 
together.    Th0  strongest  males  drive  out  the  weaker  and  mono- 

*  Marino  Mammalia,  pp.  136-138. 


/ 


/ 


J 

m 

ill  i      .1  i. 

270      EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI — STELLER'S    SEA    LION. 

polize  the  females  and  continue  with  them  till  September.  They 
yo  with  them  into  the  water  whenever  they  are  disturbed,  and 
also  watch  over  the  young.  When  in  the  water  they  swim 
about  the  young  and  keep  them  tr^^^e'lier  until  they  have  au 
opportunity  to  land  again.  The  females  also  keep  near,  rushiug 
hither  and  thither,  appearing  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the 
other  of  the  groups  of  young,  const<antly  uttering  a  deep  hoarse 
growl  at  the  intruder  whenever  they  come  to  the  surface. 
When  left  undisturbed  they  all  soon  land  again,  preferring  to 
spend  the  greater  portion  of  their  time  at  this  season  on  the 
shore,  During  the  breeding  season  they  visit  the  same  parts 
of  the  shore  as  the  Fur  Seals,  but  the  Sea  Lions,  by  their  supe- 
rior size  and  strength,  crowd  out  the  Seals,  the  latter  passively 
yielding  their  places  without  presuming  to  offer  battle  to  their 
formidable  visitors.  After  having  been  disturbed  the  Sea  Lions 
continue  for  some  time  in  a  state  of  unrest,  occasionally  uttering 
a  low  moaning  sound,  as  though  greatly  distressed.  Even  after 
the  breeding  season  they  keep  close  to  the  shore  near  the  breed- 
ing station  until  the  severe  weather  of  January.  After  this 
time  they  are  seen  only  in  small  groups  till  the  shores  are  free 
from  snow  and  ice  in  the  spring. 

"  The  capture  of  these  animals  is  laborious  and  hazardous, 
and  must  be  managed  by  the  most  skilful  and  experienced  of 
the  natives.  They  are  so  sensitive  to  danger  and  so  keenly  on 
the  alert  that  even  the  screaming  of  a  startled  bird  will  cause 
the  whole  herd  to  take  to  the  water. 

"  The  only  place  frequented  by  the  Sea  Lions  that,  by  the 
nature  of  the  ground,  is  practicable  for  their  capture,  is  ten  or 
.twelve  miles  from  the  village  where  all  the  natives  reside. 
They  keep  so  near  the  shore  that  the  favorable  time  to  get 
between  them  and  the  water  is  when  the  tide  is  lowest;  and 
they  are  so  quick  of  scent  that  the  wind  must  blow  from  them 
toward  the  sea,  so  they  may  not  smell  the  hunters  as  they  at- 
tempt to  approach  them.  The  chiefs  select  a  party  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  of  the  best  men,  who  leave  the  village  prepared  for  au 
absence  of  a  week  or  ten  days,  for  the  place  selected  for  the 
hunt.  Near  this  they  hsive  a  lodging-house,  where  they  wait 
for  favoring  conditions  of  wind  and  tide.  Under  cover  of  the 
darkness  of  night,  the  chief  takes  the  lead  and  the  men  follow, 
keeping  a  little  distance  apart,  creeping  noiselessly  along  the 
shore  at  the  edge  of  the  receding  tide  until  they  get  between 
the  Sea  Lions  and  the  water.    At  a  given  signal  the  men  start 


HABITS. 


271 


up  suddenly,  fire  pistols,  and  make  all  the  noise  possible.    The 
auimals  thus  suddenly  alarmed  immediately  start  in  whatever 
direction  they  chance  to  be  headed;  those  facing  the  water  rush 
precipitately  into  it.    These  the  hunters  avoid,  letting  them 
pass  them,  and  start  at  once  after  those  heading  inland,  shout- 
iug  at  them  to  keep  them  moving  until  some  distance  from  the 
shore.    The  Sea  Lions,  when  once  fairly  in  motion,  are  easily 
controlled  and  made  to  move  in  the  desired  direction  till  they 
reach  some  convenient  hollow,  where  they  are  guarded  by  one 
or  two  men  stationed  to  watch  their  movements  and  prevent 
their  escape  until  enough  have  been  obtained  to  make  a  herd 
for  driving,  numbering  usually  two  or  three  hundred  individ- 
uals.   They  sometimes  capture  in  this  way  forty  or  fifty  in  a 
single  night,  but  oftener  ten  or  twenty,  and  many  times  none 
at  all.    As  at  this  season  Sea  Lions  of  all  ages  and  sizes  con- 
gregate together,  it  often  happens  that  females  are  caught  while 
their  cubs  escape,  or  the  reverse,  but  as  the  capture  is  con- 
tinued for  several  successive  nights  at  the  same  place,  and  the 
new  captives  are  driven  to  the  herd  already  caught,  the  mothers 
and  their  young  are  again  brought  together.    They  recognize 
c  Tch  other  by  their  cries  long  before  they  meet,  and  it  makes 
lively  work  for  the  herders  to  prevent  the  herd  from  rushing  to 
meet  the  new  comers.    Wlien  the  recruits  join  the  herd  the 
mothers  and  cubs  rush  together  with  evident  pleasure,  the 
mothers  fondling  their  young,  and  the  latter,  hungered  by  sepa- 
ration, struggle  to  nurse  them.    After  a  sufficient  number  have 
been  ilius  obtained  they  are  driven  to  the  village  for  slaughter, 
in  order  that  aU  parts  of  the  animal  may  be  utilized. 

"The  distance  to  the  village  is,  as  already  stated,  about  ten  or 
twelve  miles,  and  the  route  lies  near  the  shore.  Along  the  way 
ai-e  several  small  ponds  through  which  they  pass  and  which 
serve  to  refresh  them  on  their  slow  toilsome  journey.  The 
joiu:ney  is  necessarily  slow  and  tedious,  for  the  Sea  Lions  are 
less  well  fitted  for  traveling  on  land  than  the  Fur  Seals,  which 
are  able  to  raise  their  bodies  from  the  ground  and  gallop  off 
hke  a  land  animal.  The  Sea  Lions  travel  by  bending  the  pos- 
terior part  of  the  body  to  the  right  or  left,  extending  their  long 
flexible  necks  in  an  opposite  direction  to  balance  themselves, 
and  then  slowly  raising  their  bodies  by  their  fore  limbs  and 
plunging  forward,  by  which  movement  they  thus  gain  an  ad- 
vance of  only  half  a  length  at  a  time.  When  they  arrive  in 
sight  of  the  ponds  they  make  a  hurried  scramble  for  them,  and, 


i 


272      EUMETOPIAS    STELLERI — STELLEU'S   SEA   LION. 


rushiiif?  in  pi-ll-inell,  roll  aiul  tumble  in  the  water  as  thouj;h  it 
afforded  iiiiineuse  relief  to  their  heated  and  wearied  bodies. 
When  it  is  convenient  to  do  so  they  are  allowed  to  rest  over 
night  in  the  water,  by  whieh  they  accjuire  fresh  vigor  for  the 
completion  of  the  journey.  This  severe  and  unnatural  exertion 
overheats  and  exhausts  these  poor  beasts  and  necessitates  long 
halts  to  enable  them  to  rest  and  cool.  It  usually  requires  five 
days  to  make  the  journey,  averaging  two  miles  per  day.  Three 
men  conduct  the  herd,  and  camp  at  night  with  their  charge. 
On  starting  they  kill  a  young  cub  for  their  subsistence,  using 
the  flesh  for  food  and  vhe  blubber  for  fuel  in  cooking  it  aud 
making  their  tea. 

"After  two  days'  travel  the  animals  become  very  tired,  and  as 
soon  as  they  are  i)ermitted  to  halt  they  drop  at  full  length  with 
their  limbs  exteiuled.  But  their  rest  is  not  peaceful,  for  some 
restless  one  soon  starts  up  and  flounders  over  the  others  as  if 
seeking  a  better  place.  This  disturbs  the  whole  herd,  which 
constantly  keeps  up  a  low  moaning  apparently  expressive  of 
sore  distress.  A  most  apt  description  of  such  a  scene  was  once 
given  by  a  military  officer  who  was  seated  with  me  on  the  edge 
of  a  sand-dune  watchiag  a  herd  resting  in  this  condition.  After 
a  long  silence  he  observed,  'This  is  the  first  thing  I  have  ever 
seen  or  heard  that  realizes  my  youthful  conception  of  the  tor- 
ment of  the  condemned  in  purgatory.'" 

"When  the  herd  is  once  fairly  halted  and  at  rest  it  requires 
from  half  an  hour  to  an  hour  to  get  it  moving  again  in  march- 
ing order.  The  process  is  quite  novel  and  worth  describing. 
The  Sea  Lions  have  now  become  so  accustomed  to  their  captors 
that  they  will  sooner  fight  than  run  from  them,  and  they  are 
too  much  deafened  by  their  own  noise  to  hear  or  fear  any  other 
sound.  As  they  lie  on  the  ground  in  a  compact  mass,  one  of 
the  men  takes  an  umbrella  (before  the  introduction  of  umbrellas 
a  flag  was  used)  and  goes  twenty  to  thirty  yards  to  the  rear  of 
the  herd  and  approaching  stealthily  until  he  is  quite  near  sud- 
denly expands  the  umbrella  and  runs  with  it  along  tl  a  edge  of 
the  herd ;  then  closing  it  he  retires  to  repeat  the  maneuver. 
This  has  the  effect  to  rouse  the  rear  rank,  which  thus  suddenly 
alarmed  plunges  forward  and  arouses  those  in  front,  which 
immediately  begin  struggling  and  biting.  The  return  of  the 
man  with  the  umbrella  communicates  another  shock  and  adds 
another  wave  to  the  sluggish  mass.  This  is  repeated  at  intervals 
of  four  or  five  minutes  till  the  successive  shocks  have  aroused 


r 


HABITS. 


273 


the  whole  herd,  when,  with  much  roaring  and  bellowing,  the 
wliole  mass  l)egins  to  move,  gradually  extending  itself  in  a 
lonj;  irregular  line  in  open  order,  each  aninnil  lumbering  along 
as  l)('st  it  can.  By  shouting  and  waving  ilags  at  the  rear  and 
on  the  tianks  of  the  herd,  they  are  kept  moving  until  it  is  neces- 
sary to  halt  them  again  for  rest.  Seen  when  thus  moving  in  a 
\ouii  irregular  line,  the  slow  heaving  mot'on  of  their  bodies  and 
the  swaying  of  their  long  flexible  necks  give  a  grotesque 
appearance  to  the  scene  and  suggest  anything  but  a  herd  of 
Lions.  The  island,  being  composed  of  volcanic  rock,  is  full  of 
subterranean  fissures  covered  thinly  with  soil  and  vegetation, 
and  the  earth  so  resounds  with  the  noise  of  the  tread  of  the 
Sea  Lions  that  the  sound  may  be  heard  to  the  distance  of  two 
miles.  The  approach  of  a  herd  to  the  village  is  always  an  occa- 
sion of  interest  and  excitement  to  all  of  the  inhabitants,  who 
go  out  en  maiise  to  meet  them  and  escort  them  to  tae  slaughter- 
lug  ground,  where  they  are  allowed  to  rest  and  cool  before  they 
are  killed. 

"The  Sea  Lions  are  too  formidable  to  be  killed  with  clubs 
like  the  Fur  Seals.  When  all  is  ready  for  the  slaughter  the 
herd  is  started  up  a  sloping  hillside ;  the  hunters  follow,  armed 
with  rifles,  and  shoot  the  full-grown  males  from  behind,  the 
back  of  the  skull  being  the  only  part  a  ball  can  penetrate. 
After  all  of  these  have  been  killed,  the  head  of  the  column  U 
checked  and  turned  back  so  that  the  animals  become  massed 
together,  and  piled  on  each  other  five  or  six  deep.  In  this  way 
those  below  are  held  by  those  above  while  the  hunters,  armed 
with  short  lances,  watch  their  opportunity  to  rush  up  to  the 
struggUng  mass  and  thrust  their  lances  into  some  vital  part  of 
the  doomed  beasts.  This  is  attended  with  some  danger  to  the 
hunters,  who  sometimes  receive  serious  wounds  from  being  hit 
with  the  lances  that  the  Sea  Lions,  in  their  death  agonies,  seize 
in  their  mouths  and  wrench  from  the  hands  of  the  hunters. 

"Nearly  every  part  of  these  animals  is  valuable  to  the  natives, 
but  they  have  no  commercial  value  outside  of  Alaska.  Their 
skius  arc  indispensable  to  the  Sea  Otter  hunters  of  the  Aleutian 
Islands,  for  the  covering  of  their  canoes  in  which  they  hunt 
these  animals.  The  natives  also  use  them  forcoveriug  their  large 
boats  used  in  loading  and  unloading  vessels.  .  .  .  Its  flesh 
is  preferred  for  iooCi  to  that  of  the  Fur  Seal,  that  of  the  full-grown 
luiiiual  being  finer  in  texture,  lighter  in  color,  and  of  a  sweeter 
Tub.  No.  12 18 


i 


274       EUMETOPIAS    8TELLERI — STELLKR's    SEA   LION. 


"n 


flavor,  und  it  dries  more  readily  in  preserving  it  for  winter  ii.so; 
the  tlesU  of  the  young  at  the  age  of  four  mouths  is  esteemed 
a  great  hixury  by  the  natives  and  is  not  easily  distiuguishod 
from  veal  by  educated  palates.  .  .  .  Only  the  skeleton  Is 
left  to  waste. 

"  The  stomachs  of  the  full-grown  Sea  Lions  are  found  to  always 
contain  from  six  to  ten  pounds  of  stones,  varying  in  size  from 
that  of  a  hen's  egg  to  a  Large  apple.  These  stones  are  the  same  as 
those  found  on  the  beaches,  worn  round  and  smooth  by  the  surf. 
The  natives  say  they  take  these  stones  into  the  stomach  for 
ballast  when  they  leave  the  breeding-groundc,  and  cast  them 
out  again  when  they  land  in  the  spring.  I  have,  however,  had 
no  means  of  verifying  this,  as  the  only  season  when  they  are 
taken  is  during  the  winter. 

"  As  soon  as  the  animals  have  all  been  killed  the  men  proceed 
to  remove  the  skins  and  blubber,  and  the  other  useful  parts, 
which  the  chiefs  divide  and  distribute  among  the  several  fami 
lies.  .  .  .  Only  a  few  of  the  skins  are  required  for  use  on 
the  island,  the  remainder  being  shipped  to  Ounalashka  and  other 
points  where  i;hey  are  sold  to  the  Sea  Otter  hunters.  The  value 
of  the  skins  at  the  island  is  sixty  cents  each.  About  eight  hiui 
dred  are  annually  taken  at  St.  Paul's  Island,  without  appar- 
ently any  decrease  in  the  stock. 

"  There  are  many  other  places  in  the  Territory  where  these 
animals  bring  forth  their  young,  but  as  they  resort  mostly  to 
outlying  rocks  and  ledges  they  cannot  be  captured  in  any  con- 
siderable numbers. 

"The  Sea  Lion  of  Alaska,  so  far  as  my  opportunities  of 
observation  have  enabled  me  to  judge,  is  a  much  larger  species 
than  that  of  California,  the  largest  males  I  have  ever  seeu  at 
San  Francisco  and  vicinity  being  not  much  larger  than  theM 
grown  female  at  the  Fur  Seal  Islands,  while  I  have  seen  at  Sau 
Francisco  females  with  young  that  were  not  much  larger  thau 
a  yearling  of  the  species  found  at  St.  Paul's." 

The  food  of  the  Sea  Lion  is  well  known  to  consist,  like  that 
of  the  other  species  of  Eared  Seals,  of  fish,  moUusks,  and  crus 
taceans,  and  occasionally  birds.  As  shown  by  animals  xept  in 
confinement,  they  require  an  enormous  quantity.  C'aptaiu 
Scammon  states  that  the  daily  allowance  of  a  pair  kept  iu 
Woodward's  Gardens,  San  Francisco,  amounted  to  forty  or 
fifty  pounds  of  fresh  fish. 


I;;i 


GENUS    ZALOPHUS. 


276 


Genus  ZALOPHUS,  Oill 

Ar(tocephalu8  (iii  part),  Gray,  Cut.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,55. 

Zalophus,  Gill,  Proc.  Ehsox  Institnto,  July,  1866,  v,  7,  11.    Typo  Otaria 

gillespii,  McBaiii. 
Seophova,  Grvy,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  scries,  18G6,  xviil,  231 

Type  Arctocephaliia  lohatus,  Gray. 

Molars  l^ ,  large,  closely  approximated,  tlie  last  under  tlio 
hinder  edge  of  the  zygomatic  process  of  the  maxillary.  Muz- 
zle narrow.  Superior  profile,  from  the  postorbital  process  aiite- 
riorlj-,  gently  declined.  Bony  palate  moderately  contracted 
posteriorly,  and  but  slightly  depressed.  Hinder  edge  of  the 
palatals  deeply  concave.  Pterygoid  hooks  slender.  Posterior 
uares  broader  than  high ;  anterior  higher  than  broad.  Post- 
orbital  cylinder  narrow  and  elongfite.  The  postorbital  con- 
striction of  the  skull  is  deep  and  abrupt,  giving  a  quadrate  or 
subquadrate  form  to  the  brain-box,  which  Aaries  to  triangular 
tlirongh  the  varying  degree  of  prominence  of  its  latero-anterior 
unfiles.  T'e  postorbital  processes  are  triangular,  developed 
lateroposi^iiorly  into  a  rather  slender  point.  The  sagittal 
crest,  in  very  old  m{il?s,  forms  a  remarkably  high,  thin,  bony 
plate,  inparalleled  in  its  great  development  in  any  other  genus 
of  the  family.  The  general  form  of  the  skull  is  rather  narrow, 
iiiud:  inor(^  so  than  in  Eumetopias,  and  nearly  as  much  so  as  in 
Artncephalufi,  the  breadth  to  length  being  ns  GO  to  100. 

Z'lhphus,  so  far  as  the  skull  is  concerned,  is  the  most  distinct 
jjeuoiic  Ibrui  of  the  family,  it  being  tuoroughly  luilike  all  the 
otlicrs.  In  general  form,  as  in  size,  it  more  nearlj'  resembles 
Arvtoccplialiifi  tlum  any  other  genus,  but  differs  from  it  in  the 
dental  formula,  as  well  as  in  its  enormously  produced  crests. 
It  (liii'ers  from  Otaria  in  ha\ing  one  pair  less  of  upper  molars, 
in  the  slight  depression  of  the  bony  palate,  the  less  extension 
posteriorly  of  the  palatines,  t'  much  narrower  muzzle,  the 
much  less  abrupt  declination  of  the  facial  profile,  its  much 
higher  sagittal  and  occipital  crest,  and  in  its  narrower  and 
more  elongated  form. 

It  differs  from  Eumetopias,  as  already  pointed  out,  in  having 
all  the  upper  molars  closely  approximated,  in  the  greatly  con- 
cave outline  of  the  posterior  border  of  the  palatines,  and  other- 
wise much  as  it  differs  from  Otaria. 

Zalophiis  differs  from  CallorJdnus  in  its  smaller  number  of 
upper  molars,  its  high  crests,  narrower  and  more  elongated 
muzzle,  and  in  the  more  declined  profile  c.  the  face.    In  the 


27G      ZALOPHUS    CALIFOKNIANUS — CALIFORNIAN    SEA    LION. 

nature  of  its  pelnjjfo,  and  in  other  external  features,  it  is  vadi 
oally  distinct  from  the  Avhole  group  of  Fur  Seals,  as  it  is  also  in 
its  high  sagittal  crest.  In  size  it  is  nearest  Arctoceplialus.  Tlic 
bixly  is  rather  slender,  and  the  head  is  narrow,  long,  and 
pointed,  and  with  this  slenderness  of  form  is  coordinated  a 
corresponding  litheness  of  movement. 

The  genus  is  restricted,  so  far  as  known,  to  the  shores  of  the 
North  Pacific  and  the  Australian  Seas,  and  is  apparently  rt  pro 
sented  by  two  species,  the  one  confined  mainly,  if  not  wholly, 
to  the  western  coast  of  the  United  States,  and  the  other  to  tciii 
perate  (avid  tropical!)  portions  of  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia, 
from  Japan  southward,  and  the  northern  shores  of  Australia, 
The  genus  is  thus  southern  or  subtropical  in  its  distribution, 
occurring  on  both  sides  of  the  equator,  but  not  in  the  colder 
waters  of  either  hemisphere. 

ZALOPHUS  OALirOENlANUS  {Lesson)  Allen. 
Californian  Sea  Lion. 

Otar'm  calif orniana,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  420  (based 
ou  "Lo  jeunc  Lion  mariu  de  la  Califomie,"  Clioris,  pi.  xi). — SciiDCZ. 
Syuop,  Mam.,  i,  1844,  473  (from  Lesson). 

Phoca  califor7iiaiia,  Fiscm;R,  Syu.  Mam.,  1829,  231  {  =  Otaria  caiiforniana,  Les- 
son). 

Otaria  gillespii,  M'Bain,  Proc.  Edinb.  Roy.  Soc,  i,  1858,  422. 

Arctocephalua  gillkapii,*  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1859,  110,  360,  pi.  Ixx 
(from  cast  of  the  skull  described  by  M'Bain) ;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales. 
1866, 55. 

Zalophva  gilleitpU,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866, 13. — Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag. 
Nat.  Hist.,  3d  ser.,  xviii,  1866,  231;  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales, 
1871,28;  Hand-List  Seals,  etc.,  1874,  41.— Scorr,  Mam.  Eec,  and 
Extinct,  1873,  20. — Thompson,  Forest  and  Stream  (newspaper),  xii, 
1879,  66  (habits  and  breeding  in  confinement). 

Otaria  {Zalophus)  gillespii,  Peters,  Monatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1866,  275,  671, 

f  Otaria  jubata,  Veatch,  J.  R.  Browne's  Resources  of  the  Pacific  Slope, 
[app.],  1869,  p.  150  (plainly,  if  notwhoUy;  Cerros  Island,  L.  Cal,). 

Lion  Marin  de  la  Califomie,  CiiORis,  Voy.  Pittoresque. 

Sea  Lion  [o/  California'],  Scammon,  Overland  Monthly,  viii,  1872,  266  (in 
part).— GuRNEY,  Zoologist,  1871,  2762  (Southern  Califoruia).- 
Stearns,  Amer.  Nat.,  x,  1876,  177  (in  part). 

Lobo  marino,  Spanish ;  Sea  Lion  and  California  Sea  Lion,  English. 

Habitat. — Coast  of  California. 

^     External    Characters. — Color    dark    chestnut -browu. 
darker  (blackish-brown)  on  the  limbs,  ventral  surface,  and  the 

*  Spelled  ^'gilliesjni"  by  Gray  and  most  other  writers,  but  "gillespii"^)' 
M'Bain,  who  named  it  for  his  friend  Dr.  Gillespie. 


m 


EXTERNAL    CHARACTERS. 


277 


fXticinc  posterior  part  of  the  body,  but  ^•llr^•illf;■  {;rea(l.v  in  <litler- 
oiit  iii(livi(hials  and  at  different  seasons.  Wliiskers  whitisli  or 
yellow  isli-Avliite,  ii  lew  of  tbeni  usually  (bisky  at  base.  Lenyth 
of  adult  male  7  to  8  feet;  of  adult  female  about  5.75  feet. 
Pohijic  short,  harsh,  ami  stiff. 

A  series  of  a  dozen  specimens  varies  yieatly  i  i  color — fromi 
yellow  thr()U<;h  various  shades  of  brownish-yellow  to  dark  red- 
dish-brown and  even  blackish-brown.    At  the  season  of  moult 
tbey  change  from  reddish-brown  to  yellowish  or  golden-brown. 
Au  adult  female  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5787)  taken  about  Septem- 
ber 1, 1877,  is  golden  brownish -yellow,  passing  into  dark  browu 
ou  the  limbs  and  ventral  surface.    Top  of  the  nose,  between 
aiul  around  the  eyes,  anterior  edge  of  hand,  and  outer  edge  of 
foot,  pale  yellowish- white.      Said  by  the  collector  (Mr.  Paul 
Schumacher)  to  have  just  shed  its  coat.    A  nearly  adult  male 
(M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5785),  taken  at  the  same  date,  is  dull  dark 
yellowish-brown,  passing  into  blackish-brown  on  the  limbs  and. 
ventral  surface ;  around  base  of  hind  limbs  and  tail  and  behind. 
the  axilla)  nearly  black.    A  third  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5788)  is 
dingy  yellowish-brown,  lighter  on  top  of  head,  hind  neck,  and 
over  the  shoulders,  and  darker  posteriorly,  beneath,  and  on  the 
limbs,  where  the  color  becomes  very  dark  chestnut-brown,  and 
blackish  around  the  eyes  and  nostrils.    A  fourth,  a  very  old  male 
(M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5786),  is  dark  yellowish-brown  above,  varied 
with  dusky,  and  with  small  dots  and  narrow  streaks  of  white, 
the  white  streaks  and  spots  indicating  the  position  of  wounds 
received  in  lighting.    A  large  whitish  spot  on  the  back  of  the 
neck.*    Lower  surface  pale  yellowish  posteriorly,  passing  into 
darker  anteriorly.    A  sixth  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5677),  an  adult 
female,  has  the  body  everywhere  dark  yellowish-brown,  passing 
mto  d.Tker  ou  the  limlw  and  ventral  surface.    Still  another 
(M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No,  5785),  a  nearly  full-grown  male,  differs  from 
the  foregoing  in  being  light  yellowish  on  the  chin  and  about 
the  mouth,  very  dark  or  blackish  on  the  throat  and  sides  of 
neck ;  breast  yellow  ish-white ;  sides  of  body  and  ventral  sur- 
tace  very  pale  yellowish-white,  as  is  also  the  central  jiortiou  of 
upper  surface  of  both  fore  and  hind  liud)s ;  top  of  head  and 
greater  part  of  dorsal  surface  very  dark  brown  or  blackish, 
slightly  varied  with  white ;  shoulders  and  breast  washed  with 
gray ;  edges  of  the  flippers  very  dark  brown. 

'Ill  tliis  spt'ciuicn  the  atlas  is  tiniily  iiiuliyloHcd  with  1  lie  hIvIiII,  the  result, 
iloulitlt'ss,  of  injury  in  early  life,  to  which,  perliaps,  thin  whitish  npot  is  due. 


liV 


278      ZALOPHUS   CALIFOKNIANUS CALIFORNIAN    SEA   LION. 

Three  speciuiens  observed  alive  in  Central  I'ark,  New  York 
City,  in  April,  1878,  (littered  very  njucli  in  eolor.  One  (a  male) 
was  (juite'  pure  gray  alonj^'  the  hack,  rather  darker  on  the  sides. 
and  yellowish-gray  on  sides  of  belly;  throat  and  bi'ea.st  pale 
yellowish-brown ;  ventriil  surface  and  limbs  dark  brown ;  sides 
of  nose  pale  yellowish-white.  Another  (male)  was  dark  brown 
varied  M'ith  black.  The  third  (female)  was  deep  brownisli-yel 
1()W  on  the  throiit  and  breast,  blacki.sh  over  the  ventral  surfaet' 
and  limbs ;  general  color  above,  deep  brownish-black. 

Ca])tain  Scammon  says:*  "The  color  of  the  adult  male  is 
much  diversified ;  individuals  of  the  same  rookerj'  being  (juite 
black,  with  scattering  hairs  tipped  with  dull  white,  while  others 
are  of  a  reddish-brown,  dull  gray,  or  of  light  gray  aboAC,  darker 
below.  The  adult  female  is  not  half  the  bulk  of  the  male,  and 
its  (!olor  is  light  brown."  He  refers  particularly  to  one  .si)eci 
men  as  being  "black  above,  a  little  lighter  below,  ^\ith  .scatter 
iug  hairs  of  light  brown  or  dull  white." 

Young. — Captain  Scammon  says:  "The  young  i)ups,  or 
whelps,  are  of  a  slate  or  black  color,  and  the  yearlings  of  a 
chestnut-brown."  In  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology  are 
several  young  specimens  taken  at  the  Santa  Barbara  ffslauds 
by  Mr.  Paul  Schumacher  (jM.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  Nos.  5078  and  ."»67fi) 
that  are  everywhere  nearly  imiforni  dark  reddish-brown.  The 
skulls  show  that  they  were  quite  young,  the  milk  canines  and 
last  milk  superior  molars  on  each  side  being  still  in  place ;  they 
were  probably  not  more  than  two  or  three  montlis  old.  The 
Museum  also  has  a  foetal  specimen,  received  from  the  same  lo 
cality  and  collector.  In  this  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5839)  the  body 
is  nearly  uniform  dark  gray,  with  the  top  and  sides  of  the  head 
and  the  nape  darker.  Nose  and  face,  to  and  around  the  eyes. 
black.  Limbs  brownish-blaek.  The  whiskers  are  mostly  gray 
ish-white,  dusky  at  the  base ;  some  of  the  shorter  ones  entirely 
blackish. 

Pelage. — In  tiie  adult  animal  the  pelage  is  short,  stiff,  and 
harsh,  especially  the  new  hair  about  the  time  of  the  moult. 

*  Under  the  head  of  "  Eiimetopiaa  stelleri"  (Marine  Mam. ,  p.  128),  l)ut,  JikIi;- 
ing  from  the  context,  I  think  his  remarks  are  hased  on  the  Sea  Lions  ot'tlio 
Santa  Barbara  Islands,  and  really  refer  to  the  prestmt  species.  The  speci- 
mens scut  l»y  him  to  the  National  Museum  under  this  name  from  those  islauJs 
are  really  Zalophm  cnlifornianus.  He  spent  much  time  at  these  islands,  aiul 
his  only  detailed  n'ference  to  the  animals  as  seen  by  him  in  life  relates  i" 
these  islands  and  nnciuestionahly  to  this  species. 


SIZE. 


279 


In  (ho foetal  specimen  the  i»eliiye  is  longer,  nnd  \er,v  soft  to  the 
touch,  feeling  like  fur,  but  is  Hiini)ly  soft  straight  hair,  not  at 
all  lilvc  the  underfnr  of  the  Fur  Seals,  or  eveii  the  first  coat  of 
ViiUorldmoi  nrmmiH,  under  the  long  soft  haii-  of  which  is  an 
abundance  of  soft  silky  underfnr.  In  the  fcetal  Zaloj)lii(s  a 
very  slight  admixture  of  line  curly  underfnr  can  be  detected  on 
close  inspection ;  but  in  no  sense  is  thelirst  coat  in  this  sjiecies 
comparable,  in  respect  to  nnderfni-,  Avith  tlu'  lirst  coat  in  the 
Fur  Seals.  In  the  older  specimens  of  Zaloph  us,  above  described, 
which  have  already  acquired  their  second  coat,  the  pelage  is 
still  longer  and  softer  than  in  the  adults. 

Size. — I  am  unable  to  give  the  dimensions  of  very  old  males. 
A  male  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  o78G),  in  which  the  crests  of  the 
skull  are  well  developed,  and  the  teeth  slightly  worn,  but  which 
is  evidently  only  middle-aged,  gives  the  following  measure- 
ments :  Total  length  from  nose  to  end  of  tail*  21G0  mm. ;  to  end 
of  outstretched  hind-flippers,  2542  mm.  (collector's  measurement 
from  fresh  specimen,  "  8  ft.  4  in.") ;  hind  foot  (from  body), 
'M)  mm.;  fore  foot  (from  axilla),  .'{(JO  nun. ;  tail,  110  mm;  ear, 
.i5  mm. ;  longest  whisker,  225  mm.  The  collector  gives  the  girth 
behind  the  axilhe  as  J337  mm.  ("4  ft.  5  in.'').  Another . speci- 
men (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5789,  young  male),  with  the  crests  of  the 
skull  wholly  undeveloped,  gives  a  length  froiu  nose  to  end  of  tail 
of  2140  nun.;  to  end  of  outstretched  hind  lind)s,  2480  nnu.  (col- 
lector's measurement  from  fresh  specimen,  "8  ft.  2  in.");  hind- 
flipper,  340 mm. ;  fore-liipper  (from  axilla),  370 mm. ;  tail,  80  nmi. ; 
ear,  33  nuu.;  longest  whisker,  190  mm.  The  collect»>r  gives  the 
girth  behind  the  axilhe  as  1220  mm.  ("  4  ft."). 

A  fully-adult  female  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5787)  gives  a  length 
(from  tip  of  nose  to  end  of  tail)  of  1800  nun.;  to  end  <>f  out- 
stretched hind-rtipi)ers,  2054  mm.  (collector's  measurement  from 
fresli  specimen,  "0  ft.  0  in.");  girth  behind  axilla*,  1247  mm.  (col- 
lector's measurement,  "3  ft.  9  in.");  hind-flipper,  270  mm.;  fore- 
flipper,  310  mm.;  tail,  70  mm.;  ear,  30  mm.;  longest  whisker, 
110  uuu. 

Another  adult  female  (M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  No.  5788)  gives  the  fol- 
lowing :  Nose  to  end  of  tail,  1570  mm. ;  nose  to  end  of  outstretched 

*  This  measurement,  is  l)y  estimate  baaed  on  the  collector's  measurement 
of  the  total  length  to  «m>(1  of  outstretched  hind-Hipper,  taken  from  the  fresh 
spctinien,  the  calculation  being  based  on  a  study  of  the  skeleton.  The 
total  length  of  head  and  body,  as  taken  from  the  mounted  specimen,  is 
obviously  much  too  short. 


:1k 


-im 


280  ZALOPHUS  CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFORNIAN  SEA  LION'. 

liiii<Mli]>l»('rs,  iOOGnuu. (collector's measurement ironi  fresh  s])('(i- 
meii,  'MJ  J't.  7  iu.")>  girth  behind  axilltii,  IOCS  ikim.  (coHectoi's 
measurement,  "3  ft.  G  iu.");  tail  80  mm.;  car,  34  mm.;  lonj^cst 
whiskei",  100  mm.  The  skeleton  of  an  adult  female  (M.  C.  Z. 
Coll.,  Xo.  0)  has  a  total  length  to  end  of  tail  of  1700  mm. ;  to  end 
of  phalau;    n  of  hind  flipper,  1908  mm. 

The  collector's  measurements  of  the  young  (two  or  tlirec 
months'  old)  specimens  are :  Male,  nose  to  end  of  outstretcliod 
hind-flippers,  "4  ft."  (1220  mm.);  glrtb,  "2  ft."  (GIO  mm.). 
Female,  nose  to  end  of  outstretched  bind- flippers,  "3  ft.  8  in." 
(1120  mm.) ;  girth,  ^'  1  ft.  11  in."  (583  mm.).  The  fcetal  specinioii 
(M.  C.  Z.  Coll.,  Ko.  5839,  stuffed),  already  described,  measures 
from  nose  to  end  of  tail  850  mm.;  from  noso  to  end  of  out- 
stretched hind-flippers,  970  mm.;  hind-flippers  (from  heel), 
115  mm.;  fore-flipper  (from  ax'Ua),  200  mm.;  tail,  45  mm,; 
ear,  25  mm.;  longest  whisker,  55  mm. 

Captain  Scammon  gives  thefoUowing  measurements  of  "Sea 
Lions,"  taken  at  Santa  Barbar;i  Island  in  April  and  May, 
1871-73.  They  inchule  an  "adult  male"  (column  1);  a  male 
(column  2),  "about  ten  months  old,"  taken  April  4,  1872;  a 
fennile  (column  .i),  "supposed  to  be  a  yearling";  and  "a  new- 
born feui'  .e  Sea  Lion  pup  "  (column  4),  taken  May  3,  1873. 


Length  from  t  ip  of  nose  to  end  of  hind-flippcra  — 

Length  from  tip  of  nose  to  base  of  tail 

Length  of  hind-flippers 

Length  of  fore-flippers 

Girth  behind  nxillic 

Girth  at  base  of  hind-flippers 

From  tip  of  nose  to  eye 

From  tip  of  nose  to  car 

Length  of  ear 

Length  of  tail 

Length  of  longest  whiskers 

From  base  of  tail  to  posterior  teats 

From  base  of  tail  to  anterior  teals ]  j 

Distance  between  posterior  tejits I  o 

Distauce  between  anterior  teats i  o 

Thickness  of  blubber o 


ft.  in. 
6     4 


1 

4 

3 

6 

3i 

8 

u 

2 
6 
2 
10 
5 
8 
Oi 


2t 

ft.  in. 
4  10 
3    lOi 

0  Hi 

1  3 

2  8 


Hi 

I 

1 

24 
5i 


0      Oi 


3: 

ft.  in. 

4    10 

3    lOi 

0    11 

1 

2 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 


i^ 


21 

7 

1 

3 

6 

li 

24 


0      0} 


*  Adult  female. 

t  Male,  ten  mouths  old. 

t  B^emale,  .iliout  one  year  old. 

J  Female,  newly  bom. 


ft.  in. 
2    4 

1   11 


54  j 
7   j 
3 
Oil 

"i 

4 


14! 


0    oil 


SIZE. 


281 


Mcamrcmenix  of  Ihc  Skeleton  of  (in  Adult  Female.'' 

mm. 

\Vliolt'  li'iiytli  of  skeleton  (inclndiuf;  skull) 1706 

U'listlK'f  sliiill 236 

I.cii<;f  li  of  cervical  vertebr.T 320 

Lciiiitli  of  dorsal  vertebra- 640 

L(iij;ili  of  lumbar  vertebne 230 

U'ligtli  of  caudal  vertebra?  (+  sacral) 280  ' 

Length  of  lirst  rib,  total 140 

Leugt  h  of  iirst  rib.  osseous  X'ortiou 7.5 

Length  of  lirst  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 6."> 

Li'iiKth  of  second  rib,  total  17:5 

Length  of  second  rib,  osseous  portion 100 

Length  of  second  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 7;{ 

Length  of  third  rib,  total 240 

Length  of  third  rib.  osseous  portion 158 

Length  of  third  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 82 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  total 280 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  osseous  ))ortion 185 

Length  of  fourth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 95 

Liiigthof  lifthrib,  total 335 

Length  of  fifth  rib,  osseous  portion 220 

Length  of  fifth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 115 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  total 370 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  osseous  portion 250 

Length  of  sixth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 120 

Length  of  seventh  rib,  total 395 

Lengt  h  of  scventli  rib,  osseous  portion 270 

Length  of  seventh  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 125 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  total 445 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  osseous  portion ,....  295 

Length  of  eighth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 150 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  total 445 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  osseous  portion 290 

Length  of  ninth  rib,  cartilaginc^'s  portion 155 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  total 430 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  osseous  portion 280 

Length  of  tenth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion liJO 

Length  of  eleventh  rib,  total 413 

Length  of  eleven  til  rib,  osseous  portion 280 

Length  of  eleventh  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 133 

Length  of  twelfth  rib,  total 395 

Length  of  twelfth  rib,  osseous  portion 260 

Length  of  twelfth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 135 

Length  of  thirteenth  rib,  total.. 362 

Length  of  thirteentli  rib,  osseous  portion , 247 

Length  of  thirteenth  rib,  cartilaginous  i  ortion 115 

Lengtli  of  founeentb  rib,  total 310 

Length  of  fourteenth  rib,  osseous  portion.   215 

*No.  6159,  Collection  of  Museum  «)f  Comparative  Zoology. 


H  :;« 


282       ZALOPHUS   CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFOKNIAN    SEA   LION, 


mm. 

Length  of  fourteenth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion % 

Length  of  fifteenth  rib,  total -wii 

Length  of  fifteenth  rib,  osseons  portion 1«0 

Length  of  fifteenth  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 4u 

Length  of  sternum,  ossified  portion :,:,{) 

Length  of  sternum,  1  st  segment llii 

Length  of  sternum,  2(1  segment ;'ii 

Length  of  sternum,  'M  segment .")3 

Length  of  sternum,  4th  segment ii) 

Length  of  sternum,  oth  segment 4^ 

Length  of  sternum,  (5th  segment 4T 

Length  of  sternum,  7th  segment 4il 

Length  of  sternum^  8tli  segment ;!,« 

Length  of  sternum,  9th  segment 5") 

Length  of  scapula 18(t 

Greatest  breadth  of  scapula 250 

Greatest  height  of  its  spine It: 

Length  of  humerus 15.J 

Antero-posterior  diameter  of  proximal  end  of  humerus G3 

Transverse  diameter  of  proximal  end  of  humerus lu 

Transverse  diameter  of  distal  end  of  humerus ." 

Length  of  radius l.j.') 

Length  of  ulna. im 

Longest  (liiiuieter  of  upper  end  of  ulna , tit 

Length  of  carpus  P 

Length  of  1st  metacarpus  and  its  digit ".'b 

Length  of  2d  metacarpus  and  its  digit 1" 

Length  of  I5d  metacarpus  and  its  digit 1'" 

Length  of  4th  metacarpus  and  its  digit 1-" 

Length  of  oth  nu'tacarpus  and  its  digit ' '."' 

Width  of  niauus  at  base  of  metacarpals '" 

Total  length  of  fore  limb  (excluding  scapula) •'>'!" 

Length  of  femur '•" 

Longest  diameter  of  proximal  end  of  femur 4ij 

Longest  diameter  of  distal  end  of  femur ^' 

Least  antero-posterior  diameter  of  shaft  of  femur !•' 

Length  of  tibia 1^' 

Length  of  tarsus J" 

Length  of  Lst  metatarsus  and  its  digit '"- 

Length  of  2d  met  atarsus  and  its  digit 1- ' 

liCngth  of  :{d  metatarsus  and  its  digit '"" 

Length  of  4th  metatarsus  and  its  digit 1"^' 

Length  of  5th  metatarsus  and  its  digit l"' 

Width  of  pes  at  base  of  metatarsals •" 

Total  length  of  hind  limb •''■' 

Length  of  innominate  bone 1''' 

Greatest  width  of  pelvis  anteriorly '"" 

Length  of  ilium '" 

Length  of  ischio-pubic  bones '^ 


SKULL.  283 

][ii(nn>rmc)it8  of  the  Metacarpal  and  Phalanriral  Hones  of  an  Adult  Female* 


L('nj,'tli  of  mauna  to  end  of  . 

Lfiiglli  iii'  mctiicarpal  of 

Liii^lh  111'  1st  plinlanx  of . . . 
LiiiStli  of  2(1  plmlanx  of — 
Length  of  3d  phalanx  of . . . . 


1st  digit. 

2d  digit. 

ad  digit. 

4th  digit. 

5th  digit. 

258 

226 

187 

147 

112 

90 

58 

55 

48 

42 

78 

CO 

55 

35 

31 

50 

47 

3C 

23 

15 

20 

15 

12 

10 

Measurements  of  the  Metatarsal  and  Phalangeal  Hones  of  an  Adult  Female.* 


Length  of  pes  (posterior  end  of  os 

call' is)  to  end  of 

Leiiglli  of  inetncari)al  of 

Length  of  Ist  ph.Manx  of 

Length  of  2d  phalanx  of 

Length  of  ;id  phalanx  of 

Length  of  nail  of 


Ist  digit. 


280 
79 
75 
40 


2d  digit. 


2ti0 
Gl 
60 
40 
16 
10 


3d  digit. 


60 
57 
48 
16 
18 


4th  digit. 


250 
CO 
54 
48 
10 
15 


5th  digit 


250 
65 
58 
37 


Skull. — The  skull  in  Zalophus  californianits,  as  cojnpared 
with  the  .skull  in  allied  genera,  is  remarkable  for  the  narrow- 
ues.s  and  great  elougation  of  the  facial  portion,  which  is  even 
iiuich  more  elongated  and  slenderer  than  in  Arctoccphalus.  In 
its  general  configuration  (excepting,  of  course,  the  great  devel- 
oimicnt  of  the  sagittal  and  occipital  crests  in  the  very  old  males) 
it  more  resembles  the  Arctocephaliue  type  than  any  other. 
The  maximum  breadth  (i.  e.,  at  the  zygomata)  in  the  females 
barely  equals  or  falls  a  little  short  of  half  the  length,  while  hi 
the  old  males  it  rather  exceeds  this  proportion.  In  very  old  males 
the  crests  of  the  skuU  are  enormously  developed,  and,  con- 
trary to  what  usually  obtains  in  the  other  genera  of  this  family, 
are  considerably  developed  in  very  old  females.  The  superior 
outline  (in  old  males)  slopes  rapidly  from  the  high  sagittal 
crest  to  the  end  of  the  nasals.  The  postorbital  processes  are 
long  and  rather  narrow,  and  are  directed  backward  in  old  age; 
the  nasals  are  long  and  narrow,  decreasing  in  width  posteriorly. 
The  superior  edge  of  the  intermaxillai  is  very  narrow,  and  is 
prolonged  backward  nearly  to  the  middle  of  the  nasals.  The 
postorbital  cylinder  is  long  and  narrow,  and  often  abruptly 
contracted  posteriorly.  The  bony  palate  is  nearly  flat,  but  little 
depressed,  and  is  rather  deeply  emarginate  posteriorly.    The 

'Specimen  No.  G159,  Coll.  Mns.  Comp.  Zoology. 


I 


1 


284      ZALOPHUS   CALIFORNIANUS — C\LIFORNIAN    SEA   LION. 

paliito-iiiiixillaiy  .sutuio  is  about  oppos'tc  the  liiiulor  odge  of 
the  last  molar.  Tlie  ptcryj^oid  hamuli  are  small.  Tlu-  postciior 
uarial  ojx'uiuj;' is  wider  tlian  deep;  the  autcrior  lias  those  Iwo 
dimeusious  about  equal. 

Ill  ZaiophiiH  the  superior  aspect  of  the  skull,  before  the  devol 
opiiu'ut  of  the  erest,  is  strikingly  like  that  of  Arctoc('itli((liiN,;\s 
indeed  is  also  the  inferior  aspect,  aside  from  the  dental  I'or- 
mula.  In  Zaloplnis  the  auditory  Indian  are  rather  less  swollen 
than  in  Arcton^ihahis,  but  in  all  other  resi)eets  there  is  a  strik- 
ing resemblance.  The  anteorbital  portion  of  the  skull,  how- 
ever, is  more  attenuated,  and  relatively  much  longer.  With 
this  exception  there  is  little  difterence  in  the  general  confor 
mation  of  the  skull  in  middle-aged  females  of  thes<^  two  genera, 
while  both  differ  widely  from  Otaria,  Eiimctopias,  and  Callorhi- 
mis.  The  great  development  of  the  crests  of  the  skull  late  in 
life  in  Zalophtis  gives  it  at  that  time  a  highly  peculiar  confor- 
matiou. 


SKULL, 


285 


•A 


0 
% 

M 

< 
■J 

n 

S 
0 

< 
•Si 


a  « 

O     V 

11 


to  .  to 

"S         a  "5  c3 

.   "o     .    i     .  "o  .    i 

fi  c-  a  ?  fi  c  a  ^ 


t. 


s 


■)80JD  HI)I(Il03(>  JO  ■UlSl'lH 


•BOj.Cpno,)  0}  Aii!('aoA\o[  JO  njSaii 


C      CO     t-1     -^     CC     M     CI     O     »3     'f 
CI     -H     CI     CI     i-H     'H     r-i     i-H     tH     ft 


•Hojaos  ai![oui  .idM<i[  jo  ii:>3n.rj 


'SJi.it's  .iu[oia  jjdcin  jo  qjSnoi 
•soi^pnoD  ii))|dpao  jo  q'jpBajg; 


IBJOdlUJ)    ■)»    1111518    JO  TIlpBajq  !}8tl31 


O     00     M«     00     t^     t- 
lo     ^     ^      ^      ^      ^ 


s? 


s 


^     Irt     iH     CI     «     t- 

e%    ro    c^    C4    CI    CI 


•soujuii;)  ^u  tiniiB  JO  iijpuojfi 


-xutu-ojitoaj  ^11  sonoq  xii8nn  jo  inpuoag; 


'^[i0U3')nn  8aaoq  {"^^'^  JO  qtpv^'iQ 


'eodoq  \WBVL  JO  q^Snai 


•asnjxBin  JO  paa  io\i 
■0)80(1  !)B  oaejine  oni^uied  jo  qjpu.UH 

'jap 
-joq  jt)xoaA|n  Suop  DnjxBra  jo  q'jSnsi 


■B8a30id  JtipniBq  jo  paa  o; 
oin^iiB  iSiBHl^^ni-o^BiBd  mojj  aotiB^Bid 

•BPOooad  pionaiS^Bod  o;  bjubhixbui 
•jo;ut  JO  o3pa  jotjinuc  lucij  aDUB^siQ; 


-JBIOm  ')8BI  O)  BapBIIIXBUI 

■ao)ni  JO  oSpa  jot.io;nB  raojj  oauB^ejd 


•pioS.vjojd  JO  es.i.i 
-Old  aBiniuoq  jo  pno  04  soiaBnixBui 
■10)01  JO  oSpo  jouojUB  mo.ij  ooob^biq; 


■B38Ba30jd  pio)SBiu  )B  qipBajQ 


iHrH     ISSqoooSS 


''   0 

:  S3 

rH 

T^^ 

i  ^ 

g    i 

;  S8 

•    1—1 

t    ' 

11  ^    :  2  S  3 


Moicr-O'^iooi^ 


•i^oiB  OT)QaioSiz  ^B  q^puajq  ;83;b9JO 


CO     t'     W     C>l     i-< 


•qi^Suoi 


s 

w 


•X3g 


•D*D^^"D"oOfOCH.OO♦■ 


I 


,a  I 


2 

SI 


c    o    o    o    o 


.0     c3    "^    'IS    'd    TS    'd 


'jaqmim  onSoiB)B3 


rH  ■*  in 
<o  O  If^ 
CI     CJ     CJ 


»     to     t»     O     r-l     <M 

^    o    o   ift   lO   in 

J3     O     in     rH     1-H     iH 


3 

to 

•c 

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d   I 

ft    >. 

loll 
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a  .58  g 

iai* 
«  s  s 


^   o 


o   ee   « 


' 


28G     ZALOPIIUS   CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFORNIAN    SEA   LION, 

Dentition.— Tlu>  teeth  in  ZahpJim  are  uU  stronj^ly  (level- 
oi)e(l  and  very  ttriiily  implanted.  All  are  single-rooted  except 
the  last  inolai',  wliieh  is  imperfectly  double-rooted.  The  molars 
all  have  a  distinely  beaded  citijjulum  on  the  inner  side.  The 
lower  molars  and  the  fifth  and  sometimes  the  fourth  ui)j)or 
molars  have  a  small  but  distinct  anterior  cusp.  The  canines 
and  the  incisors  present  the  usual  form  seen  among  the  Otaries. 

The  teeth  of  a  roiddleaged  m.ale  skull  i)re8eut  the  following 
measurements : 

McasurcmentH  of  the  Teeth. 
A.— Teeth  of  tuk  Upper  Jaw. 


Molars. 

CaninrB. 

Incisors. 

5th. 

4th.  i    3d. 

0           10 

7              9 

8. 5  j      10 

2d. 

10 

8 
9.5 

Ist. 

Outer. 

Middle. 

1 
Imicr. 

Antero-posterior  diameter. 
Xransvcrse  diameter 

9 
7 

8 

7 

r 

9 

17 
13 
20 

0 
4 

15 

5 
3 
5 

1 
5 

2.5 
4 

B.— Teeth  of  the  Lower  Jaw. 


t  ■ 

1  ' 

1 

i 

■  i  ■  1  ■-'■ 

i 

■ 

Molars. 

Canines. 

Incisors. 

5th. 

4th.  '    3d.    '    2d.       Ist.' 

1 

Outer. 

Inner, 

Antero-postenor  diameter  . . . 

Transverse  diameter 

Height  of  crown 

9 
6.5 

8 

12         11     10      '        8 

8  9       7      1        7 

9  9       7.5           G 

18 
11 
25 

5 
C 
G 

4 

4 

The  molars  arc  usually  closely  approximated,  but  sometimes 
there  is  a  small  space  between  the  two  hinderraost  of  the  series, 
and  occasionally  they  are  all  slightly  and  evenly  spaced.  The 
hinder  edge  of  the  last  upper  molar  is  generally  anterior  to  or 
about  <}ven  with  the  posterior  border  of  the  zygomatic  process 
of  the  maxillary.  When  more  than  Ave  upper  molars  are  pres- 
ent, the  sixth  or  supernumerary  is  postt^rior  to  the  fifth,  and  is 
usually  smaller  than  the  fifth  (sometimes  almost  rudimentary) 
and  lack'     le  accessory  cusps  seen  in  the  fifth. 

The  milK  dentition  (fully  represented  in  three  skulls  before 
me  and  partly  so  in  five  othei^s)  does  not  differ  from  that  of  the 
other  species  of  the  family,  and  has  been  already  fully  described 
(see  antea,  p.  223). 


VARIATION   WITH   AGE. 


287 


Skxual  Diffkre>'cks. — From  the  testimony  of  Captain 
Swiiimion,  ami  from  the  matetial  I  have  been  able  to  examine, 
the  Iciiiah'  ditfers  from  th«i  male  in  eohn-  in  being  rather  lighter, 
or(»f  a  more  yellow isli-brown.  The  most  notable  ilitferenco  is 
ill  size,  the  female  being  very  nmch  the  smaller,  but  not  quite 
so  j;reat  a  sexual  disparity  in  size  obtains  in  this  species  an 
in  Kunwiopias  stelh-ri  and  CoUorhinnn  ursinus.*  Unfortunately 
die  material  at  my  (command  will  not  enable  me  to  give  full 
statistics  on  this  point.  iMost  of  tin;  nude  si)ecimens  in  a  large 
series  sent  to  the  jVIuseum  of  Couii)arative  Zoology,  by  Mr. 
Schumacher,  from  Santa  Barbara  Islands,  are  young  or  middle- 
iXiiod,  only  one  having  the  teeth  perceptibly  worn  or  the  crests 
of  the  skull  very  highly  developed.  ^V  comparison  of  very  old 
skulls  of  both  sexes  shows  tluit  nearly  the  usual  amount  of  sex- 
ual variation  in  size  common  to  the  Otaries  obtains  in  the  pres- 
ent species.  The  table  of  measurements  (on  page  28i5)  of  ten 
skulls — five  nude  and  live  fenmle — all  fully  adult  and  most  of 
them  very  old,  gives  all  tlui  information  I  am  able  to  ofter  re- 
specting sexual  wiriation  in  size. 

As  usual  in  this  group,  the  dental  armatiue  (especially  the 
canines  and  caniniiVu'm  incisors)  is  much  weaker  in  the  female 
than  in  the  nude,  by  means  of  which  the  skulls  of  females  can 
lie  readily  ilistinguished  from  those  oi  males  of  about  the  same 
size.  The  whole  skull  is  slighter  and  weaker,  and  all  the  pro- 
eossos  and  ridges  for  the  attachment  of  muscles  much  less  devel- 
oped. There  are,  however,  in  very  old  female  skulls,  <listiuct, 
but  <!oiiiparatively  low,  and  thin  sagittal  and  occipital  crests, 
which  attain  the  height  of  A  to  0  mm.,  while  in  the  males  they 
soHietinies  ris«>,  to  35  or  40  mm.  The  limbs  are  also  nnich  weaker 
and  slenderer,  as  of  course  are  all  the  bones  of  the  skeleton. 

Variation  with  Age. — As  already  noticed,  the  color  of  the 
young  at  birth  is  dark  gray  or  slaty,  and  the  pelage  has  at  this 
inu)  a  delicate  softness,  due  to  the  silky  texture  of  the  hair. 
Tlie  pelage  is  wholly  devoid  of  a  second  coat  of  true  under-fur, 
like  that  of  the  Fur  Seals,  but  from  its  softness  might  readily 
lie  mistaken  on  casual  observation  for  true  fur.  This  is  very 
soon  replaced  by  a  coarser  and  harsher,  but  still  quite  soft 
pelage,  in  comparison  with  that  of  adults,  of  nearly  uniiorm 
chestnut  or  dark  reddish-brown  color.  This  is  succeeded  by  the 
harsh,  stiff  pelage  of  the  middle-aged  and  adult  animals. 


•V  .flU 


'  See  flH<cd,  p.  226. 


!"W  I  r 


fW 


288      ZALOPHUS   CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFOPNIAN  SEA  LION. 

The  slvuU  ('liim^xe.s  yicatly  in  its  itiopoitions  with  n;>r.  Tlic 
rupiU'ity  of  tlu'  brain-ciiso  tlocs  not  j,'i"Oiitl\  incrciwciiftci"  Itiitli, 
it  enliiifiiiij;'  mainly  by  the  tliiclvcninj;'  of  its  walls.  Tim  ante- 
rior half  of  the  sknll  dovt'lops  rapidly  and  Utt'rs  very  nuicli  in 
form.  At  birth  the  inter-  and  anteorbital  jtortions  of  tln^  skull 
are  very  short,  they  to^etuer  fonninjjf  rather  less  than  half  the 
lenjjfth  of  the  sknll,  whihun  fnlI-}»rown  sknlls  theyeomprisc  alxnit 
tw  r>-thirds  of  its  length.  In  a  young  skull  (Nat.  ^lus.,  Xo.  irtddo, 
4  taken  from  an  animal  killed  a  few  days  after  birth),  which  lias 
J  a  total  length  of  140  mm.,  the  brain-case  alone  lias  a  length  of 
78  mm.,  the  interorbital  region*  a  length  of  .'U  mm.,  and  the  ante 
'orbital  a  lengtli  of  37  mm.,  giving  a  total  length  from  the  an- 
,  terior  wall  of  the  brain-case  to  the  front  border  of  the  interinax- 
illiu  of  08  mm.  In  this  skull  (as  in  several  others  before  iiw  of 
about  the  same  age)  the  occipital  condyles  are  wholly  anterior 
to  the  plane  of  the  occiput.  In  a  very  old  fenuUe  skull  (M.  C.  Z. 
Col.,  No.  0150),  with  a  total  length  of  233  mm.,  the  o(!cipital  col^ 
dyh's  project  15  mm.  behind  the  occipital  plane.  Of  the  remain 
lug  -18  mm.  of  the  length,  the  brain-case  occupies  8.'}  nnii.,  tLc 
interorbital  region  05  mm.,  and  the  anteorbital  71  mm.,  and  the 
two  regions  together  130  mm.  In  the  first  the  ratio  of  the 
length  of  the  brain-case  to  that  of  tln^  rest  of  the  skull  is  as  78 
to  08;  in  the  last  as  83  to  130,  In  a  middle-aged  male  skull, 
the  total  length  is  282  mm.,  of  which  the  condylar  extension  is 
22  mm.  Of  the  remaining  200  mm.,  the  brain-case  occMipies  0.) 
mm.,  the  interorbital  region  78  mm.,  and  the  anteorbital  87  mm,, 
making  the  proportionate  length  of  the  brain-case  to  the  rest  of 
the  skull  as  95  to  105.  The  ratios  between  the  dift'erent  regions 
in  these  three  skulls  are  as  follows : 


Batio  of  brain-case  to  whole  skuU   

Katio  of  interorbital  rcRion  to  whole  ekiill  • .  - 

Ilatio  of  anteorbital  region  to  whole  skull 

Condylar  extension  to  whole  skull 


Yoting. 


53./V-100  I 
21. -J— 100  I 
2").  3— 100  I 


Female. 


."s:..  0—100 

28    —100 

30.  5—100 

«    —100 


Male. 


33. 7  -UK) 
30. 8,')-100 
27.CO-100 

7.  7  -IIX) 


The  width  of  the  brain-case  in  these  skulls  is  respectively 
90  mm.,  97  mm.,  and  107  mm. 

In  adult  skulls  the  breadth  of  the  interorbital  region  is  relu 
tively,  and  generally  absolutely,  much  less  in  adult  skulls  tbau 
at  birth,  and  the  point  of  greatest  constriction  is  placed  much 

*  That  is,  the  narrow  portion  of  tlie  sknll  honntled  laterally  hy  'he  tempo- 
ral fossae  and  orbits. 


jilHr 


m 


ili^i 


GEOGUAI'IIICAL    DISTRIBUTION. 


289 


iiiort'  postcriorl.v,  bciiij;'  in  the  atliilt  sit  the  posterior  i'lul  of  tho 
tciniMiiiil  fossa',  iiitd  in  lin'  yomij''  at  the  orbits.  T\n\  bicadtli 
of  tilt-  siuill  Just  ill  front  of  tln'  luaiiiliox  in  very  yoiinj''  skulls 
(tiiosf  taken  a  few  "  lys  after  birth)  is  10  to  12  nun.,  in  tiioso 
three  or  Ibnr  nu)Utli.«  iy\  .'W  inin.;  in  adult  females,  usually  L'li  to 
;;(» iMiii. ;  in  adiili  males,  about  .'50  to  .'So  mm.  The  amount  of  eon- 
strict  ion  varies  somewhat  in  atliilt  skulls  of  the  same  sex,  tho 
(•(Histrietion  increasiiif^  with  the  advaiuie  of  aj;e.  There  is  a 
correspondiuj,'  contraction  posteriorly  of  the  palatal  region.  In 
very  youii};  skulls,  the.  palate  is  widest  at  the  pterygoid  ha- 
iimli ;  in  those  a  few  months  old  it  is  nearly  straight,  but  later 
in  lite  becomes  narrowed  posteriorly,  the  contraction  being 
},m'atest  in  aged  sjiecamens,  in  wliicV.  the  width  at  the  pterygoid 
liimiuli  is  a  third  less  than  it  is  at  the  last  molar. 

The  crests  of  the  skull  do  not  begin  to  develop  until  the  ani- 
mal roaches  adult  size,  and  attain  their  highest  development  in 
V(rv  old  specimens.  In  a  series  of  thirty  skulls,  only  two  have 
tlio  crests  remarkably  developed,  these  being  the  two  old  male 
skulls  described  by  nie  in  1870.*  In  only  one  of  the  skulls  of 
tli(*  series,  aside  from  tho  two  above  mentioned,  are  the  teetli 
much  Avorn.  The  two  very  old  skulls  show,  by  tlieir  large  size 
and  lugose  eliaracter,  that  the  deposition  of  bony  matter  is 
(ontiiiued  to  a  very  late  period  in  life. 

("05IPA11ISON  WITH  ALLIED  SPECIES. — Zalophus  mUfomianns 
is  too  distinct  in  cranial  characters  and  dentition  to  require  com- 
parison with  any  of  the  Hair  Seals  of  other  genera,  while  its 
polaf-c  and  color  aftbrd  obvious  points  of  difference  from  the 
Fur  Seals.  As  rcispects  the  conformation  of  the  skull,  it  finds 
its  nearest  allies  in  Arctocephalus,  from  which,  however,  it  is 
readily  distinguished  by  its  more  elongated  muzzle  ami  dental 
t'onnulii.  It  appears  to  closely  resemble  its  congener,  Z.  lobattis, 
both  ill  size  and  color.  Hm  ing  no  specimens  of  that  species 
!it  coiiniiand,  I  am  unable  to  state  the  points  of  difference  be- 
twoou  the  two.  The  descriptions  and  figures  of  Z.  lohatxis  indi- 
cate their  close  alliance. 

Gkogkapiiical  Distriiuttion. — Tho  exact  boundaries  of 
the  habitat  of  Zaloplins  californianus  cannot  at  present  be  given. 
Tlie  only  specimens  I  have  seen  are  from  the  coast  of  California 
1111(1  its  islands,  from  San  Diego  and  San  Nicolas  Island  north- 
ward to  the  Bay  of  S'ln  Francisco.  Captain  Scammon  (see 
*i5ull.  Mus.  Coniii.  Zool.,  vol.  ii,  p.  69;  seo  measurements  at  p.  70. 
^lisc.  Pub.  No.  12 19 


290      ZALOPHUS   CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFORNIA^  SEA  LION. 

infra,  pp.  301,  302)  twice  alludes  Incideutally  to  its  preseuce 
'along  the  Mexican  and  Califoruiau  coasts,"  and  Dr.  Yeatcli 
states  that  "Sea  Lions"  (which  he  calls  '■'  Otaria  juhata,  but 
which  are,  almost  beyond  doubt,  the  present  species)  laid 
populous  breeding  stations  twenty  years  ago,  and  doubtless 
have  still,  on  Cerros  or  Cedros  Island,  in  about  the  latitude  of 
28i°,  off  the  Lower  California  coast.  Whether  they  occur  south- 
ward of  this  point  at  the  present  time  I  am  unable  to  state,  but 
should  infer  that  such  was  the  case  from  Scammon's  allusion 
to  their  capture  along  the  "Mexican"  coast.  In  any  case,  it 
appears  probable  that  in  Dampier's  time  they  ianf>ed  as  for 
south  as  thg  Chametly  aiul  Tres  Marias  Islands,  respectively 
in  latitudes  about  23°  and  21°,  at  which  points  he  saw  "$eals'' 
in  the  year  1G8G.  In  describing  the  Chametly  Islands  (the  most 
northerly  of  the  two  groujjs  mentioned  by  him  under  this  name), 
situated  off  the  "VVest  coast  of  Mexico  in  latitude  23°  11',  he 
says:  "The  Bays  about  the  Islands  are  sometimes  visited  with 
Seals;  and  this  was  the  first  place  where  I  had  seen  any  of 
these  Animals,  on  the  Xorth  side  of  the  Equator,  in  these  Seas, 
For  the  Fish  on  this  sandy  Coast  lye  most  in  the  Laguues  oi 
Salt-Lakes,  and  Mouths  of  Rivers;  For  this  being  no  rocky 
Coast,  where  Fish  resort  most,  there  seems  to  be  but  little  Food 
for  the  Seals,  unless  they  will  venture  upon  Cat-Fish."* 

He  also  met  with  Seals  at  the  Tres  Marias  Islands  (in  liiti 
tude  "21°  5'"),  and  consequently  two  degrees  south  of  the  Cha- 
metly Islands,  in  describing  one  of  which  islands,  named  by 
him  St.  George's  Island,  he  says:  "The  Sea  is  also  pretty  well 
stored  with  Fish,  and  Turtle  or  Tortoise,  and  Seal.  This  is  the 
second  place  on  this  Coast  where  I  did  see  any  Seal:  and  this 
place  helps  to  confirm  what  I  have  observed,  that  they  arc  sel- 
dom seen  but  where  there  is  plenty  of  Fish."1 

It  is  of  course  not  certain  that  the  Seals  here  alluded  to  arc 
Zalophus  calif  or  niamis,  since  the  Sea  Elephant  of  the  Califor 
nia  coast  also  occurs  at  Cedros  Island,  and  probably  still  further 
south,  the  two  species  having  apparently  about  the  same  rauge. 
If  they  had  been  the  latter,  Dampier  would  probably  have  made 
some  allusion  to  their  large  size. 

The  species  of  Zalophus  occurring  in  Japan  has  been  by  some 
writers  considered  to  be  the  same  as  the  Californian  one;  but, 
though  doubtless  closely  allied,  its  affinities,  as  will  be  noticed 

*  A  New  Voyage  round  the  World,  5th  ed.,  vol.  i,  1703,  pp.  263,  264. 
tibid.,  p.  276. 


r 


GENERAl,    HISTORY. 


291 


later  (see  iufra,  p.  29,3),  appear  to  bo  not  as  j-ot  satisfactorily 
{letcrniiiied.  As  XaJophits  calij'ornianus  has  not  yet  been  detec- 
ted oil  the  Aiuericau  coast  north  of  California,  its  occurrence 
on  the  Asiati(5  coast  seems  hardly  to  be  expected. 

(lE^E^^AL  IIistouv. — This  s]>ecics  has  hitherto  bten  believed 

to  be  free  fro:.>i  any  serious  coujidications  of  synonymy,  and  to 

liave  be«'n  tirst  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  scientiiic  world  by 

M'lJiiiu  in  1858.     The  only  synonyin  hitherto  (pioted  has  been 

Otanu  .steUeri,  "iSchlej^el"  (/.  t',,  Temminck),  which  Dr.  Peters* 

.stated,  alter  an  examination  of  the  original  specimens  i>reserved 

ill  the  Leyden  museum,  to  be  identical  with  tlie  O.  (jillcspH  of 

M'Baiii.    A  re-exaininatit)n  of  the  subject,  in  the  light  of  much 

new  information  and  material,  shows  <^hat  the  lirst  notice  of  the 

sjiecies  was  published  by  Choris  in  1822,  under  the  name  of 

"Lion  niarin  de  la  Californie,'"  who  gave  a  rather  poor  figure 

of  it  in  plate  XE  of  his  chapter  entitled  "Port  San-Francisco  et 

SOS  Habitants."    As  already  stated  luider  the  head  of  Eume- 

topias  .steUeri,  his  only  reference  to  it  in  the  text  of  this  chapter 

is  as  follows:  "Les  rochers,  dans  le  voisinage  de  la  bale  San- 

Fraucisco  sont  ordinairement  converts  d^  lions  marins,  pi.  XI." 

Ill  bis  account  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  however,  he  again  refers  to 

it.  and  clearly  indicates  its  characteristic  external  features.    lie 

says:  ''Ces  animaux  [Lions marins]  sont aussi  tres-comnmns  au 

port  de  San-Francisco,  sur  la  cote  de  Californie,  oil  on  les  voit 

ou  noiii,»re  prodigieux  .^ur  les  rochers  de  la  bale.    Cette  espece 

in'a  paru  se  distinguer  de  ceux  (pii  fre<pientent  les  lies  Aleou- 

tit'iiiu's;  elle  a  le  co][)s  plus  fiuet  et  plus  allonge,  ethitete  plus 

tine :  (unint  a  le  couleur,  elle  x>»sse  Ibrtemeut  au    run,  tandis 

quo  ecu  ..  des  lies  Aleoutiennes  sont  d'une  couleur  plus  grise, 

out  le  corps  plus  rond,  les  niouvements  plus  ditliciles,  la  tete 

plus  grosse  et  plus  epaisse;  la  couleur  du  poll  des  moustaches 

plus  iioiratre  que  celui  des  iles  Aleoutiennes."t 

The  importance  of  this  reference  turns  upon  itsbeingan «  "olicit 
iudication  of  the  character  of  his  "Lion  marin  de  la  Californie," 
the  subject  of  "Tl.  XI";  this  being,  as  is  well  known,  the  basis 
of  Lesson's  Otaria  californiana,  which  has  hitherto  been  re- 
ferred to  Eumctopias  stclleri,  but  which  is  really  the  same  as 
the  so-called  Zalophns  gillespii.  Lesson  says:  "Cette  espfece, 
tVapres  la  figure  de  Choris,  a  le  pelage  ras,  unilbrm^ment  fauve- 

brunatre,les  moustaches  peu  fournies;  le  museau  assez  pointu; 

*Monat8b.  Akad.  Berlin,  1866,  p.  669. 

t  Voy.  pittoresque,  lies  AliSoutiennes,  p.  15. 


I  f^ 


m 


292     ZALOpiirs  ("amkormamts — californian  sea  licx 

les  iiKMiiUrcs  imtc'iit'iiis  sont  iv;;iili«'is.  nlus  f;ran<ls  que  les  pos- 
terii'urs.     Ciii(|   nKlimciis  d'onjilcs  oceuiK'iit  I'cxtrouiitc  dcs 
l)liiiliiii;;('s,  ct  soiit  (h'honlo  par  line  larp'  IkuhIc  do  la  mom- 
braiic.     Les  picds  postpiicms  sont  iniiicos,  ayant  trois  onglcs  iui 
iuili<  i  ot  dciix  riidiinons  d'oiijiU's  internes  et  cxtcriios.    Cin([ 
festons  lanceolos  et  (Hroits  depasscnt  de  cinq  ;\  sex  ponces  les 
onj;les.     La  qiiene  est  trds-conrte.     l)es  cotes  de  la  Californie."* 
His  sole  reference  is  ''Jenne  Lion  niaiin  de  la  Californie,  Clioris, 
Voy.  pittoresq.,  pi.  11,"  and  his  descri])tion  seems  to  be  based 
wholly  npon  this  tignre.      Immediately  i)recedinj^  this  is  liis 
description  of  the  "  Otarie  do  Steller,  Otaria  tSicllcrii,  X. ;  Lion 
Marin,  Leo  marinus,  Steller,  <le  Bcstiis  Marinis,''^  etc.,  which 
closes  with  "Pentetre  I'Otarie  de  Steller  (!st-il  identiqne  avec 
I'Otarie  snivant  T'    While  it  may  be  nrged  that  the  IJumctopias 
steUeri  also  occurs  in  San  Francisco  Bay,  Choris  does  not  seem 
to  have  recognized  it  there,  while  he  did  observe  a  si)ecies  that 
seemed  to  him  [o  be  different  from  the  Sea  Lions  and  Sea  Bears 
of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  in  describing  these  differences  he 
has  indicated  most  clearly  the  distinctive  points  of  difference,  as 
seen  in  the  living  animals,  between  these  species.    Furthermore, 
it  turns  out  that  the  Zolophits  giUcsjiU,  auct.,  is  still  the  connnon 
species  of  that  locality  and  of  the  California  coast  generally. 
On  this  point  Mr.  Elliott,  who  has  had  amjde  opportunity  of 
observing  both  species  in  life, t  says:  "I  have  no  hesitation 
in  putting  this  Uumetopias  of  the  Prybilov  Islands  apart  from 
the  Sea  Lion  common  at  San  Francisco  and  Santa  Barbara,  as  a 
distinct  animal,''  but  adds,  "  I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  saying 
that  all  the  Sea  Lions  met  with  on  the  Californlan  coast  are  dif- 
ferent from  IJ.  stellcri  of  Bering  Sea.    I  am  well  satisfied  that 
stragglers  from  the  north  are  down  on  the  Farallones,  but  they 
are  not  migrating  back  an«l  forth  every  season;  and  I  am  fur- 
thermore certain  that  not  a  single  animal  of  the  species  most 
common  at  San  Francisco  was  present  among  those  breeding  on 
the  Prybilov  Islands  in  1872-'73."t 

If  I  am  right  in  (;onsidering  the  Zalophtis  gillespii,  auct.,  as 
identical  with  Otaria  caUforniana  of  Lesson,  of  which  I  think 
there  is  no  reasonable  doubt,  the  synonymy  of  this  species  bas 
narrowly  escaped  further  complications,  Dr.  Gill,  in  his  first 
mention  of   Uumetopias,  saying:    "Type,   Otaria  California^ 

*Dict.  class.  (VHlst.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  420. 

tl  liavo  ill  liand  colored  drawhjgs  of  both  species,  made  by  biiu  from  lift'i 
which  ho  has  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal. 
tCond.  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  p.  158. 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


293 


lxssou=  Atrtocfjthahts  monfericnHis  (U'liy."  But  lie  citos  as 
tviH>  (){'  Zaiophus,  ill  tlu'.  same  connection,  ^^  Otarla  Gillespii 
>[;i(lKiiii,"  and  subsequently,  in  tlie  same  paper,  so  character- 
i/cs  Ills  li'enera  EiimctopUix  iu\([  Zohphm  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
tliiil  Ennu'topUtH  relates  <o  the  Otdria  .sfelhfi.  of  .Aliiller,  and 
Zdlnphiistotha  OtarUi (jUlcHpll  ol'MMJain,  lie  further  says  that 
Ills  Jjiinrtnpias  adifonuanuH  '»is  identical  with  the  Otaria 
minifcriciisis  of  Gray,  and  jmssibly  also  with  Otaria  Stelleri 
Miiller."* 

The  Otaria  strllcri  of  the  Fauna  Japonica  is  unquestionably 
;i  Zalophiis  and  not  a  Eiimetopins,  but  is  probablj'  not  identical 
with  the  Zntnphm  of  the  California  coast,  although,  as  already 
stated,  so  considered  by  Peters,  t  N(>-  only  do  the  skulls 
lijiured  by  ;  •  niinck  show  that  the  species  is  not  Eumctopias 
stcllrri,  but  .  coin])arative  remarks  respecting  its  relationship 
t(i  <>.  jiiltnta  indicate  unmistakably  tlu^  same  thing.  Although 
I  at  one  time  acee[)ted  Teters's  deterinination  of  Tenuninck's 
Otnria  stelleri,  a  subsequent  examination,  in  the  light  of  nuu-h 
new  material  and  information,  has  led  nu'  t(»  doubt  its  correct- 
iioss.  Tlie  range  of  Zalaphiis  caliJ'oriiiainiN  {=fiillespii)  has  not 
liccn  reported  as  extending  northwanl  on  the  .Vuu'rican  coast 
licvniid  California,  and  no  si)eeimensof  this  sjiecies  (except  one 
citiMl  by  Cray,  the  identitication  of  which  seems  open  to  cpies- 
ti(in)  liave  been  thus  far  recognized  frjm  Japan  or  any  i)ortion 
of  the  Asiatic  coast.  Temminck,  with  good  series  of  the  Japan 
species  and  of  the  ZaJophnx  ?o/>«/«s  before  him  (he  seems  not  to 
liiive  had  the  true  E.  stelleri),  was  unable  to  recognize  any  ap- 
piwiable  differences  between  them.  In  comparing  his  Otaria 
utelleri  with  the  Otaria  australis  of  Quoy  and  Gainiard,  he  says: 
"Uii  crane  absolument  send)lable  A  celui  figur6  par  les  voyageurs 
(lout  nous  venous  de  i)arler  [Quoy  et  (iainuird]  a  et<5  ddcrit  sous 
le  uoui  d'Arctocephalus  iobatus,  par  Gray,  Spic.  ZooL,  1,  p.  1, 
pi.  4,  fig.  2  et  2  a;  ce  crane  provenant  de  la  collection  de  fen 
Biookes  fait  maintenant  partie  du  Musee  des  Pays-Bas ;  11  ne 
«'  distingue  en  effct  par  aucini  caracterc  essentiel  de  celui  do 


' I'roc. Essix  Inst.,  v,  1860, pp.  7, 11, and  IH  (footnote). 

tlVtiTs  says:  "  UobrigeiiS  zweillc  ioh  jetzt  utu'li  j^ar  uieht  luehr  dur.an, 
ilass  o,  friZ/icsjiH  Machain  und  (>.  ./"iw im  Schlogt-l  [Ms.  —  o.  stcllrri,  Fauna 
JaiKiiiicaJzudiTsellxMi  Alt  goliihon,  da  die  Schiidol  bcidcv  nichtallcin  indcr 
Form,  soiidi'in  aucL  in  dcr  Griisso  iuitciuandcr  ill)ori'iii8tinnn«Mi.  Denn  dor 
iilti'  Scliiidol  von  (>.  GiUk82>ii  ist  G."'  295  lang,  wuhrend  altc  Schiidol  dos 
Lciiliiicr  Musuunis  von  0,japonka  0.">  270  bis  0."'  :{10  lang  sivV—Monatab. 
Jhd.  ItciUn,  loGO,  p.  601). 


|i 


m 


ijj 


1 


294      ZALOPHUS   CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFORNIAN   SEA  LION. 

I'Otai'iu  iiiistrali.s  vt  <!('.  ceux  de  rOtarie  do  Stellcr,  tiros  do  nos 
individus  dii  Japon.  Le  Miisoe  des  Pays-Bas  onfiii  vieut  de 
recevoii",  coiiuno  nous  Tavons  constats  plus  liaut,  uu  tres-jouno 
individu  d'uuo  Otaiio,  prise  sur  les  lies  lloutman  pros  dc  la 
(!uto  occidentalo  do  la  KouvoUo  Ilollaudo,  ot  qui  nc  i)arait  dilU'ier 
ni  do  rOtario  australc  do  Quoy  ot  (Haiiuard,  ui  du  Lion  luaiiii  do 
StoUor.  11  parait  rosultor  de  cos  donuoos  que  I'Otario  do  HtoUor 
n'ha1)ito  pas  seuleinent  le  nord  de  I'oeoan  i)acifiquc,  mais  qu'elle 
se  tronvo  aussi  dans  les  parties  australes  de  cette  nier."*  It 
appeals  to  ine  probable  that  if  avo  eliange  tbe  phrase  '' I'Otaiio 
d(^  Stoller"  in  the  last  sentences  above  (luoted  to  read  Zalo- 
2)hns  lobdtHfi,  \Kii  have  the  case  correctly  stated.t  Indeed,  Gray, 
in  his  earlier  i)apers  (down  to  18G0),  positively  referred  the 
Otaria  stellcri  of  Teuuninck  to  his  ArctoccphaJus  lohafus.  Laterf 
he  says  it  "includes  both  the  Australian  Eared  Seals,  viz, 
Arctocephalus  cinereiis  and  Neophoca  lobata,'^  but  finally  §  doubt- 


*Fau!i.  .Ta]). .  Mam.  Marins,  p.  8. 

t.Just  what  T<'iiiiiiiii(-'k',s  young  skulls  relV-rred  to  Otaria  xtelhri  nvf  tii'vma 
uot  so  dear,  tliey  liaviiig  six  superior  molars  on  eaeli  side.  As  elsciwhorc 
stated,  I  have  found  snpernnmerary  molars  in  about  one  skull  in  ten  in  luliilt 
speeinieus  of  ZalophiiH  ralifoniiiiiius,  and  occasionally  in  other  species  ot 
Eared  Seals,  hut  Teniminck  describes  all  liis  four  young  skulls  as  liaviiii; 
each  six  superior  molars  on  each  side,  or  alveoli  indicating  Ihcir  reciiit 
jtresence,  but  the  probabilities  ari' entirely  against  the  sixth  being  shiioi- 
uunierary.  In  r<'ferring  tohis"0/«n'a  .s/c//cnV'he  says:  "la  sixieme  inolairi' 
do  hi  mAchoire  supdrienre  est  snjette  atomber  al'i^poqtie  de  rapparitioii  ties 
dents  permaiicnts,"  and  gives  this  as  one  of  the  characters  wliidi  dis'iii- 
guish  it  from  (),  jithata.  What  he  had  before  him  is  hard  to  recognize,  lor 
the  skulls  he  described  had  long  passed  the  age  when  all  traces  of  the  tiiii- 
porary  dentition  are  lost.  It  is  only  supposablt^  that  the  young  skulls  be- 
longed to  some  six-molared  species;  for  no  s[iecics  of  Otary  is  known  to 
lose  at  any  stage  the  hinder  pair  of  upper  permanent  molars,  and  thus 

undergo  a  change  in  the  dental  formula  from  M.  """*'  to  M.  ''~''.     .\t  om' 
"  *^  .'.  —  ,1  5  —  5 

time  (Bull.  Mas.  Comp.  Zoiil.,  vol.ii,  p.  (i'J)  I  thought  it  probable  that  tin- 
young  skull  liero  iigured  (as  well  as  the  other  young  skulls  Temminck  de- 
scribes) might  have  been  that  of  Callorhiiiua  nrsinux,  but  the  form  of  lln" 
nasals  and  the  frontal  extension  of  the  intermaxillaries  in  the  one  iigureil 
show  that  such  could  not  have  been  the  cise.  Dr.  Gray  at  one  time  re- 
ferred it  without  doubt  to  Archm'phalus  vincvvus,  which  is  prrdiably  its  cor- 
rect allocation,  although  later  he  doubtfully  assigned  it  to  his  Vhofardo^ 
cloiifiatuH  (Hand-List,  1874,  p.  31),  but  a  littlo  further  on  in  the  same  work 
(p.  4'2)  he  says,  ''lignres  '>  and  0  [of  Temniinck's  x>late  xxii]  are  evidently 
GjIpHdphora,''  but  thinks  they  may  belong  to  an  undescribed  species. 

{Snppl.  Cat.  Seals  ami  Whales,  1871,  p.  24. 

sU  land-List  of  Seals,  187(5,  p.  42. 


GKNERAL    HISTORY. 


205 


I'liUy  a('('(']»t(Hl  Pfttors's  reference  of  it  to  the  Zaiophus  (/iUespii. 
Peters  liiinself  (irst  (in  18(»7)  referred  the  species  (except  the 
\\<xmv  of  tlic  yonn.ii'  skulls)  to  Ztdophitft  lobafus,  wliicli  were  as- 
si,:iiie(l  to  Ar<f(HTj)li(this  cinrrciis,  Imt  later,  as  above  stated,  lie 
idciitil'u'd  it  with  Zaloplnis  nillcspii.* 

Tlie  references  to  this  species  are  still  very  few.  Aside  from 
Clioris's  account,  and  Lesson's  (based  on  Choris's)  and  Fischer's 
(based  ou  Lesson's)  and  Teinniinck's,  the  first  of  importanccis 
MMlaiu's  description  of  a  skull  from  California  in  1858,  which 
siu'ciiiien  was  redescribed  and  fi<:jured  from  a  cast  by  Gray,  in 
1859.  Dr.  G  ray,  as  late  as  1871,  t  appears  to  have  seen  only  this 
specimen,  but  in  1874|  cites  (without  full  description)  a  skull 
from  .lapan.§  Aside  ^ from  this  its  Japan  record  still  rests 
wholly  on  Dr.  Peters's  determination  of  "Schlegel's"  (/.  c, 
TciMiniiick'sil)  s]H'ciiin'ns  in  the  Leyden  Mnseiun.  Dr.  Gill,  in 
18(i(l,  liad  examined  a  skull  from  California  in  the  museum  of 
the  Siiiithsonian  Institution,  which  led  him  to  separate  the 
species  {>enerically  from  the  other  Eared  Seals.  This  skull, 
and  another  (beh)iij;injn'  to  the  mus(Mim  of  the  Chicago  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences),  also  from  California,  I  was  able  to  describe  in 
(li'taii  in  1S7().^|  These  Californian  skulls  sire  the  only  ones  thus 
far  described,**  but  Scammon,inhis  'IMarine  Mammalia,"  under 
the  name  "  Eiinietnpias  HtcUcri,^''  has  given  detailed  measure- 


*>[oii!itsl>.  (lor  Aknil.  dcr  Wiasensch.  zu  Boiiiii,  ISW),  (18()7),  pp.  27-<».  276, 
1)68. 

tSupid.  (.'lit.  Seals  and  \Vhalf\s.  y.  ys. 

t  Hand-List  of  Seals,  p.  41. 

v\"l.")89/).  Skull,  l'2i  iiu'lios  1<»U}>,  with  canimvsvoiy  large  ;  no  other  toetli ; 
110  lower  jaw ;  frontal  crest  very  high.     .Japan,  7;}.  W.  12. 1." 

II Dr.  Peters  cites  Sohlogel  as  the  author  of  that  p.art  of  tho  "Fauna  Ja- 
poniiir'  relating  to  tho  Mammals,  although  puhlished  as  "par  C.  J.  Tem- 
ininck."'  Mii.led  by  Peters,  I  made  the  same  enor  in  my  paper  on  the 
Eared  Seals,  puhlished  in  1870. 

1  They  were  not  tigured  in  the  regular  edition  of  my  paper  ou  tho  Eared 
Seals  (Bull.  Mus.  Comp.  Zool.,  vol.  ii,  No.  1),  hut  two  photographic  plates, 
ropreseutir.g  both  specimens,  were  added  to  a  few  of  the  author's  copies  (ahoat 
twcnty-iive),  which  were  scut  to  some  of  the  more  prominent  workers  in  this 
fitltl.  These  interpolated  plates  have  been  referred  to  by  Dr.  Gray  (Hand- 
List  of  Seals,  p.  42)  as  though  they  formed  a  part  of  tho  original  work. 

"*  During  the  last  year,  I  may  here  add,  as  an  indication  of  tho  amount  of 
material  relating  to  this  species  now  accessible,  that  I  have  examined  not 
less  than  a  dozen  skins,  representing  adults  of  both  sexes,  and  young  of 
various  ages  from  a  foetal  specimen  upward,  and  more  than  twenty  skulls, 
likoA\  se  embracing  young,  even  with  tho  milk  dentition,  and  both  sexes  of 
various  ages,  and  two  complete  skeletons. 


I  .^  I 


31 


(liTl 


i 


2^H]       ZALOPIIUS    CALIFOKXIANUS CALIKORNFAN  SKA    Ut)X. 

incuts  <»r  what  I  tak*'  to  he  ('xainph's  of  tliis  simtjcs  IVoiii  tlio 
Faralloiic  and  Santa  Uarbara  Islands.* 

IlAtUTS. — Several  more  or  less  fall  aeeonnts  ol"  (lie  iiabilsof 
liie  Calilbrnian  Sea  I^ions  liavi-  been  .iniNcn  by  (iin'erent  wiitcis, 
who  have,  however,  failed  to  distin;^nisii  tlie  two  species  occiu- 
rin,ij'  alon;^  the  ( 'alifoniian  coast,  and  conseiinentl.v  their  descrip- 
tions are  not  wholly  satisl'actory.  The  larj^e  Xortiiern  species 
certainly  (»ccnrs,  an<l  n-ars  its  yoiniji',  as  far  south  as  the  V,\v,\\- 
lones,  but  pi-obably  exists  there  only  in  small  numlicrs,  wliilc  I 
Imvo  seen  n«>  evidence  of  its  prescnc*'  at  Santa  liarbara  Island. 
Kven  Captain  Scannnon,  in  his  account  of  the  Sea  Lions  of 
California,  has  not  distintly  r«>co}inize<l  the  two  spe<ues  occin- 


*  Cai>laiii  t^oaminoii  publislu'd  his  liist  ai-coinit  ol'  I  lie  Si-a  l^ioiis  in  tlic 
"Ovi'vlaiul  .Mcintlily  "  iiiajia/iiio  (vol.  viii,  i)it.  *J()ii-"i7-',  Man'li,  lt*7'J),  in  an  m- 
ticlc  ciitiflt'il  ''Aliont  Sea  I^ions."  whicli  is  siilisfantially  tlic  same  as  Unit  in 
the  ••Marine  ^fanimalia,"  with  Ihc  oinissio'i  of  li;;iu'fs  and  aliont  two  lui^cs 
of  taliiilatt'tl  nicasurcnit'iits  and  other  details,  liascd  on  siiecinicns  siilisr- 
qucntly  obtained  at  llie  I'aralione  and  .Santa  ISarliara   Islands.      In  a  loot- 
note  in  the  ••Marine  Mammalia"  (|>.  l-"»),  he  refers  to  his  loimer  article  , 'is 
follows:    '•Since  the  )in1dii'ation  (d' the  article  'Almnt   Sea  J. ions,"  in  tln' 
'Overland  Monthly' of  .*»e)deinlier.   1-71  [/c'/c  ^larch.  1-T^Jl],  we  have  had 
opportunity  (d"  makiny;  additional   ohserva t ions  npon  these  ainmals  at  tlio 
Faralioue  Islands,  where  we  saw  the  largest  females  we  Inive  ever  met  with 
oi\  the  Califoriua  coast,     lleiici-,  what  we   have  formerly  taken  to  hv  the 
Eumvtoputu  StelUri  may  prove  to  lie  the  /.(ilophiin  (Ullixpii .*;  hnt  if  snchhe  the 
fact,  Ixdli  s[)ecies  iidiahit  the  coast  of  California,  at"  least  as  far  south  as 
the  Farallones.     Moreover,  both  species,  if  we  may  be  allowed  the  expres- 
sion, herd  tojietlier  in  the  .same  rookeries.     On  niakin<;'  ii  series  of  olKserva- 
tions  npon  the  ontwavd  forms  of  Sea  Lions,  it  will  he  foiuul  tlnit  a  confusing 
variety  exists  in  the  lif^nres  of  these  very  interesting  animals,  especially  in 
the  shape  of  the  head — sonft^  having  u  slinrt  muzzle  with  a  full  forehead 
lEitmctopias  gteUeril;;   others  with  forehead  and  nose  somewhat  elongated 
[_Zalophun  (aHfornianus=gillciipi,  auct.] ;  and  still  others  of  a  moditied  shape, 
between  the  two  extremes  [£.  stellcri,  female?].''    In  this  eonuection  it  may 
he  noted  that  four  of  the  five  specimens  of  wliicli  Captain  Scaranion  gives 
measurements  in  the  "Marino  jVIammalia,"  were  taken  a//crthe  imhlicatiou 
of  the  article  in  the  "Overland  Monthly,"  namely,  No.  1,  "lull-grown  male," 
Farallones.  July  17,  187*2;  No.  3,  male  "about  ten  mouths  old,"  Santa  Bar- 
bara Island,  April  4,  187'2;  No.  1  his,  female,  supposed  to  he  a  yearling,  ami 
No. 2  bis,  female,  new-lxu'ii  pup,  same  locality,  May  3, 1873.     The  other,  No.',* 
(referred  to  in  the  "  Overland  Monthly"  paper),  adult  female,  Santa  Barhaia 
Island,  April  I'i,  1871.     The  first  (No.  1,  full-grown  male)  I  refer  with  little 
hesitation  to  L\  stellcri,  and  the  second  (No.  2,  adult  female),  to  Z.  culij'or- 
niamis,  especially  as  I  lind  skulls  in  the  National  Museum,  receive  J  from 
Captain  Scammon,  agreeing  respectively  with  these  in  locality,  sex.  and 
age. 


i:  II 


HABITS. 


207 


iiii;;  tlu'ic,  uiul  hits  (U'S('iii)ti()ii  doubtless  ioIVts  in  ])art  to  botli 
s]M'(its.  hut  nnquostiouahly  n'latos  nuiinly  to  t'  .'.  prcscul  one* 
Ill's  ••Sketch  of  !i  .sciiiliuH'  srasou  u[>oii  Santa  llarbara  Island," 
ill  isr>i,'.  ])i(>siMnabVv  relates   exclusively  to    ZnlopliiiN   nilifoi- 
nidiiiis, ]ni{  in  addition  to  this  I  <]uote  a  few  paiaj^rajdis  IVoni 
his  jicueral  account  of  "the.  Sea  Lion,"  since  it  is  the  testimony 
of  a  trust\v(U'tiiy  ey«'-\vitiu\ss.     "On  approachinji' an  ishind,  <»r 
point,  occupied  by  a  luunerous  herd,"  he  observes, '-one  tirst 
lioais  their  ion<>-,  ]>laintive  howHn<is,  as  if  in  distress;  but  when 
near  theia,  tlie  sounds  beconu^  more  varied  and  deafoninj?.    The 
old  males  I'oar  so  loudly  as  to  drown  the  noise  of  the  licaviest 
suit  anionj;'  the  rocks  and  caverns,  and  the  younger  of  both 
sexes,  together  with  the  'chipnuitches,'  croak  lioarsely,  or  send 
I'ortli  sounds  like  the  bleating  of  shee])  or  the  barking  of  dogs; 
ill  fact,   their  tumult  nous  utterances   are  beyond  description. 
A  lookery  of  matured  animals  presents  a  feroci  us  and  deliant 
appearance:  but  usually  at  the  aiijn'oaeh  of  man   they  become 
alariiicd.  and,  if  not  opposed  in  theii-  escape,  roll,  tumble,  and 
soiuctiaies  make  fearful  leaps  from  high  i»recii)itous  rocks  to 
hasten  their  tiight.     Like  all  the  others  of  the  Seid  tribe,  they 
are  iiiegaricms,  and  gather  in  the  largest  numbers  during  the 
•pujiping  season,'  which  varies  in  different  latitudes.     On  the 
(.'aiiluiiiia  coast  it  is  from  May  to  August,  inclusive,  and  upon 
ilie  shores  of  Alaska  it  is  said  to  be  from  June  to  October,  dur- 
ing vliich  period  the  females  bring  forth  their  young,  nurse 
them,  associate  with  the  valiant  males,  and  both  unite  in  the 
cai'o  of  the  little  ones,  keeping  ii  wary  guard,  and  teaching 
them,  by  their  own  parental  actions,  how  to  move  over  the 
biokoii,  slimy,  rock-bound  shore,  or  upon  the  sandy,  jiebbly 
beaches,  and  to  dive  and  gambol  amid  the  surf  and  rolling 
ground-swells.    At  first  the  pups  manifest  great  aversion  to  the 
water,  but  soon,  instinctively,  become  active  and  playful  in  the 
element;  so  by  the  time  the  season^is  over,  the  juvenile  crea- 
tines disappear  with  the  greater  portion  of  the  old  ones,  only 
a  tew  of  the  vast  herd  remaining  at  the  favorite  resorts  through- 
nut  the  year.    During  the  pupping  season,  both  males  and  fe- 
males, so  far  as  we  could  ascertain,  take  but  little  if  any  food, 
l»ai  ticularly  the  males,  though  the  females  have  been  observed 

Tliiii  (Jiijilai]!  ScinTiiiioii  eoiifduudiMl  tlic  two  species  of  Nmtiiern  Sf«i 
Liiiiis  iscviilciij  not  only  from  his  imlilislicd  \vniin;js,  lint  (Vomi  Iiis  Inivinjj; 
TniiistDitii'il  1(1  ilic  \;ilioii:il  Musemn  spi-cinieiis  of /?; /');»/!/(.•*  fi-oni  Siiiilu  IJar- 
''iii'ii  Miuiil,  laliellcd  by  liini  "  /■himetopinx  Htcllcri." 


I  '  I 


!        :t'l 


fM 


Ill 


298       ZALOPHUS   CALIFORNIANUS — CALIFORNIAN  SEA  LION. 


I|i 


to  leave  tlieir  eli<ii'<ies  iiiul  f-o  oil",  apparently  in  seareli  of  sub. 
sistenee,  Imt  lliey  <lo  not  venture  far  from  tlieir  youn;^  (uii's. 
That  the  Sea  Li.)n  eaii  j;o  without  food  for  a  lonj;  time  is  im. 
quei-'^ionahle.  One  of  tliesni)erint<'n(h'nts  <»f  Wootlwanl's  (iitr- 
(lens  informed  me  tliat  in  mniierons  instances  they  liad  received 
Sea  Lions  into  the  a(inarium  which  did  not  ear  a  morsel  of  ikhu 
ishment  durinji' a  whole  month,  and  appeared  to  snfler  but  little 
inconvenience  from  tln'ir  lon}^'  fast. 

"As  the  tinn'  ai)])roaches  for  their  annual  assemhlajic.  tliose 
returning;"  or  eonunj;"  from  abroad  are  seen  near  tlie  sIku'cs.  ;i])- 
pearing  wild  and  shy.  Soon  aft«'r,  however,  the  females  jfiitlier 
upon  the  beaches,  cliffs,  or  rocks,  when  the  battles  anion;;  the 
old  males  beyin  for  the  suiu'eme  control  of  the  harems;  tiiese 
struggles  often  lasting  for  days,  the  tight  iK'ing  kejtt  up  until 
one  or  both  become  exhausted,  but  is  renewed  again  when  siit- 
ticieutly  recuperated  i'ov  another  attack:  and,  really,  the  atti 
tiules  assumed  and  the  passes  made  at  each  other,  equal  the 
ampliticiition  of  a  professional  fencer.  The  combat  lasts  until 
both  beconu'  disabled  or  one  is  driven  from  tlie  ground,  or  i)ii 
haps  both  become  so  reduced  that  a  third  party,  fresh  from  his 
winter  migration,  drives  them  from  the  coveted  charge.  The 
vanquished  ainmals  then  slink  off  to  some  retired  spot  as  if  (lis 
graced.  Nevertheless,  at  times,  two  or  more  will  have  <'liar;;( 
of  the  same  rookery;  but  in  such  instan<'es  frecpient  dcliiuii 
growlings  and  petty  battles  occur.  So  far  as  we  have  observed 
upon  the  Sea  Lions  of  the  Calitbrnia  coast,  there  is  but  little  at 
tachment  manifested  between  the  sexes  ;  indeed,  much  of  tin 
Turkish  nature  is  apparent,  but  th(!  tV'males  show  some  atl'cr 
tiou  for  their  offspring,  yet,  if  alarmed  when  ui)on  the  lan(l,tbt,v 
will  instantly  desert  them  and  take  to  the  water.  The  youiij; 
cubs,  on  the  other  hand,  are  the  most  fractious  and  savage  little 
creatures  imaginable,  especially  if  awakejicd  from  their  uoaiiy 
<50utinuous  sleeping;  and  ^equeiitly,  when  a  mother  reclines  t« 
nurse  her  single  whelp,  a  swarm  of  others  will  ]ierhaps  couteml 
for  the  same  favor. 

"  To  give  a  more  detailed  and  extended  account  of  tbo  Sim 
Lions  we  will  relate  u  brief  sketch  of  a  sealing  season  on 
Santa  Barbara  Island.  It  was  near  the  end  of  INIay,  i^'*-- 
when  we  arrived,  and  soon  after  the  rookeries  of  'dapmattiios. 
which  were  scattered  around  the  island,  began  to  angniint. 
and  large  numbers  of  Inige  males  made  their  appearauie. 
belehi'^  forth  sharp,  ugly  howls,  and  leaping  out  of  or  <li»t 


i  .n« 


HABITS. 


299 


iiiii  tliroii};!!  tlic  water  with  sur[>iisin|4'  velocity,  frequently 
(liviii;;  dill  side  the  rollers,  the  next  Tiioment  cmerginjj  from 
tilt'  crest  ol'  the  foiiiniii;;  breakers,  and  waddlin*;'  up  the 
hcacli  with  head  ereet,  or,  with  seeiiiiiiy  elfort,  cliiabinj^-  some 
ki'lp  rriii.i;<'d  rock,  to  doze  in  the  scorchin<;'  sunbeams,  while 
(itlicrs  would  lie  sleeping  or  playing  among  the  beds  of  sea- 
weed, with  tlit'ir  heads  and  outstretched  limbs  above  the  sur- 
liice.  l>ut  a  few  days  elapsed  before  a  general  contention  with 
the  iidiilt  males  began  for  the  mastery  of  the  difi'erent  rooker- 
ies, and  tlie  victims  of  the  bh)ody  encounter  were  ♦^o  be  seen  on 
all  sides  of  the  island,  witJi  torn  lips  or  mutilated  limbs  and 
j,'ashed  sides,  while  now  and  then  an  unfortunate  creature 
would  l>e  met  with  minus  an  eye  or  with  the  orb  forced  from  its 
socket,  and,  together  with  other  wounds,  presenting  si  ghastly 
appeanmce.  As  the  time  for  'hauling-up'  drew  near,  the  island 
hecaine  one  mass  of  animation ;  every  beach,  rock,  and  cliff, 
wlieie  a  seal  could  find  foothold,  became  its  resting-place,  while 
a  countless  herd  of  old  males  capped  the  summit,  and  the 
united  elamorings  of  the  vast  assemblage  could  he  heard,  on  a 
calm  day,  for  miles  at  sea.  The  south  side  of  the  island  is  high 
ami  precipitous,  with  a  projecting  ledge  hardly  perceptible 
from  the  beach  below,  upon  which  one  immense  Sea  Lion  man- 
aged to  climb,  and  there  remained  for  several  weeks — until  the 
.season  was  ovei*.  How  he  ascended,  or  in  what  nmnner  he  re- 
tired to  the  water,  Avas  a  mystery  to  our  numerous  ship's  crew, 
as  he  came  and  went  in  the  night;  for  'Old  Gray,'  as  named 
by  till'  sailors,  was  closely  watched  in  his  elevated  position  dur- 
ing the  time  the  men  were  engaged  at  their  work  on  shore.* 

••None  but  the  adult  males  Avere  captured,  AA'hich  was  usually 
(lone  by  sliooting  them  in  the  ear  or  near  it;  for  a  ball  in  any 
other  i)art  of  the  body  had  no  more  effect  than  it  would  in  a 
Grizzly  Bear.  Occs^pionally,  however,  they  are  taken  with  the 
flub  and  lance,  ordy  shooting  a  few  of  the  masters  of  the  herd. 


"  *  Ifcltitive  to  the  Sea  Lions  leaping  from  giddy  heights,  an  incident  oe- 
ciutimI  at  Santa  Barbara  Island,  the  last  of  the  season  of  l&ij2,  which  we 
will  here  mention.  A  rookery  of  abont  twenty  individuals  was  colle<;ted 
nil  iho  brink  of  a  precipitons  clift",  at  a  height  at  least  of  sixty  feet  above 
the  Kicks  which  shelved  from  the  beach  below ;  and  our  party  were  sure 
ill  their  own  minds,  that,  by  surprising  the  animals,  wo  could  diivo  them 
over  tlu'  clift'.  This  was  easily  accomplished ;  but,  to  our  chagrin,  when  wo 
arrived  iit  the  point  below,  where  we  expected  to  find  the  huge  beasts  heli)- 
lessly  iinitilatcd,  or  killed  outright,  the  last  animal  of  the  whole  rookery 
was  seen  plunging  into  the  sea."  , 


aOO      ZALOPHUS    CALIKORNIANUS — CALIFJKNIAN  SKA  LION. 


.1;: 


This  is  easily  accoinplisiicd  witii  an  cxpniciiccd  crew,  if  (licro 
is  siilliciciit  ^^roiind  liaok  IVoiii  the  beach  for  tiie  animals  (ore- 
treat.  Durinu,'  our  stay,  an  instanei'  oeeurred,  which  not  only 
displayed  the  saj;aeity  of  1  he  animals,  hut  also  their  yieldinj; 
disposition,  when  hard  i)ressed  in  certain  situations,  as  it'  nat- 
nrally  desij;ned  to  he  slain  in  nund)ei's  e(|ual  to  the  demands  of 
their  human  pursuers.  On  the  south  of  Santa  Uarhaia  Islmid 
was  a  i)lateau,  elevated  less  than  u  hu'ulred  feet  above  the  sea, 
«tretchin;;'  to  the  brink  (d"  a  <'lill'  that  overhunj;'  the  slum",  and 
a  narrow  ^orp!  leadinjn'  up  from  the  beach,  throuj;h  which  the 
animals  crowded  to  their  favorite  restinj^-jdace.  As  the  sun 
4lil)ped  behiiul  the  hills,  lifty  to  a  hundred  males  would  conjLiU'- 
gate  upon  the  spot,  ami  there  remain  until  the  boats  were  low- 
ered in  the  morning,  when  inunediately  the  whole  herd  would 
(puetly  slip  oil"  into  the  sea  and  gand)ol  about  (bu'ing  the  day, 
returiung  as  they  saw  the  boats  again  h'ave  the  island  for  the 
ship.  Several  unsuccessful  attempts  had  been  made  to  take 
them  ;  but  at  last  ti  fresh  breeze  connneiKH'd  blowing  directly 
from  the  shore,  and  inevented  their  scenting  the  hunters,  who 
landed  some  distance  from  the  rookery,  then  cautiously  ad- 
vaui'ed,  and  suddenly  yelling,  and  nourishing  muskets,  clubs, 
and  lances,  rushed  up  within  a  few  yards  of  them,  while  tlic 
pleading  creatures,  with  lolling  tongues  antl  glaring  eyes,  were 
quite  overcome  with  dismay,  aiul  remained  nearly  motionless. 
At  last,  two  overgrown  males  broke  through  the  line  fornicd 
by  the  men,  but  they  paid  the  i)eualty  with  their  lives  befoir 
reaching  the  water.  A  few  moments  passed,  when  all  hands 
moved  slowly  toward  the  rookery,  which  as  slowly  retreated. 
This  maneuvro  is  termed  '  turning  them,'  ami,  when  once  aecoin 
plished,  the  di.sheartened  creatures  appear  to  abandon  all  hope 
of  escape,  and  resign  themselves  to  their  fate.  The  herd  at 
this  time  numbered  seventy-five,  which  vffire  soon  dispatched, 
by  shooting  the  largest  ones,  and  clubbing  and  lancing  tlie 
others,  save  one  young  Sea  Lion,  which  was  spared  to  see 
Avhether  he  would  make  any  resistance  by  being  driven  ov^^r 
the  hills  beyond.  The  poor  creature  only  moved  along  throngh 
the  prickly  pears  that  covered  the  ground,  when  compelled  by 
his  cruel  pursuers ;  and,  at  last,  with  an  imploring  look  and 
writhing  in  pain,  it  held  out  its  fin-like  arms,  which  Avere  pierced 
with  thorns,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  touch  the  symx)athy  of  tbc 
barbarous  sealers,  who  instantly  pnt  the  sufferer  out  of  its  mis- 
ery by  a  stroke  of  a  heavy  club.    As  soon  as  the  animal  is 


irAHITS. 


301 


killed,  tlu'  l<)ii},'t'st  spiiL's  of  its  whiskers  ur*;  i)iilkMl  out,  tlu'ii  it 
is  skinned,  sinU  its  coatinj;'  of  fat  cut  in  sections  from  its  body 
and  lr!ins)»orte(l  to  the  vessel,  wliere,  after  Iteinji'  'minced,'  the 
oil  is  cxlriicted  hy  boilinj;.  TIh'  testes  are  taken  out,  and,  with 
Ihc  selccitsl  spires  of  whiskers,  lind  a  market  in  China — the 
former  bciuj;'  used  luedieiually,  and  the  latter  for  personal  (una- 
iiicnts. 

'•At  the  <'lose  of  the  season — which  hists  about  three  nuinths, 
(111  the  Californiu  coast — a  hirge  majority  of  the  ^jreat  herds, 
both  males  and  fcuudes,  return  to  the  sea,  and  roam  in  all 
directions  in  quest  of  food,  us  but  few  of  them  could  find  sus- 
tenance about  the  waters  contijjuous  to  the  islands,  or  points 
on  tlic  mainland,  which  are  their  annual  resortiiig-places.  They 
live  upon  fish,  mollusks,  crustaceans,  and  sea-fowls;  jilways 
with  the  atldition  of  a  few  pebbles  or  smooth  stones,  some  of 
which  are  a  pound  in  weight.*  Their  principal  feathery  food, 
jiowever,  is  the  penguin  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  and  the 
ii\\\h  in  the  northern ;  while  the  manner  in  which  they  <lecoy 
and  catch  the  gaviota  of  the  Mexican  and  California  coasts  dis- 
plays no  little  degree  of  cunning.  When  in  pursuit  the  animal 
dives  deeply  under  water  and  swims  some  distance  from  where 
it  disappeared  ;  then,  rising  cautiously,  it  exposes  the  tip  of  its 
nose  above  the  surface,  at  the  same  time  giving  it  a  rotary  mo- 
tion, like  that  of  a  water-bug  at  play.    The  unwary  bi;d  on  the 


"  "Tlio  cnoinions  (luantity  of  food  wliich  would  bo  required  to  niaintaiu 
the  liord  of  luaiiy  thousands,  which,  in  former  years,  annually  assembled 
at  the  siiiiill  ii^land  of  Santa  Barbara,  would  seem  incredible,  if  they  daily 
obtained  the  aliowance  given  to  a  male  and  female  Sea  Lion  on  exhibi- 
tion at  Woodward's  Gardens,  San  Francisco,  California,  where  the  keeper 
iufornicd  me  that  ho  fed  them  regularly,  every  day,  forty  pounds  of  fresh 
fisb " 

[That  the  destruction  of  fish  by  the  Sea  Lious  on  the  coast  of  California 
is  very  great  is  indicated  by  the  following  item,  which  recently  went  the 
rounds  of  the  newspapers:  "In  a  recent  meeting  at  San  Francisco  of  the 
Senate  Committee  on  Fisheries,  the  State  Fish  Commissioners,  and  a  com- 
mittee representing  the  fishermen  of  the  coast,  the  question  as  to  the  destruc- 
tive iterfoniiances  of  the  sea-lions  in  the  harbor  was  actively  discussed. 
One  of  tlie  fishermen's  representatives  said  that  it  was  estimated  that  there 
were  "25,000  sea-lions  within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles,  consuming  from  ten  to 
fiuf y  poiiiuis  each  of  fish  per  day ;  the  sea-lions  were  protected  while  the 
tishennen  were  harassed  by  the  game  laws.  Another  witness  declared  that 
salmon  captured  in  the  Sacrameuto  river  often  bore  the  marks  of  injury 
from  sea-lious,  having  barely  escaped  with  life;  but  it  was  supposed  that 
the  sahiioii  loss  frequently  fell  victims  to  vue  amphibian  than  did  other 
fiHhes  that  cannot  swim  as  fast."— CoMn/cy,  January  26,  1878.] 


\m 


\m 


302      ZALOI'JIUS  CALIFUliNIANL'.S — t'ALiroWNlAN  SEA  LION. 


'$. 


wing,  seoiiijj  tlio  nh]vt'\  near  hy,  alif^hts  to  catch  it,  while  the 
Soa  Lion  at  the  saiia^  moment  setth's  beneath  the  waves,  and 
at  one  bound,  witli  extended  Jaws,  seizes  it.?  screaming  piey, 
and  instantly  di'vonis  it.[*] 

"A  few  years  ago  great  inimbers  «)l'  Hea  Lions  were  taken 
along  the  coast  of  ri>i)er  and  Lower  Califwnia,  and  thousniuls 
of  barrel."^'.  «»f  oil  obtaine»l.  The  luimber  of  Seals  slain  exclu- 
sively for  their  oil  would  appear  fabulous,  when  we  realize  the 
fact  that  it  requires  on  an  average,  throu^'hout  th(^  season,  the 
blubber  of  three  or  four  Sea  Li(uis  to  i>roduce  a  barrel  of  oil. 
Tlieir  thick,  coarse-grained  skins  were  not  considered  worth 
preparing  foi-  market,  in  a  country  where  manual  labor  was  so 
highly  valued.  At  tlu'  present  tiuu',  however,  they  are  valued 
for  glue-sto<k,  ami  the  seal-hunters  now  realize  nunc  compara- 
tive protit  from  the  hides  tiiau  from  the  oil.  But  while  thf 
civilized  sealers,  plying  their  vocation  along  tluf  .seaboard  of 
California  an<l  Mexico,  destroy  the  Lobo  marhio,  for  the  product 
of  its  oil,  skin,  testes,  and  whiskers,  the  simple  Aleutians  of 
the  xVlaitka  region  derive  from  these  aniuuils  many  of  their  in- 
di.spensablo  articles  of  domestic  u.se ''t 

To  Captain  Scammou's  graphic  accov.nt  1  add  a  few  Ihiesfroni 
the  jM'u  »)f  a  uon-scientilic  writer  respecting  the  Sea  Lions  of 
the  l-'arallones:  ''Tiie  Sea  Lious,  which  congregate  by  thou- 
sands upon  the  clitfs,  and  bark  and  howl  and  .shriek  and  roar 
in  the  caves  and  upon  the  steep  sunny  sloi)es,  are  but  little  dis- 
turbed, and  oni'.  can  easily  approach  them  within  twenty  or 
thirty  yards.  It  is  an  extraordinarily  interesting  sight  to  see 
these  nmrine  nion.sters,  many  of  them  bigger  than  an  ox,  at 
lilay  in  the  .surf,  and  to  watch  the  superb  .skill  with  which  they 
know  how  to  control  their  own  motions  when  a  huge  wave 
seizes  them,  and  .seems  likely  to  dash  them  to  pieces  against 
the  rocks.  They  love  to  lie  in  the  sun  upon  the  bare  and  warm 
rocks ;  and  here  they  slec]),  crowded  together,  and  lying  uiiou 
each  other  in  inextricable  confusion.  The  bigger  the  animal 
the  greater  his  ambition  appears  to  be  to  climb  to  the  highest 
summit ;  and  when  i  huge,  slimy  beast  has  mth  infinite  squirm- 
ing attained  a  solitary  peak,  he  does  not  tire  of  raising  his 

[*  This  account  appeared  originally  in  Captain  Scammon's  aceomit  ot'tlio 
"  Islands  oft"  tlio  West  coast  of  Lower  California,"  in  J.  Eoss  Browne's  "Be- 
sources  of  the  Pacific  Slope, '  second  part,  p.  130  (1869),  and  has  been  quoted 
by  Mr.  Gurucy  in  the  "  Zoologist "  for  1871,  p.  2762.  ] 

t  Marine  Mammalia,  pp.  130-135. 


{!^'^' 


IIAIMTH. 


303 


.sIiiM'|)  |H)iii(<'*l,  iiiii^;;(>t-lik<>  Iiciid,  aiui  (HiiiipIiU'ciitly  looking 
iiltoiil  liim.  Tlu'.V  lire  n  r(ni;;li  s«'t  of  brutes, — liink  Imllics,  I 
>limil(l  sii.v ;  lor  I  liiivc  wiitcln'tl  lliciii  rcpciitcilly,  as  a  hi;;- Cci 
low  slioul(U'i«'<l  Ills  way  amoiiin'  liis  rdlows,  iraicd  liis  liii;;c  IVont 
loiiiliiiiidatc  soiiu' It'ssci'seal  wliicli  had  scciin'd  a  Cavorilt'  spot, 
1111(1  liist  with  howls,  and  if  this  did  not  sulU(;(>,  with  tciith  and 
iii:iiii  luivc,  cxpt'lli'd  the  weakiT  IVoiii  his  hid;;iiu'iit.  The  sinalh'r 
Svii  liioMs,  at  h'ast  those  whi<'h  liave  h'I't  their  mothers,  api)ear 
tit  liiive  no  ri;ihts  whii '  any  one  is  honnd  to  respect.  Th»'y  get 
out  of  tlie  way  witli  abject  promptness,  whicli  proves  that  thoy 
live  in  terror  of  the  stron^^er  mend)ers  of  the  community;  but 
tlicy  d(>  not  ^-ive  up  their  idaees  without  liarsli  comphiint  and 
pitcoas  ;;roans."* 

Dr.  John  A.  Veatch,  in  his  account  of  the  (!erros  or  Cedros 
Island,  situated  otVtlu^  coast  of  Lower  California  (between  the 
paiidlels  of  -ISO  an<l  L*tf°),  doubtless  refers  to  this  species  under 
the  niiiue  of  Otarinjiihafii.  1  le  says :  "  He  [the  Sea  LionJ  is  more 
piolilic  [than  the  Sea  Klephant],  and  there  are  fewi-r  induce- 
iiiciits  for  his  destruc^tion.  lie  is,  however,  by  no  means  beyond 
(luii^icr  from  the  oil-man.  At  certain  seasons,  when  the  Lion 
clianccs  to  have  a  little  fat  on  his  bones,  lu;  is  shiughtered 
most  mercilessly.  Fortunately  for  him  his  skin  is  nearly  worth- 
liss,  ())•  there  wouhl  be  double  in<lucen)ent  for  his  <le.strnction. 
Toward  the  north  end  of  tho  island  there  is  a  great  breeding- 
lila( .'  for  these  animals.  It  is  a  small  bay,  two  or  three  miles 
in  It  iiutli,  and  perhaps  three-lburths  of  a  mile  in  breadth,  sur- 
iouikUmI  on  the  land  by  a  perpendictUar  cliff,  and  on  the  ocean- 
si(U'  by  a  belt  of  kelp.  It  is  thus  protected  both  iron;  winds 
and  waves.  It  is  bordered  with  a  sandj'  beach,  some  200  i)aces 
ill  bicadth.  The  access  by  land  is  exceedingly  difllicult,  auvl  can 
only  be  gained  by  careful  clambering  down  where  breaks  and 
fissincs  olfer  hand  and  foot-hold.  This  sequestered  and  quiet 
jtlaco  is  tlu^  comfortable  and  appropriate  resort  of  the  lionesses 
to  bring  forth  and  rear  their  young.  It  is,  indeed,  a  great  seal- 
musery.  ]\[y  first  visit  to  this  interesting  locality  was  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  month  of  July  [1859].  Seals,  in  countless 
nnnihc-^s,  literally  covered  the  beach.  They  were  of  every  con- 
ceivable size,  from  the  young  ones,  seemingly  a  few  days  old, 
111)  to  the  full-grown  animal.  So  unconscious  of  danger  were 
the  little  ones,  that  they  scarce  made  an  eflfort  to  get  out  of  the 

'Cliark's  Nordboff,  "Tho  Farallou  islands,"  iu  Harper's  Magazine,  vol. 
xlviii,  p.  620,  April,  1874.    . 


m 


304      ZALOPIIUS  CALIFORNIANUS CALIFOKNIAN  SEA  LIOX. 

way.  I  ]»i('1<('(l  nj  niiiiiy  of  tlicni  in  my  liunds;  after  a  brief 
sH'u;^gl(',  tilt'  litrk'  captive  Avould  yield,  aiul  socincd  to  foai-  iin 
furtlicr  liann.  iruiidiods  slept  so  soundly  that  I  rolled  tlicm 
over  belong  they  could  be  induced  to  open  their  jireat  l)al)y 
eyes.  AVhile  thousands  slept  and  basked  on  the  shore,  nn 
e<iual  nundjer  floated  lazily  in  the  water,  or  di])pe<l  and  divcil 
about  in  sport. 

"The  mother-seals  wen;  nun'e  timid  than  their  youn<^'.  hut 

'  se<'nied  less  alarmed  tlian  surprised  at  my  approach.     The  look 

I  of  startled  inquiry  was  so  human  and  femiidne — nay,  ladylike. 

that  I  felt  like  an  intruder  o/  the  jn-ivaey  of  the  nursery. 

'     "1  could  not  discover  any  individual  claim  set  up  by  the 

-  mother  for  any  particular  little  lion,  but,  like  a  great  socialistic 

comnuinity,  maternal  love  seemed  to  l)e  joint-stock  property, 

and  each  infant  communist  had  a  mother  in  every  adult  feinnle. 

"The/«f/<r/-,5  of  the  great  fiimily  appeared,  in  i)oint  of  lauii- 
bors,  to  be  largely  in  the  minority;  counting,  as  I  judged,  not 
the  hundredth  part  of  the  adult  auinuils.  A  few  beardeth 
growling  old  fellows  tumbled  about  in  the  water,  yelling  and 
howling  in  a  most  threatening  manner  at  me,  antl  ai)proat'liin<!: 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  I  stood.  A  pebble  tossetl  at  one  of 
them,  however,  would  be  answered  by  a  plunge  beneath  the 
surface  antl  reappearance  at  a  safer  distance. 

"  I  witnessed  an  unexpected  act  of  tenderness  on  the  part  of 
one  of  thehugest  ami  most  boisterous  oltl  threateners  for  a  little 
cue  that  seemetl  to  claim  bim  for  papa.  He  was  blowing  and 
screaming  at  me  fearfully,  when  a  young  one  at  my  feet  hus- 
tled into  the  water,  glidetl  off  to  the  old  one,  and,  childlike, 
jdacetl  its  mouth  up  to  his.  The  okl  savage  ceasetl  his  noise, 
returning  the  caress,  and  seemed,  for  several  seconds,  to  forget 
his  wrath  at  the  unwelcome  intruder.  This  show  of  affection 
saved  his  life.  I  was,  at  the  moment,  rifle  in  hand,  waiting  a 
chance  to  dislocate  his  neck.  I  wantetl  the  skull  of  an  otariii 
for  my  collection,  and  his  huge  size  suggested  him  as  an  appro- 
priate victim.  I  at  once  lost  all  murderous  desire,  antl  left  him 
to  the  further  enjoyment  of  paternal  felicity. 

"  The  noise  antl  uproar  of  the  locality  can  scarcely  be  im 
agiued.  A  huntlretl  thousand  seals  grunting,  coughing,  and 
shrieking  at  the  same  instant,  made  a  idioeine  pandemoniuui 
I  shall  never  forget.  I  will  observe  here  that  the  male  was 
four  times  as  large  as  the  female."* 

•     *  J.  Eoss  Browne's  Kesources  of  tlio  Pacific  Slope.     Sltetcliof  tUe  SeUk- 
ment  ami  Exploration  of  Lower  Californiaj  1869,  p.  150. 


HABITS. 


305 


]\Ir.  Elliott,  in  referring  to  the  differences  between  the  Cali- 
fornian  and  Alaskan  Sea  Lions,  calls  attention  to  the  dissimi- 
larity of  their  voices.  The  Northern  Sea  Lion,  he  says,  "  never 
l)iuks  or  howls  like  the  animal  at  the  Farallones  or  Santa 
Barbara.  Young  and  old,  both  sexes,  from  one  year  and  up- 
ward, have  only  a  deep  bass  groicl,  and  prolonged ,  steady  roar; 
while  at  San  Francisco  Sea  Lions  break  out  incessantly  with 
a  •honking'  bark  or  howl,  and  never  roar.^''* 

The  Califoruian  Sea  Lion  is  now  a  somewhat  well-known 
animal  with  the  public,  various  individuals  having  been  at 
(lirt'v '('lit  times  on  exhibition  at  the  Central  Park  Menagerie  in 
New  Tork  City,  and  at  the  Zoological  Gardens  at  Philadel- 
l)liia  and  Cincinnati,  as  well  as  Woodward's  Gardens  in  San 
Francisco.  They  have  also  formed  part  of  the  exhibition  of 
(litt'oront  travelling  shows,  especially  that  of  P.  T.  Barnum. 
Tlicy  liave  also  been  carried  to  Europe,  where  examples  have 
lived  for  several  years  at  the  Zoological  Gardens  of  London, 
Paris,  and  elsewhere.  Their  peculiar  "honking"  bark,  re- 
ft'ired  to  by  Mr.  Elliott,  is  hence  not  unfamiliar  to  many  who 
have  never  met  with  the  animal  in  a  state  of  nature.  Their 
various  attitudes  and  mode  of  life  on  the  Farallones  have  also 
hcon  made  familiar  to  many  by  the  extensive  sale  of  stereo- 
scopic views  of  the  animals  and  their  surroundings.  The  Sea 
Lions  that  have  been  exhibited  in  this  country  all,  or  nearly 
all,  1)eloiig  to  the  present  species,  although  often  wrongly 
lal»elle(l  '•'  J^Hinetopias  steUeri?  The  true  B.  stelleri  ha»,  how- 
ever, at  least  in   one    instance,  ?'3en    exhibited  in  Eastern 


cities. 

Tlie  Californian  Sea  Lion  seems  generally  not  to  suffer  greatly 
in  health  by  confinement,  if  properly  cared  for,  although  deaths 
from  tuberculosis  have  repeatedly  occurred.  They  are  always 
objects  of  great  attraction  to  visitors,  and  various  accounts  of 
their  habits  in  confinement  have  been  published.  Mr.  Heniy 
Lee,  in  referring  to  two  that  had  been  for  a  short  time  at  the 
Brijiliton  (England)  Aquarium,  says:  "They  have  grown  so 
miu'li,  and  are  so  plump  and  sleek,  that  a  visitor  seeing  them  now 
[February,  1870]  for  the  first  time  since  the  day  of  their  arrival, 
^ould  hardly  recognize  in  them  the  pair  of  lean,  ill-conditioned 
animals,  with  ribs  as  visible  as  those  of  an  old  cab-horse,  which 
waddled  out  of  their  travelling  crates  to  follow  Lecomte  and  a 
herring  on  the  13th  of  October  last.    What  their  rations  had 

*  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  p.  158. 
IMisc.  Pub.  No.  12 20 


& 


306     ZALOPIITTS  CALIFORNIANUS CALIFORNIAN  SEA  LION. 


been  since  they  left  tlieir  home  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  I  am 
inclined  to  suspect  it  was  often  like  a  midshipman's  half-pay, 
'  nothing  a-day,'  and  as  they  had  no  means  of  '  tindinjj  them- 
selves,' they  probably  had  many  a  '  banyan  <lay '  wliilst  on  their 
way  to  Euroi)e.     Fortunately  their  capability  of  fasting  is  very 
great.    Mr.  Woodward,  the  proprietor  of  '  \\'oodward's  har- 
dens,' San  Francisco,  with  whcm  1  have  recently  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  becoming  ac«puiinted,  tells  mc  that  in  numerous  instances 
he  has  receive*!  sea-lions  which  have  not  eaten  a  morsel  dur- 
ing a  whole  month,  and  appeared  to  suffer  little  inconvenience 
in  c(»n8e(iuence.    Fearing,  however,  that  it  would  tell  injuriously 
upon  the  health  of  one  which  persiste<l  longer  than  usual  in 
toUil  abstinence,  he  had  the  beast  lassoed  and  held  fast  whilst 
food  was  forced  into  its  stomach  down  an  india-rubber  hose- 
pipe.   As  the  males  are  believed  to  take  no  sustenance  for  three 
or  four  months  together  during  the  breeding-season,  this  was 
probably  unnecessary.    We  had  no  trouble  of  this  kind  with 
ours.    They  ate  with  appetite  immediately,  and  although  when 
they  arrived  they  looked  like  the  omnibus  horses  in  Punch, 
which,  as  their  driver  informed  an  outside  passenger,  had  been 
fed  on  butter-tubs,  and  showed  the  hoops,  ^nom  avons  change  tout 
celaJ    Nearly  half-a-hundredweight  of  fish  a  day  for  the  last  six- 
teen weeks  has  been  gradually  converted  into  sea-lion  flesh  and 
blubber,  and  the  result  is  apparent  in  the  greatly  increased  size 
and  weight  of  these  valuable  animals.    Herrings  and  sprats 
are  the  food  which  thej^  like  best,  and  wliich  we  prefer  to  give 
them,  both  because  they  are  very  nutritious,  and  because,  as 
they  are  netted  flsh,  there  is  no  fear  of  their  containing  hooks. 
When  herrings  cannot  be  obtained,  whiting  are  generally  sub- 
stituted ;  but  these  have  to  be  opened,  one  by  one,  and  care- 
fully searched  for  fish-hooks  which  may  have  been  left  in  tlieiu; 
for  it  may  be  remembered  that  the  first  Otaria  possessed  by  the 
Zoological  Society  died  in  great  pain,  hi  1867,  from  having  swal- 
low^ed  a  hook  which  had  escaped  discovery  among  its  food. 
As  these  animals  do  not  masticate,  they  are,  of  course,  unable 
to  detect  and  nyect  from  the  mouth  any  foreign  substances  con 

cealed  within  the  body  of  a  fish When  one  of  the 

sea-lions  takes  a  flsh  from  his  keeper,  the  head  is  no  sooner  inside 
its  mouth  than  the  tail  disappears  after  it,  before  one  can  say 
the  proverbial '  Jaek  Robinson'.  There  is  not  a  moment's  i)au.se 
for  deglutition ;  one  after  another  the  flsh,  whole  and  unbitteu, 
disappear  from  sight  as  instantaneously  as  so  many  letters 


IIAHITS. 


307 


slii»i)('»l  into  a  ])illai-box.  It  is  therefore  easj'  to  administer 
physic  wiuMiever  iiiedicnil  treatment  may  be  thouj^bt  desirable; 
iiiid  tiic  necessity  for  it  has  occasionally  occurred.  Soon  after 
her  arrival  the  female  exhibited  symptoms  of  distemper,  a  dis- 
ease to  which  these  animals,  like  dojis,  are  liable "* 

In  cai>ti\  ity  these  animals  appear  to  become  stronjjfly  attached 
to  each  otlier,  so  much  so  that  in  case  one  of  a  pair  dies,  the 
other  is  very  apt  to  die  soon  after,  of  {j^rief.  They  have  also 
been  known  to  i)voi)a}iate  in  continement,  an  instance  of  which  is 
related  by  ]Mr.  F.J.  Thomi)Son  in  his  interestiuj^  paper  recently 
jmblishcd in  "Forest  and  Stream,"  on  "Tlu*  Habits  and  Breed- 
iiij;  of  the  Sea  Lions  in  (Japtivity,''t  based  on  observations 
made  at  the  Zooloji^ical  Garden  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  As  his 
pa]»er  contains,  besides  a  general  account  of  the  habits  of  these 
iiiterestin}>-  animals,  several  novel  points,  I  give  it  place  iu 
full : 

"In  the  early  part  of  June,  1877,  I  went,  sent  by  the  Zoolog- 
ical Society  of  Cincinnati,  to  Chicago  to  receive  some  black 
sealions  {ZaJophm  yiUespiei)  which  had  arrived  there  from  the 
southern  coast  of  California.  On  my  arrival  I  found  that  the 
female  had  calved  on  the  jjrevious  night,  therefore  thought  it 
Inist  to  lie  over  for  a  day  in  order  that  the  yoiing  might  acquire 
a  little  extra  strength  to  bear  the  fatigue  of  the  railway  journey 
to  Cincinnati.  They  all  arrived  iu  the  garden  in  fine  condition, 
but  had  to  be  kept  in  their  shipping  crates  for  the  first  few  days, 
until  an  old  beaver  pond  could  be  arranged  as  temporary  quar- 
ters for  them,  while  the  large  basin  intended  for  their  perma- 
nent home  could  be  built.  During  this  time,  on  account  of 
ii  liea\y  freshet  in  the  Ohio  River,  the  water  iu  the  pond  became 
(luite  muddy,  whi(!h  attected  them  so  nmch  that  they  were  un- 
alilc  to  retain  their  food,  invariably  vomiting  up  their  fish  some 
one  or  two  hours  after  feeding.  By  giving  small  doses  of  Ro- 
ehelle  salts  for  a  few  days,  all  recovered,  but  the  calf  «lied  from 
a  violent  attack  of  cholera  infantum,  caused  no  doubt  by  its 
mother's  milk  being  affected  by  the  nviddy  water. 

"A  sliort  time  before  th(^  calf  was  taken  sick  my  attention 
was  attra(^ted  to  the  pe(;uliar  appearance  of  the  mother  on 
t'meri.ii|o  from  the  water  after  taking  her  customary  bath. 
She  was  <'on'pletely  covered  with  a  whitish  oleaginous  sub- 
stance, about  the  consistency  of  semi-fluid  lard,  which  seemed 


}  ' « I 


"  Land  and  Water,  Feb.  5,  1876,  p.  104. 

t  Forest  and  Stream  (uowspaper),  vol.  xii,  p.  66,  Fob.  23,  1879. 


m^ 


308      ZALOPIIUS  CALIFORNIANUS CALIFORNIAN  SEA  LION. 


to  ooze  out  all  over  her.  As  soon  as  she  got  into  the  crate 
with  the  young  one,  she  eonnnenced  rolling-,  so  that  in  a  sliort 
time  the  young  one  and  the  inside  of  the  crate  were  eoniph'tcly 
covered  with  it.  The  (.'alf  seemed  to  enjoy  it  hugely,  and  rolled 
about  until  his  coat  glistened  as  if  he  had  just  left  the  hands  ot 
a  first-class  tonsorial  artist.  It  instantly  struck  me  that  hi.s 
mother  had  been  i)re])aring  him  for  the  water,  and  I  inninMli- 
ately  tested  the  matter  by  taking  him  out  ard  i)lacing  him  on 
the  edge  of  the  pond,  when  in  a  few  monu-nts  he  began  to  i)a(l- 
die  about  in  the  water,  something  he  had  never  before  attemi)te(l 
altl  tough  he  had  been  almost  daily  placed  in  the  same  posi- 
tion. 

"As  soon  as  the  large  basin  was  completed,  and  they  were 
transferred  to  it,  I  had  a  fine  opportunity  of  observing  the 
tyrannical  attentions  of  the  male  toward  the  female  <luring  nit 
ling  season.  He  constantly  swam  back  and  forth  along  the 
partition,  which  separated  him  from  another  male,  fre(iiiciitly 
emU'avoring  to  get  through,  splintering  and  tearing  the  niils 
with  his  powerful  canine  teeth.  If  the  female  attempted  to 
approach  the  division  she  was  immediately  forcibly  <lriven  back, 
when  he  would  redouble  his  eflbrts  to  get  through,  barking  iiiid 
roaring  as  if  beside  himself  with  rage.  This  would  be  kcj)!  up 
until  late  at  night,  when  the  female  was  allowed  to  go  into  the 
house  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  basin,  when  he  would  follow 
and  place  himself  immediately  in  the  doorway  so  as  to  ]>r('veiit 
her  egress.  Tie  never  8e<'nie<l  to  sleep  soundly,  rm  he  invaria- 
bly kei)t  up  {ii  series  of  grunts  and  muffled  roars,  as  if  he  were 
fighting  his  battles  over  again  in  his  slee]).  1  would  frequently 
annoy  him  by  stealing  up  softly  and  then  su«ldenly  scrapinj; 
the  gravel  with  my  foot,  when  ho  would  instantly  stai"t  up, 
plunge  into  the  basin,  swim  rapidly  back  and  forth,  barkinjr 
with  all  his  might,  until  he  was  satisfied  there  was  no  interloper 
about,  when  he  would  sullenly  return  to  his  post  .and  gradu- 
ally drop  off  again  into  his  troubled  sleep.  Frequently  at 
night  the  two  males  would  climb  to  the  roof  of  the  house, 
and  in  their  efforts  to  get  at  each  other  through  the  i)artitioii. 
would  raise  such  a  din  that  persons  living  at  quite  a  distance 
from  the  garden  would  frequently  ask  me  the  cause  of  the 
uproar. 

"At  the  end  of  some  two  months  there  was  a  change,  when 
the  female  commeiiced  jilaying  and  coquetting  with  the  inale, 
frequently  pinching  him  so  sharply  as  to  make  him  snarl  with 


lUl 


HABITS, 


309 


■  ■  a  i  i 


jtiiiii,  iiiul  if  lie  seemed  to  be  much  out  of  humor  she  would 
s(»(>tlu>  him  by  swimmiiijj;  up  and  jiivinj?  him  a  goo«l  old-fiwh- 
ioiM'd  conjuf'al  kiss.     Finally  they  quieted  down  to  the  hum- 
(liniii  of  regular  wedded  life,  and  early  in  October  I  noticed 
tliiit  the  female  was  suffering  from  a  violent  catarrh,  which 
(jiiidually  disappeared,  followed  by  a  dry  cough,  particularly  at 
nifilit.    It  was  in  INIarch  when  I  first  thought  she  showed  signs 
of  i>regnancy,  and  in  May,  from  her  appearance  when  out  of 
the  water,  I  became  convinced  of  it.    On  Juiu^  25  the  young 
OHO  was  born,  nuiking  the  period  of  gestation  as  nearly  as  I 
could  judge  about  ten  months,  and  it  was  some  days  before  the 
nutther  would  allow  me  to  handle  it,  and  when  I  did  succeed  in 
so  doing  it  was  always  at  the  risk  of  getting  a  nip,  as  he  was 
certainly  the  most  ill-tempered,  snarling  little  brute  with  which 
11  dry  nurse  could  be  vexed.    I  soon  found  out  that  there  was 
hut  one  way  of  handling  him  with  impunity,  and  that  was  by 
suddenly  catching  him  just  back  of  the  tlippers  and  <iuickly 
lifting  him  clear  of  the  floor,  when  he  would  snap  and  struggle 
for  a  few  moments  and  then  quietly  give  up.    I  frnpiently  took 
hiiu  out  of  the  liouse  for  the  purpose  of  showing  him  to  friends, 
and  for  the  first  three  or  four  weeks  he  never  made  the  slight- 
est attemi)t  to  get  into  the  water,  Jilthough  I  invariably  j)laced 
him  on  the  lip  outside  of  the  door  and  loosed  my  hold  in  order 
that  he  could  be  fully  seen.    During  this  period  the  mother 
was  let  out  for  a  bath  twicje  daily,  and  after  she  had  played 
ahout  as  long  as  she  wished  she  wouhl  swim  uj)  to  the  closed 
door,  rear  up  on  the  sill  and  beUow  until  she  was  allowed  to 
jict  in  to  her  calf.    Invariably  in  the  morning,  so  soon  as  I 
would  start  across  the  bridge;  in  order  to  turn  her  out,  the  male 
would  swim  up  to  the  door  and  await  her  appearance,  always 
exacting  his  morning  kiss  before  he  would  allow  her  to  plunge 
into  the  water.    After  playing  with  her  for  a  few  minutes  he 
would  coinnience  sentry  duty,  back  and  forth  along  the  parti- 
tion, (M'casionally  making  fierce  rushes  if  the  other  approached 
too  near  to  it. 

"In  the  nieauwhile,  as  the  young  one  never  showed  the 
slightest  inclination  to  go  into  the  water,  in  spite  of  frequent 
"Iiportunities  to  do  so,  I  began  to  watch  for  a  second  appear- 
iiiicc  of  the  oleaginous  matter.  During  the  fifth  week  after 
hirtli,  on  going  into  the  house  one  morning,  I  found  marks  of 
U'east'  in  every  direction,  and  the  youngster  shone  as  if  he  had 
just  emerged  from  an  oil  tank.    Taking  a  bucket,  I  filled  it  with 


1'  "..! 


:/,?.: 


•n:i 


!  .;* 


m 

mm 


ml 


310      ZALOIMIUS  CAr.irOKNIANM'S CALIFOKXIAN  hK\  LIOX. 

water,  ]>liU'o«l  it  in  his  way,  and  lie  iiiinie<llately  sUwk  liis  liejul 
to  the  bottom  of  it.  »^'arinf!;  an  accident,  as  the  water  in  the 
basin  only  reached  within  abont  a  Coot  ()f  the  toi>ofthe  lij)  suv- 
ronndin;;'  the  house,  I  had  the  carpenter  c«)nstnu't  a  sniall. 
shallow,  woodi'n  tank  inside  tlu^  lar«;er  one,  with  a  slopinji' plat- 
forni  leadinji'  into  it.  So  soon  as  the  door  was  opened  connect- 
ing with  it  he  followed  his  mother,  and  in  a  short  time  was 
liaving  high  Jinks  swimming  an<l  diving  to  his  full  bent.  Wiion 
he  tired  he  woahl  <piietly  rest  in  the  water  with  liis  head  l.viii},' 
across  his  mother's  neck,  or  he  would  scrandde  up  on  tlu'  plat- 
form, stretch  himself,  have  a  short  na]),  and  then  connneiicc 
his  play  again.  So  soon  as  I  thought  he  had  gained  sunicicnt 
strength  the  small  taidv  was  removed,  and  he  was  allowed  the 
run  of  the  larger  one,  when  his  woiulerful  swimming  jtowers 
cam*'  into  full  i)lay.  I  have  freciuently  seen  him  dash  olf  with 
such  velocity  that  the  water  would  ])art  and  tly  from  each  side 
of  his  neck.with  a  fairly  hissing  sound.  Again  he  wouhl  dive, 
and  then  suddenly  make  a  succession  of  salmon  like  leaps  witli 
such  rajtidity  that  I  could  easily  imagine  with  what  little  dif- 
ficidty  he  would  be  able  to  capture  the  swiftest  of  tish.  One  of 
the  favorite  ways  of  annising  himself  was  by  taking  a  chip— 
several  of  which  were  always  kept  in  the  basin — out  on  the  lip, 
lying  on  his  back,  and  playing  with  it  with  front  flippers  and 
month,  almost  precisely  as  an  infant  Avould  act  with  a  (!onniioii 
rattle.  At  first  he  was  rather  shy  of  the  old  male,  but  gradu- 
ally took  the  greatest  delight  in  swimming  about  with,  and 
trying  to  indnce  him  to  join  in  a  game  of  romps;  but  the  old 
fellQW  was  proof  against  all  his  wiles,  and  always  good-na- 
turedly endeavored  to  get  rid  of  him. 

"I  noticed  that  the  female's  cough  <lisappeared  imitiediately 
after  the  birth  of  the  young  one;  but  about  the  nuddle  of 
August  both  her  appetite  and  actions  became  variable,  soim' 
days  feeding  and  seeniing  lively  as  usual,  on  others  she  would 
either  take  but  little  or  entirely  refuse  her  food.  Slie  grachi- 
ally  grew  worse  until  Septend)er  8,  when,  on  going  to  the 
basin  in  the  morning,  I  missed  her,  and  found  the  male  busily 
engaged  in  diving  just  at  one  i)articular  si)ot.  lie  liiially 
succeeded  in  bringing  the  body  to  the  surface,  and  wh«'u  the 
keepers  attemjjted  to  remove  it  he  repeate<lly  charged,  and  it 
was  only  by  great  care  and  watchfulness  that  they  avoided 
being  bitten.  On  dissection  it  was  found  that  tuhercuhmi^ 
that  scourge  of  all  zoological  collections,  was  the  cause  of  her 
death. 


ITAIJITS. 


311 


''Till'  youn}?  one  did  not  seem  to  notice  tlic  loss  ot'liis  niotlier 
until  about  twenty-four  liours  alter  her  death,  when  ho  com- 
uiciued  to  sidk,  and  obstinately  rel'nsed  to  eat,  in  spite  ol' every 
ctVort  and  stratej^ein  to  induce  him  t*»  do  so.  lie  jrradually 
wasted  away,  and  linally  died  of  .starvation  on  October  10, 
liaviiij;  viciously  attempted  to  bite  me  a  few  hours  before  his 
death. 

"  The  old  male  f>Tieved  so  over  the  loss  of  his  mate  that  for 
8onit'  time  T  was  afraid  we  would  lose  him  also,  and  at  the  end 
ofabour  six  weeks  he  became  so  thin  that  1  thouj'ht  it  best  to 
remove  him  to  a  small  tank  in-doors.  Since,  he  has  been  improv- 
iaS'  slowly  \\\)  to  within  ten  days,  since  when  he  shows  a  marked 
iiiiinovement." 

The  Otaries,  wherever  occurring,  ai^pear  to  closely  aj^ree  in 
their  habits,  especially  durin}^  the  breeding  season.  As  au 
interesting  supi)lement  to  the  history  of  the  two  Northern  spe- 
cies of  Sea  Lions  already  given  J  transcribe  the  following 
concise  account  of  the  great  Southern  Sea  Lion  {Otaria  ju- 
bnta),  based  on  recent  observations  made  at  the  I'^dkland 
Islands,  without, however,  endorsing  the  author's  "ballasting" 
theory : 

"The  Sea  Lion  attains  its  full  growth  at  nine  years,  and 
annually  <'omes  back  to  the  place  it  was  born  to  breed  and  shed 
its  hair.  The  former  o])eration  occurs  between  the  25th  of  Decem- 
l)er  and  the  15th  of  January,  the  latter  in  April  aiiviMay.  The 
Lions  connnence  to  arrive  at  their  'rookery'  in  November  to 
wait  for  the  females^  who  do  not  haul  up  until  within  two  or 
three  days  of  pui)ping.  They  are  fatter  at  this  time  than  at  any 
other,  and  have  to  take  in  a  quantity  of  ballast  to  keep  them 
down,  without  which  they  could  not  dive  to  catch  tish.  1  have 
opened  them  at  this  time,  and  found,  in  a  pouch  they  have  in- 
side, ui)wards  of  twenty-five  pounds  of  stones,  some  as  large  as  a 
goose-egg.  As  they  get  thin  they  have  the  power  of  throwing 
these  stones  up,  retaining  only  a  sufiicient  quantity  to  keep 
them  from  coming  up  too  freely  to  the  surface. 

"They  are  very  savage  in  the  breeding-season,  and  are  con- 
tinually lighting,  biting  large  pieces  out  of  esieh  other's  hide, 
and  sometimes  killing  the  females.  At  this  time  they  become 
an  easy  prey  to  man,  as  they  will  stand  and  be  killed  without 
trying  to  get  away. 

"The  Lioness  has  her  first  pup  at  ttiree  years  of  age,  never 
more  than  one  at  a  time,  and  comes  up  to  have  intercourse  with 


iiilll 


I't  1 


li   I   *i 


ti    !, 


i 


312 


GENUS    CALLDUIIINUS. 


the  Lion  at  two,  and  as  soimi  as  tho  pup  is  born Tlioy 

suckle  their  yoniij^  five  niontlis  before  they  are  taken  to  tlic 
sea,  by  which  time  the  pu]*  lias  shed  its  first  liair.  Ilef'on-  tlic 
mother  takes  her  pup  to  lish  she  has  to  ballast  it,  and  I  have 
seen  a  Lioness  tryinj;'  for  hours  to  make  her  pup  swallow  small 
stones  at  the  water's  edye. 

"The  female  keeps  her  pu])  with  her  until  two  or  three  weeks 
before  the  next  breedinji-season,  when  she  drives  it  from  licr. 
About  this  time  the  yearlin{j[8  will  be  found  some  few  miles 
from  the  old  rookery.  .  .  . 

"  The  Lions  stay  as  lon^'  as  two  months  on  shore,  dr.riiiff  the 
breeding-season,  without  going  into  the  water.  During  that 
time  their  fat  gives  them  suttieient  nourishment.  After  the 
season  is  over  some  of  them  are  so  thin  and  weak  that  they 
are  but  Just  able  to  crawl  into  the  water.  I  have  killed  them  iu 
this  state,  and  not  one  particle  of  stone  have  I  found  in  them."* 

Genus  CALLOKHINUS,  Gray. 

CallorhinuM,  Guay,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Loud.,  1859,  359.    Type  ''Arctocephahs 

iirainiix,  Gniy,"  —I'hoca  umiia,  Linii*^. 
Arctocephalm,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Institute,  v,  18(56,  7,  11.     Typo  "  Vhoca 

umina,  Liimu'UH."    Not  Arciocephalm,  F.  CuviiT,  IHiM. 

Molars  ~,  small.  Facial  portion  of  skull  short,  broad,  con- 
vex, and  but  slightly  depressed ;  nasals  short,  rapidly  narrow- 
ing posteriorly.  Palatal  surface  short,  narrowed  behind,  with 
the  hinder  border  rather  deeply  concave.  Toe-flaps  very  loiij;,— 
nearly  as  long  as  the  rest  of  the  foot. 

CaUorhinuSy  in  coloration,  character  of  the  pelage,  size,  ;;eu- 
eral  form,  and  dental  formula,  is  rather  closely  allied  to  Arcto- 
cephalus,  from  which,  however,  it  is  readily  distinguished  by  the 
form  of  the  facial  portion  of  the  skull,  which  in  Arctocephalus  is 
narrower,  longer,  and  much  less  convex,  with  much  longer  na- 
sals. From  the  other  genera  of  the  Otaries  it  is  distinguish- 
able not  only  by  coloration  and  the  character  of  the  pelago,  but 
by  its  weaker  dentition,  and  the  strongly  marked  cranial  <lifler- 
ences,  which  are  too  numerous  and  obvious  to  require  detailed 
enumeration.  It  is  the  only  North  American  genus  which  has 
the  upper  molars  (5 — 0. 

Very  young  skulls  and  skulls  of  females  of  the  different  spe- 
cies of  Otaries  differ  from  each  other  very  little  in  general  form, 
and  in  some  cases  are  not  readily  distinguishable,  especially  in 

*  Lf'tter  from  Captain  Henry  Pain,  of  the  8.  S.  "  Scanderia''  to  Mr.  F.  Cole- 
man of  the  Falkland  Islands  Company,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  IH72,  pp. 
681.(582. 


CALLORIIINUS   URSINUS — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL.      313 


fiiiuics.  Tn  iill,  tho  intiu'orbital  rejj^iou  in  relatively  broad  and 
slioir,  ami  becomes  relatively  more  and  more  narrowed  and 
k'li^tlu  iie«l  in  the  adnlt.  In  yonnjf  speeimenH,  and  always  in 
till'  t'ciiijiles,  except  in  Arcfocrplialufi,  the  mastoid  processes  re- 
luiiiii  almost  wholly  nndeveloped.  Amon^jf  the  North  American 
species,  EumetopinH  is  easily  re(;o.<;-ni/ed  at  any  aj;e  by  its  dental 
loriuula  and  larjje  size.  Tho  yonng  and  females  of  GaUorhhius 
and  ZitlophuN  are  easily  separated,  aside  from  diil'erences  of  den- 
tition, by  the  shape  of  tho  mnzzle,  bnt  especially  by  the  aseend- 
iufi  limb  of  the  intermaxillary.  In  Zalophtifi  it  gradnally  nar- 
rows posteriorly  and  ends  in  a  slender  point  near  the  middle  of 
the  nasals.  In  Cnllorhinns  it  widens  posteriorly  and  ends  ab- 
ruptly (piite  near  the  anterior  border  of  tho  nasals. 

Tlie  (listribntion  of  the  genus  is  almost  exactly  the  same  as 
that  of  Eumetopim, — namely,  the  shores  of  the  Noi  th  Pacitic, — 
and,  like  that  genus,  is  represented  by  only  a  single  species, 
the  well-known  Alaskan  "  Fur  Seal." 

CALLORHINUS  URSINUS,  (Unne)  Gray. 

Northern  Fur  Seal;  Sea-Bear. 

rmt8  mariniiit,  Stkller,  Nov.  Comm.  Acad.  Petrop.,ii,  1751,  3;51,  pi.  xv. 

I'hova  iim)ni,  Linn6,  Syst.Nat.,  i,  1758, 37  (from  Stellcr).— Sciireber,  Siin<^th., 
iii,  1758,  289.— SiiAW,  Gon.  Zool.,  i,  1800,  2^5,  pi.  Ixii.— Godmax, 
Amor.  Nat.  Hist.,  i,  1826,  346  (in  part). — Fischer,  Synop.  Mam., 
IH29,  231.— Pallas,  Zoog.  Rosso-Asiat.,  i,  1831,  102. 

Oiamurnina,  P^ron,  Voy.  Terr.  Anstr.,  ii,  1816, 39,  41.— Desmarest,  Nouv. 
Diet.  Hist.  Nat.,  xxv,  1817,  595 ;  Mam.,  i,  1820, 249.— Harlan,  Faun. 
AniPT.,  1H25,  112.— Gray,  Griffith's  Cuvicr's  An.  Kingd.,  v,  1829, 
lt<2.— Hamilton,  Marino  Ampbii>.,  1839,  253,  pi.  xxi. — Nilsson, 
Arch.  f.  Naturg.,  1841, 331  (in  part  only).— MOller,  Arch.  f.  Naturg., 
1841,  333.— Wagner,  Schreber'sSiingt.,  vii,  1846,  65  (in  part  only) ; 
Arch.  f.  Naturg.,  1849,  39. — Von  Sciirenck,  Amur-Lanrte,  i,  1859, 
189. 

Phoca  {Otaria)  ursina,  RicnARDSON,  Zoiil.  Beechoy's  Voy.,  1839,  6. 

Oiaria  {VuUorhinus)  ursinua,  Peters,  Mouatsb.  Akad.  Berlin,  1866,  373,  672. 

Arctoccphahia  ur8inu8,  Lesson,  Man.  de  Mam.,  1827,  203. — Gray,  Cat.  Seals, 
1850,  41  (not  of  F.  Cuvier,  or  only  in  part) ;  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond., 
1859,  103,  107,  pi.  Ixxiii  (skull). — Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Institute,  v, 
18(i6,  13.— Scott,  Mam.  Recent  and  Extinct,  1873,  8.— Clark,  Proc. 
Zoiil.  Soc.  Loud.,  1878,  271,  pi.  xx  (colored  figures  of  male,  female, 
and  young). 

Callorhiniw  iirdnus,  Gkay,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1859,  ;}59,  pi.  Iviii  (skull) ; 
Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  44,  fig.  16  (skull) ;  Ann.  and  Mug.  Nat. 
Hist.,  3d  ser.,  xviii,  1866, 234 ;  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  15 ; 
Hand-List  Seals,  etc.,  1874,  32,  pi.  xix  (skull). — Allen,  Bull.  Mus. 
Couip.  Zoiil.,  ii,  73,  pU.  ii,  iii  (skull,  etc.).— Scammon,  Marino 
Mamni.,  1874, 141,  pi.  xxi,  figg.  1, 2,  and  ligg.  1-6  in  text  (animal). — 
Elliott,  Cond.  Aftairs  in  Alaska,  1874,  123.  •» 


i  r:  l 


314     CALLORIIINUH   IIRSINUS NORTHERN    FUR   SEAL. 


"1 


Phma  niijrii ,  Pai.i.as,  Z(>o>f.  R<mHn-AHiat.,i,  1h:U,  107  (yoniij;). 

Otaria  knulivnnUiikowl,  liKssoN,  Diet.  CIuhh.  il'lliHt.  Nut.,  xiii,  18!i8,  ■l',JO(a 

Umus  murinuH,  Sti-lltT. 
1  Olttria  fabncii,  Lkssox,  Diet.  CIiihm.  d'HiMt.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  419  {=Phm 

iirxiiiii,  FaUriciiis,  F.  Gnuiil.  (5 — "(Jn't-iiland"). 
AretoccpluiluH  monlrrie.im,  Ohay,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Load.,  1857,  :U50  (in  part 

only). 
ArctoccphuluH  mli/orniaiiun,  GliAY,  Cat.  Seals  and  Wlialos,  Mki,  51  (in  part 

only  =  J.  moiitiriniKiM). 
McerbUr,  Steli.kii,  UfHchri-ib.  von  Hondorban-n  McorthitTen,  175H,  lf>7. 
Le  Chut  marhi,  Kkaschennimkow,  Hist.  Kanitsch.,  i,  I7t)4,  :{l(i, 
Oiirn  marin,  Huffox.  Hist.  Nat.,  Siippl.,  vi,  178'2,  'A'M),  pi.  xlvii  (in  part). 
Ursine  Sml,  1'ennant,  Synop.  Quad.,  1771,  :{44  (liasod  mainly  on  8ti<ller); 

Hittt.  Quad.,  ii,  17y:{,  281  (in  i»art). 
Fur  Seal,  Scammon,  Ovt-rland  Monthly,  iii,  18(51),  :}93  (babita). 

DESCRIPTION.* 

Color.— (il/ir/Ze.) — Tlu*  jjeiieral  color  above,  except  over  the 
shoulders,  i.s  nearly  black,  varying  in  different  individuals  of 
equal  age  I'rouj  nearly  pure  bljick  to  rufo-grayish  blsMjk.  Over 
the  shoulders  the  color  is  quite  gray.  The  sides  of  the  nose  and 
the  lips  are  brownish,  as  is  a  considerable  splice  behind  the  angle 
of  the  mouth,  and  a  small  spot  behind  the  ear.  The  neck  in  front 
is  more  or  less  gray.  Tae  breast  and  the  axilliB  are  brownish- 
orange.  The  limbs  are  reddish-brown,  especially  near  their 
junction  with  the  body,  as  is  also  the  abdomen.  The  hairs  in- 
dividually vary  considerably  in  color,  some  being  entirely  blaek 
nearly  to  their  base,  .and  others  entirely  light  yellowish -brown; 
others  are  dark  in  the  middle  and  lighter  at  ea<;h  end.  The  uakeil 
skin  of  the  hind  liuibs,  the  nose,  and  the  anal  region  is  black. 

{Female.) — The  general  (!olorof  the  female  is  much hghter than 
that  of  the  male.  Above  it  is  nearly  uniformly  gray,  va^.^^ngto 
darker  or  lighter  in  different  individuals  and  with  age.  The 
color  about  the  mouth  is  brownish,  varying  to  nifous,  of  which 
color  are  the  axillse,  the  breast,  and  the  abdomen.  The  .sides 
are  brownish-gray.  At  the  base  all  the  hairs  are  iisually  brown- 
ish, like  the  under-fur,  with  a  broad  8ubt«rmiual  bar  of  black, 
and  tipped  for  a  greater  or  less  distance  with  gray.  The  vari- 
ation in  different  individuals  in  the  general  color  results  from 
the  varying  extent  of  the  gray  at  the  ends  of  the  hairs. 

*  The  ttichuical  matter  here  following  includes  that  previously  given  in  my 
former  paper  on  the  Otariidce,  with  here  and  there  slight  verbal  changes,  and 
t^  o  addition  at  a  few  points  of  considerable  new  matter,  especially  in  the 
tables  of  measurements,  which  are  based  almost  wholly  on  an  examination 
of  new  material.  The  remarks  on  individual  variation  might  be  arapUnea 
by  reference  to  many  other  specimens,  but  this  has  not  been  thought  neo- 
'essary. 


Ifl 


PKI.AOE. 


315 


(  Yiiiinfi.) — Tln'  ;,f<'ii('ral  color  of  tlu*  iii)|M'r  Nurfiiceof  the  boily  in 
tin'  yoiiii;;-,  previous  to  tlii'  first  moult,  is  uiiilbrmly  {{lossy  l>la(!k. 
Tilt'  It  >;ion  iii'ouml  tlu'  mouth  is  ycllowisli  l)rown.  The  neck  in 
Irtiiit  is  yiayish-l»hu'k.  Tluj  axilla"  arc  pale  yellowish-brown;  a 
8(»iin'\viiiit  darker  sliadt'  of  the  same  color  extends  posteriorly 
aiitl  inward  toward  the  median  line  of  the  belly,  uniting;  on  the 
aiitfi'itir  portion  of  the  abdomen.  The  {jfreat-er  part  of  the  lower 
sinriu't",  liowevcr,  is  dusky  brownish-jjray,  the  rest  being  bhu'k, 
lint  less  intensely  so  than  the  back.  SpecinuMis  of  equal  Jige 
vary  much  in  coh)r,  some  specimens  corresponding  nearly  with 
tilt'  aliove  descriptuMi,  while  others  are  much  darker.  On  the 
head  and  sides  of  the  neck  a  portion  of  the  hairs  are  foinnl  on 
ilitsc  inspection  to  be  obscurely  tipped  with  gray.  After  the 
lirst  moult  the  pelage  beccmies  gra«lually  lighter,  through  the 
cxtcnsio'  jf  the  gray  at  the  tips  of  the  hairs,  especially  in  the 
lliiialcs,  the  twt)  s«>xes  being  at  first  alike.  Contrary  to  what 
lias  been  asserttul,  the  young  are  provided  from  birth  with  a 
li)n;i  coat  of  silky  under-fur,  of  a  lighter  color  and  sparser  than 
tlic  lunler-fur  of  the  adults. 

PklaCtE. — The  pelage  in  this  species  consists  of  an  outer  cov- 
ering of  long,  tiattened,  moderately  cojirae  hair,  l>eueath  which 
is  a  dense  coat  of  long  tine  silky  fur,  which  reaches  on  most 
parts  of  the  body  nearly  to  the  ends  of  the  hairs.  The  hairs  are 
tlii('k«ir  toward  the  end  than  at  the  base,  but  their  clavate  form 
is  most  distinctly  seen  in  the  first  pelage  of  the  young.  In 
Ii'ngtli  tlie  hair  varies  greatly  on  the  ditterent  parts  of  the  bcwly. 
It  is  longest  on  the  top  of  the  head,  especial'  in  the  males, 
which  have  a  well-marked  crest.  The  hair  is  nuich  longer  on 
thti  anterior  half  of  the  body  tlmn  on  the  posterior  half,  it  being 
longest  on  the  hinder  part  of  the  neck,  where  in  the  males  it  is 
very  coarse.  On  the  crown  the  hair  has  a  length  of  41i  mm.;  on 
the  hinder  i)art  of  the  neck  it  resiches  a  length  of  oO  to  00  mm. 
From  this  point  posteriorly  it  gra^lually  shortens,  and  in^ir  the 
tail  has  a  length  of  only  20  mm.  It  is  still  shorter  on  the  limbs, 
the  ui)per  side  of  the  digits  of  the  hind  limbs  being  but  slightly 
covered,  while  the  anterior  limbs  are  quite  naked  as  far  as  the 
carjiiis.  The  males  have  much  longer  hair  than  the  females, 
iu  which  it  is  much  longer  than  in  Eumetopias  stelkrL* 

'  From  tlic  accountH  j^iven  by  most  writt-rs  it  wouhl  seoin  that  (Hariajubata 
is  provided  with  a  conspicuoiiB  mane,  but  in  the  few  accurate  descriptions 
in  which  tlie  length  of  the  longest  hairs  is  stated,  the  so-called  "flowing 
mane"— which  refers  only  to  the  greater  length  of  the  hair  on  the  neck  and 
shoulders  as  compared  with  the  other  regions  of  the  body — does  not  appear 


31  n      CALLORHIXrS    rRSINL'S — XORTHKRN    I'lTU    SEAL. 

The  whiskers  arc  cyliiHlricul,  I(Hl;,^  slender,  and  tapcrinn,  and 
vary  with  a^'c  in  h-nj^th  and  i-olor.  In  the  .voun;;'  (hey  are  l)lack; 
hiter  they  ai'e  h^ht  colored  at  (he  base,  and  <lnsky  at  the  ends. 
In  nuitnni  sjieeiniens  they  are  either  entirely  white,  or  white  at 
thi^  base  and  brownish-white  toward  ,he  tips. 

Size. — ^Mr.  IClliott  lias  ^ivena  table  showinu' tluMveij'ht,  size. 
and  rate  of  ;;rowth  of  the  i''nr  Seal,  from  tho  a^c  of  one  week  to 
six  years,  based  on  actual  wei<;htand  rneasnrennMit,  with  ane.sti 
miit«  of  the  size  an«l  weijjht  of  s|iecini»'ns  from  ei^ht  to  twenty 
years  of  aye.  l-'rom  thif;  lable  it  appears  that  the  pups  wliciia 
week  old  have  a  len<,fth  of  from  twelve  to  fourteen  inches  and  u 
Aveiyht  of  six  to  seven  and  a  half  poun<ls.  At  six  months  did 
the  lenj;th  is  two  feet  and  the  weij^ht  about  thirty  pounds.  At 
one  year  the  averaj;t  h-njifth  of  six  examples  was  found  to  lie 
thirty-ei};ht  inches,  uul  the  weiyht  thirty-nine  pounds,  the  tnalos 
and  females  at  this  time  bein;;'  alike  in  size.  T''l'  average  weij^lit 
of  thirty  males  at  the  a.u'e  of  two  years  is  {i'iven  as  lifty-eiylit 
pounds,  and  the  lenj^th  as  forty-live  inches.  Thirty-two  inalos 
at  the  aj^e  of  three  years  were  found  to  yive  an  averajje  weight 
of  eij^hty-seveu  pounds,  and  an  averajje  length  of  fifty -two 
inidies.  Ten  males  at  the  aye  of  four  averaged  one  hundred 
and  thirty-li  vo  pounds  in  weight,  and  fifty-eight  inches  in  h'nj-tli. 
A  mean  of  five  examples  five  years  old  is:  weight,  two  hundred 
pounds  '  "'••jfth,  sixty-five  indies.  Three  males  at  six  years 
gave  rage  weight  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  pounds, 

a  th  of  six  feet.   The  estimated  average  weight  of  males 

_ight  years  and  upward,  when  fat,  is  given  as  four  linn 
Ui^d  to  five  liundred  pounds,  and  tlie  average  length  as  six  feet 
three  inches  to  six  feet  eight  inches.  Mr.  Elli'tt  further  adds 
tluit  the  average  weight  of  the  females  is  from  eighty  to  eighty 

to  bii  iuiy  iiiorc  truly  a  inant'  than  in  KumctopUtH  xtclliri,  CoUorhinuH  urmiit. 
ZfilophuH  califormanuH,  Antmrphalitu  "falklundicnn",  or  in  any  of  the  Arctoc- 
plmU.  All  \\\v  8t'a  Bears  and  Si-a  Lions,  aceordin}^  to  authorH,  have  the  hair 
much  longeron  the  anterior  than  on  the  posterior  half  of  the  body;  iiudin 
the  Hair  Seals  it  is  not  longer  than  in  the  Fur  Seals.  The  reHeinMiinctt' 
the  nuiiie  of  the  Lion,  with  which  in  several  species  this  long  hair  li:is  l"'iu 
compared,  is  doubtless  partly  imaginary  and  jiartly  due  to  the  loose  skin  on 
the  neck  and  shoulders  b(ung  throw;','  into  thick  tVdds  wln^n  these  iniimiilj 
erect  the  head.  I  have  not,  however,  seen  the*  distinct  crest  formed  I'.v  tin 
long  hairs  on  the  crown  of  the  males  of  C.  nrshiiin  nu'utioned  as  fK'iiininir  in 
the  other  species,  unless  it  is  alluded  to  in  the  specilie  name  coroiiatn,  fjivin 
by  Blainville  to  a  South  American  .specimen  of  Fur  Seal,  and  in  tlie  nauie 
eulophua  of  Scott.     It  is  certainly  not  possessed  by  the  E.  stelleri. 


Hizi:. 


317 


111;; '!';.  V^''"' 


fflliV'i 


;i'lir'!H.i 


'I''''' 


f     • "     "ill 


I    |i 


if  %P 


318      CALLORHINUS    URSINUS NORTHERN    FUR    SEAL. 

five  pounds,  but  that  they  range  in  weight  from  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds,  and  that  the  five  and  six  year 
ohl  males,  on  their  first  appearance  in  May  and  June,  when  fat 
and  fresh,  may  Aveigh  a  third  mor*^  than  in  July,  or  cA  the  time 
those  mentioned  in  the  table  were  weighed,  which  would  thus 
indicate  an  average  maxinuim  weight  of  about  375  pounds  for 
the  six-year-old  males.  Acconling,  however,  to  my  own  meas- 
urements of  old  males,  from  mounted  and  unmounted  specimens, 
the  length  is  between  seven  and  eight  feet;  and  of  a  full-grown 
female,  about  four  feet.  Captain  Bryant  states*  that  the  males 
attain  mature  size  at  about  the  six  'i  year,  when  their  total 
length  is  from  seven  to  eight  feet,  their  girth  six  to  seven  feet, 
and  their  weight,  when  in  full  flesh,  from  Ave  to  seven  hundred 
pounds.  The  females,  he  says,  are  full  grown  at  four  years  old, 
when  they  measure  four  feet  in  length,  two  and  a  half  in  girth, 
and  weigh  eighty  to  one  hundred  pounds.  The  yearlings,  lie 
says,  weigh  from  thiiiy  to  forty  pounds.  The  relative  size  of 
the  adults  of  both  sexes  and  the  young  is  well  shown  in  the 
accompanying  cut  (see  p.  317),  drawn  by  Mr.  Elliott. 

The  subjoined  table  of  external  measurements  may  be  taken 
as  indicating  the  general  size  of  the  adult  males  and  females, 
and  the  young  at  thirty -five  days  old.  In  some  respects  the 
dimensions  are  only  approximately  correct,  being  taken  from 
mounted  specimens ;  in  the  main,  however,  they  are  sufficiently 
accurate.  A  few  measurements  taken  from  the  soft  skin  are 
also  given ;  I  accidentally  omitted  to  make  a  complete  series  of 
measurements  of  the  skins  before  they  were  mounted.  In  addi 
tion  to  the  six  specimens  of  Captain  Bryant's  collection,  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  for  measurements  of  a  male  and  a 
female,  taken  by  him  t  from  the  animals  immediately  after  thev 
were  killed.  The  female  (said  by  Mr.  Dall  to  be  six  years  old) 
is  evidently  adult,  but  the  male,  being  but  little  larger,  seeras 
not  to  have  been  fully  grown.  In  the  last  column  of  the  table 
a  few  measurements  are  given  of  a  male  specimen  of  the  Arcfo- 
cephalus  ^'•falklandicus,'"  +aken  by  Dr.  G.  A.  Maack  from  a  fresh 
specimen  coUeC  d  by  inm  at  Cabo  Corrientes,  Buenos  Ayres. 
This  specimen  appears  also  to  have  not  been  fully  grown. 

*  Bull,  Mu8.  Conip.  Zoul.,  vol.  ii,  p.  95. 

t  At  Saint  George's  Islaiul,  Alaska,  August,  1808. 


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320     CALLOKIIINUS    URSINUS — NORTHEKN    FUR   SEAL. 

Ears. — The  ears  are  long,  narrow,  and  pointed,  being  abso- 
lutely longer  than  those  of  the  E.  Hlelleri,  though  the  latter 
animal  is  two  or  three  times  the  larger. 

l^'OBE  Limbs. — The  handvS  are  very  long  and  narrow,  with  a 
broad  cartilaginous  flap  extending  beyond  the  digits,  which 
has  a  nearly  even  border.  Both  surfaces  are  naked  the  whole 
length ;  not  covered  above  with  short  hair,  as  in  EumetopinH  and 
Otaria.  The  nails  are  rudimentary,  their  position  being  indi- 
cated by  small  circular  horny  disks,  as  in  all  the  other  Eared 
Seals. 

Hind  Limbs. — The  feet  are  very  long,  nearly  half  their  length 
being  formed  by  the  cartilaginous  flai>s  that  project  beyond  the 
ends  of  the  toes.  They  widen  much  less  from  tlie  tarsus  to  the 
ends  of  the  toes  than  these  i)art8  do  in  iJ.  steUeri,  and  the  1  ligth 
of  the  toe-flaps  is  relatively  many  times  greater  than  in  the 
latter  species.  The  toes  of  the  posterior  extremities  are  of 
nearly  equal  length.  The  outer  are  slightly  shorter  than  the 
three  middle  ones.  The  nails  of  the  outer  toes  are  rudiment- 
ary and  scarcely  visible ;  those  of  the  middle  toes  are  strong 
and  well  developed. 

Skull. — In  adult  specimens  the  breadth  of  the  skull  is  a  little 
more  than  half  its  length,  the  point  of  greatest  breadth  Ix'in},'  at 
the  posterior  end  of  the  zygomatic  arch.  The  muzzle  or  facial  por- 
tion is  broad  and  high,  or  greatly  prmluced,  much  more  so  even 
than  In  EumetopidH,*  Tlie  postorbital  procasses  vary  from  mh- 
quadrate  to  sub-triangular,  sometimes  produced  posteriorly  into 
a  latero-posteriorly  diverging  point,  as  in  ZaJophvH.  Tlu^  post- 
orbital  cylinder  is  broad  and  moderately  elongate<l.  The  post- 
orbital  constriction  is  well  marked,  giving  a  prominently  quad 
rate  form  to  the  brain-case,  the  latero-anterior  angles  of  which 
vary  somewhat  in  their  sharpness  in  different  specimens.  The 
sagittal  and  occipital  crests  are  well  developed  in  the  old  males, 
nearly  as  much  as  in  Eumetopias,  as  are  also  the  mastoid  pro- 
cesses. Tue  palatine  bones  terminate  midway  between  the  last 
molar  teeth  and  the  pterygoid  hanudi ;  their  posterior  outline 
is  either  slightly  concave,  or  deeply  and  abruptly  so.  The  ))a]a 
tal  surface  is  flat,  but  slightly  depressed  posteriorly,  and  but 
moderately  so  anteriorly.  The  zygomatic  foramens  are  broad, 
nearly  triangular,  and  truncate  posteriorly.  The  posterior  and 
anterior  nares  are  of  nearly  equal  size  in  the  males,  with  their 

*  Soo  figs.  S9-41,  ft^malt!,  rather  youiig,  about  f  natural  size.  Si)eciuien 
No.  0537,  National  Museum. 


SKULL. 


321 


V 


W\ 


!  Ill 


Vui,  39. — Callorhtnus  urmiim.     Femal*?. 


!^         H 


Fui.  40. — Ctilloikiniis  ursinun.     lYMiiale. 
^^lisc.  Pub.  Xo.  12 21 


i     I 


322  cALLoiniixus  ursin''« — northkhx  vvu   seal. 

transvcrsi;  and  verti(;al  «liani«'tcrs  (Mnial;  in  the  fcmalos  the 
posterior  nares  are  depressed,  their  traiifsver.se  diameter  iMJug 
greater  tlian  the;  vertieal.  Tlie  nasal  bones  sire  nineh  hroiuhT 
in  front  than  lu'liind. 

The  k)\ver  jaw  is  strongly  deveh)ped,  bnt  rehitively  h'ss  mass- 
ive tlum  in  Eumetopins.  The  coronoi<l  ])rocesses  are  higli  and 
pointed,  bnt  nnieh  more  devek)ped  in  the  males  than  in  the 
females.  The  raniial  tuberosities  are  greatly  produced,  espe- 
cially the  hinder  one. 


FlG.  41. — Callorhinus  Hmiiins.     Fciiiiilc, 


Fig.  42,  — Callorhinus  vrHinuH.     Fonialo. 


SKULL. 


323 


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324      CALLORHINUS   URSINU8 NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 


Teeth. — The  dentition  is  relatively  much  weaker  than  in 
either  Eumetopias  or  Zalophus,  or  even  in  Aretocephalu-s.  As 
usual  in  the  Otaries  the  outer  pair  of  upper  incisors  is  imioh 
larger  than  the  others  and  caniniform ;  the  two  central  pairs 
are  flattened  antero-posteriorly,  and  in  youth  and  middle  a<;e 
their  crowus  are  deeply  divided  by  a  transverse  groove.  The 
lower  incisors  are  smaller  than  the  upper  and  are  hollowed  ou 
their  inner  face  but  are  not  grooved.  The  canines  are  larj;e 
and  shar])ly  pointed,  the  lower  somewhat  curved.  The  molars 
are  small  and  closely  approximated,  with  sharply  conical  crowns 
and  all  siugle-rooted.  They  have  no  accessory  cusp,  or  only 
very  minute  ones  in  early  life.  The  roots  are  usually  grooved 
both  externally  and  internally,  sometimes  slightly  so,  but  some- 
times so  deeply  that  the  fang  seems  to  consist  of  two  connate 
roots.  The  distinctness  of  these  grooves  varies  not  only  in  dif- 
ferent individuals,  but  in  the  corresponding  teeth  of  the  two 
sides  of  the  mouth  in  the  same  skull,*  so  that  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  teeth  may  be  found  in  which  the  grooves  of  the  fangs 
may  be  entirely  obsolete,  or  so  deep  as  to  nearly  or  quite  divide 
the  fang  into  two  distinct  roots.  The  roots  of  the  molars  are 
very  short,  and  but  partly  fill  their  alveoli ;  hence  when  the 
periosteum  is  removed  they  fit  so  loosely  that  they  require  to  be 
cemented  in  to  prevent  their  constantly  falling  out  whenever 
the  skull  is  handled.  The  canines  and  the  incisors  have  much 
longer  roots,  which  more  nearly  fill  their  sockets. 

Skeleton. — Vertebral  formula:  Cervical  vertebrae,  7 ;  dorsal, 
15 ;  lumbar,  5 ;  sacral,  3 ;  caudal,  8  to  10. 

The  skeleton  in  its  general  features  resembles  that  of  Eime' 
topias  Htelleri,  already  described.  The  bones  of  C.  ursinns  are, 
however,  all  slenderer,  or  smaller  in  proportion  to  their  lengta, 
than  in  that  species,  the  general  form  of  the  body  being  more 
elongated.  The  scapulai  are  shorter  and  broader  than  in  E. 
stelleri,  the  i)roportion  of  breadth  to  length  being  in  the  one  as 
11  to  10  and  in  the  other  as  13  to  10.  The  pelvis  is  more  con- 
tracted! opposite  the  acetabula  in  C.  ursinus  than  in  E.  delleri, 
and  the  last  segment  of  the  sternum  is  also  longer  and  nar- 
rower. The  diiferen(;es  in  the  skull  of  the  two  forms  have 
already  been  pointed  out  in  the  generic  comparisons.  In  pro- 
portions, the  principal  difference,  aside  from  that  already  men- 
tioned as  existing  in  the  form  of  the  scapula,  consists  in  the 

*  See  Bull.  Mub.  Comp.  Zool.,  vol.  ii,  pi.  ii,  figs.  6  b  and  7  e. 


SKELETON. 


325 


loiiyor  neck  and  longer  hind  feet  in  C  ursinm;  the  ratio  of 
the  length  of  the  cervical  vertehiw  to  the  whole  length  of  the 
skeleton  being  as  15  to  100  in  J-J.  xtelleri,  and  as  2i5  to  100  in  G. 
ur.slniis;  and  the  ratio  of  the  length  of  the  foot  to  the  tibia 
being  in  the  former  as  l.'J  to  10,  and  in  the  other  as  10  to  10. 
Tlie  following  nieasnrenients  of  two  adnlt  males  and  two  adult 
females  indicate  the  length  of  the  principal  bones,  and  of  the 
different  vertebral  regions. 

MeasurementH  of  the  Skeleton. 


Adult  d 
No.  2922. 


■Vriiolt>  longth  of  skeleton  (including  skuU)  . . 

Lcnjith  of  skull 

1-criirtli  of  cervical  vcrtebrsa 

Lciict  h  of  (loraal  v('rtc#86 

Lontstli  of  lumbar  vertebral 

I.cngtli  of  siicral  vertebra> 

Lcujitli  of  caudal  vertebra) 

Lenglli  of  first  rib 

Li'ii(;tli  of  first  rib,  osseous  portion 

I.ciifjtli  of  first  ril),  cartilaginous  portion 

Lin^tli  of  tbivrt  ril> 

Linjitli  of  third  rib, osseous  portion 

[  Lengtli  of  third  rib,  cartilaginous  portion 

Li'n;;th  <if  sixth  rib 

I.('ni;tli  of  sixth  ril),  osseous  portion 

Lt'iif;tli  of  sixtli  rib,  cartilaginous  portion  ... 

[  Lcnyth  (.i  ttutli  rib 

1  Length  of  tenth  rib,  osseous  portion 

Lt'n;;th  of  tentli  rib, cartilaginous  portion  ... 
'.  Lcntith  of  twelfth  ril),  osseous  portion  only 

Lengtli  of  fifteenth  rib,  osseous  portion  only. . 

,  Leuj^tli  of  sternum 

,  Lenjith  of  sternum,  1st  segment 

Lingtli  (if  sternum,  2d  segment 

Loiif-th  of  sternum,  3d  segment 

Lengtli  of  sternum,  4tb  segment 

Lcufftli  of  sternum,  5th  segment 

I.i'tietli  of  sternum,  6th  segment 

I'Cnj;!  li  (if  steraum,  7th  segment 

Lcnjith  of  sternum,  8th  segment 

LfUKlh  of  scapula 

BiCiidtli  of  scapula 

Great  PHt  heiglit  of  its  spine 

I'fiiirth  of  humerus 

I-cni,'!  h  (if  radiusi 

Length  of  ulna 

Lenjjtli  of  carpus 


2,040 

275 

430 

770 

270 

160 

140 

212 

112 

100 

395 

265 

130 

465 

350 

115 

590 

360 

230 

345 

210 

640 

135 

68 

65 

65 

60 

58 

63 

115 

250 

295 

35 

220 

205 

243 

66 


Adult  (f 
Ko.  2923. 


1,840 
245 
360 
680 
245 
145 
145 
178 
105 

73 
370 
210 

90 
400 
295 
105 


340 


320 

205 

690 

127 

54 

57 

55 

57 

55 

57 

110 

217 

285 

27 

220 

195 

223 

65 


Adult  ? 
No.  292.'). 


Adult  S 

No.  2924. 


1,  370  , 
200  j 
300  : 
520  I 
185  '■ 
105  : 
160  ! 
120  , 
55  ' 
65  ' 
205  j 

140 ; 

65  ' 

323  I 

230  ! 

93 

405 

265 

140 

210 

150 

385 

76 

37 

39 

40 


1,215 

185 

172 

470 

173 

95 

120 

lib 

56 

55 

175 

116 

60 

266 

190 

76 

336 

215 

120 

200 

130 

370 

73 

34 

36 

36 


40 

37 

40 

36 

43 

409 

70 

70 

140 

120 

170 

160 

14 

12 

130 

180 

128 

128 

160 

167 

35 

8S 

^26      CALLOKIIINUS    UKSIXUS — NOHTIIKUX    FUR   SEAL. 

Meusunmciiln  of  the  Sktleton — CoiitiitiUMl. 


Adult  rf 
No.  2I»22. 

Adult  ry 
No.  2023. 

80 

230 

235 

103 

130 

115 

135 

225 

210 

84 

03 

200 

260 

260 

•233 

Adult  9 
\y.  2023. 

Adidt  J 
No.  2U24. 

100 

250 

245 

215 

170 

127 

150 

230 

230 

87 

07 

270 

265 

263 

264 

200 

234 

115 

17 

100 

134 

67 

34 

60 
180 
178 
155 
123 
100 

82 
167 
145 

57 

40 
200 

55 

Leiifrtli  of  1st  di«it*  and  its  inctni'iiipKl  lioiit;. . . 
L('nf;tli  111'  2d  di^it  and  its  luctiiciivjuil  l)oni<  .... 

Lcufjtli  of  :id  diyil  ;md  its  lui'tiKiiipal  bono 

Length  of  4tli  dijiit  and  its  iu(^tacari)iil  bone, 

Li'iijilh  of  5(li  dij;it  ami  its  luctacarpal  bono 

Lciifjtli  of  femur 

177 

1 

85 
157 
151) 

Li'ii^th  of  t  il)ia 

Leufith  of  tarsus 

00  ' 

Brt'adtb  of  tarsus 

37 

LtMintli  of  1st  di,i,'itt  and  its  metatarsal  bono. .. 

Len^tb  of  2d  diyit  and  its  metatarsal  bone 

Lougtli  of  3d  diyit  and  its  metatarsal  bono 

Lcujitli  of  4th  digit  and  its  nu'tatarsal  bono 

Length  of  3tli  digit  and  its  metatarsal  bono.  ... 
Length  of  innonunato  bono  

280 

210 

110 

14 

05 

110 

63 

25 

145 
70 
30 
60 
73 
43 
20 

140 

Greatest  (external)  width  of  pelvis  anteriorly.. 

75 
25 

Length  of  ilium 

60 

Lengtli  of  isehia  puliie  bones 

Lengtli  «)f  thvroid  foramen  

7;t 

•JO 

1 

*  Fore  limb. 


t  Hind  limb. 


Sexual  Differences. — The  sexes  differ  iu  color,  as  already 
stated,  in  the  females  being  much  lighter  than  the  males,  or 
grayer.  In  respect  to  the  skeleton  they  differ  extraordinarily 
in  the  form  of  the  pelvis,  as  already  described,  all  the  parts  of 
which  in  the  female  are  greatly  reduced  in  size,  and  instead  of 
the  pubic  bones  meeting  each  other  posteriorly,  as  they  do  iu  the 
males,  tiiey  are  widely  separated.  The  innominate  bones  are 
also  much  further  apart  in  the  females,  and  the  bones  forming 
the  front  edge  of  the  pelvis  are  less  developed,  so  that  the  pelvis 
in  the  female  is  entirely  open  in  front.  In  consequence  of  the 
remarkable  narrowness  of  the  pelvis  in  the  male,  the  form  of 
this  portion  of  the  skeleton  is  necessarily  varied  in  the  female, 
to  permit  of  the  passage  of  the  foetus  in  parturition.  As  already 
remarked,  no  such  sexual  differences  are  seen  in  the  Phocida. 

In  respect  to  other  parts  of  the  skeleton,  the  absence  of  the 
great  development  of  the  sagittal  and  occipital  crests  seen  in 
the  males  has  already  been  noticed.  The  bones  of  all  parts  of 
the  skull  are  much  smaller  and  weaker,  especially  the  lower 


r  "I 


VARIATION    WITH    \fiE. 


327 


jiiw  1111(1  the  teetli.  The  attachnuMits  for  the  muscles  are  corre- 
s|Mni<liii;ii.V  loss  (l('vel<ii)e(l  throujihout  the  skeleton.  The  most 
strilviiiji  sexual  ditlenMiee,  however,  is  that  of  size;  the  wei<;ht 
(tf  tlic  fiill-.iL>'ro\vii  females,  aecordiny'  to  Captain  Bryant,  being 
If.ss  tlioii  ( (NK-siXTii  that  of  the  fiill-j,'ro\vu  males.  This  estimate 
Mr.  Mlliott  has  siiutc  found  to  be  correct  by  actual  weight  of 
liiiji'e  series  of  specimens. 

DirPERKNCES  liESULTiNO  KTIOM  AGE.— The  dift'erenccs  in 
color  between  the  young  and  the  adult  consist,  as  already  stated, 
in  tlic  young  of  both  sexes  during  the  lirst  three  or  four  months 
of  their  li\es  being  glossy  black,  and  gradually  afterwards 
a('i|iiiriiig  the  coh)r  characteristic  respectively  of  the  adult 
iiiaU's  and  females.  In  res^iect  to  the  ditierences  in  the  skeleton 
tliiit  (listinguish  the  young,  I  can  speak  only  of  the  skull,  in 
wliicli  the  relative  de^■elol)ment  of  its  different  regions  differs 
\vi(h'ly  fiom  what  is  acau  in  the  adult  of  either  sex.  The  two 
young  skulls  before  me,  said  to  be  from  si)ecimens  thu'tyflve 
(lays  old,  are  both  females,  but  at  this  age  the  sexes  probably 
do  not  differ  in  osteological  features,  especially  in  those  of  the 
skull.  In  these  young  specimens  the  anterior  or  facial  portion 
of  tlie  skull  is  but  little  developed  in  com])arison  with  the  size 
of  tlie  Itrain-case.  The  nnizzle  is  not  only  excessively  short, 
but  the  orbital  space  is  snudl,  and  the  postorbital  cylinder 
is  covrelatively  I'educed  almost  to  zero,  the  postorbital  processes 
bt'iiig  close  to  the  brain-case.  The  zygomatic  arch  is  hence 
very  short ;  the  zygomatic  foramen  is  as  broad  as  long,  instead 
of  being  nearly  twice  as  long  as  broad,  as  in  the  adult.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  brain-case  is  exceedingly  large,  the  greatest 
breadth  of  the  skull  being  at  the  middle  of  the  brain-case  in- 
stead of  at  the  posterior  end  of  the  zygomatic  arch.  As  will 
be  seen  by  the  table  of  measurements  of  the  skull  already 
given,  the  brain-case  in  nearly  as  large  as  in  the  adults,  and  the 
bones  being  thinner,  it  must  have  a  capacity  as  great  as  that 
of  the  skulls  of  the  adult  males  and  females,  there  being,  in 
respect  to  this  point,  but  slight  difference  in  the  sexes.  As  the 
young  advance  in  age,  the  anterior  i)ortion  of  the  skull,  or  that 
part  in  advance  of  the  brain-case,  greatly  elongates,  especially 
tlic  ])ostorbital  cylinder,  and  increases  also  in  breadth,  the 
f^kaU  in  a  great  rn^asure  losing  the  triangular  form  and  the 
narrow  pointed,  muzzle  characteristic  of  the  young.  The  post- 
orbital processes  also  greatly  change  their  form  as  they  further 
develop. 


i:|«T: 


*1      M 


328      CALLORHINUS   URSINUS — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 

The  limbs  Jire  also  rdatively  much  larger  thitii  in  the  adult,  as 
meutioutMl  by  Quoy  and  Gaimard  in  respeet  to  the  Arctocephalus 
cincrcHH  of  Australia,*  which  enables  them  to  move  on  land  with 
greater  facility  than  the  adult,  as  the  above-mentioned  authors 
ha\ft  stated  to  be  th«'  ease  in  the  Australian  species. 

It  is  not  tnu',  hoAvever,  that  tlie  young  of  C  ursinus  are  devoid 
of  under-fur,  as  some  writers  have  alHrmed.t 

Individual  Variation. — The  two  males  were  both  not  only 
full-grown,  but  (piite  advanced  in  age,  though  in  all  i)robability 
the  crests  of  even  the  older  skull  (No.  2\)'22)  would  have  been  still 
further  develoi)ed.  The  other  male  (No.  21)23)  was  somewhat 
younger,  but  alreat!v  had  the  sagittal  crest  considerably  pro- 
duced; the  teeth,  however,  were  but  moderately  woi'u,  the  mid- 
dle upper  incisors  still  re+ainiug  the  groove  dividing  the  surface 
of  the  crowns.  In  the  younger  male  skull  the  posterior  outline 
of  the  palatines  is  but  slightly  concave,  whereas  in  the  other  it 
is  deeply  and  abruptly  emarginat<i  in  the  middle, — :as  deeply  so 
as  in  the  young  (one  month  old)  skulls; — showing  that  diti'ei- 
€nce8  in  this  respect  do  not  necessarily  depend  upon  differences 
in  age.  They  also  differ  in  the  form  of  the  ])ostorbital  pro- 
cesses, in  the  younger  they  having  nearly  the  sanu'  form  as  iu 
Uumetopim,  whereas  in  the  older  nearly  that  seen  in  Zaiophus. 
The  postorbital  cylinder  is  also  much  shorter  in  the  younger, 
though  these  two  skulls  do  not  i)re8ent  nearly  the  great  differ- 
ence in  this  respect  exhibited  by  two  very  old  male  skulls  of 
Zaloph  us  already  described.  Another  difference  is  seen  iu  tbe 
parieto-inaxillary  suture.  In  the  younger  specimen  it  is  nearly 
straight  and  directed  forward,  the  nasals  extending  consider 
ably  beyond  i  t.  In  the  other  it  curves  at  first  moderately  back- 
■ward,  and  then  abruptly  iu  the  same  direction;  the  inaxillaries 
extending  in  this  case  slightly  beyond  the  nasals,  instead  of  end- 
ing considerably  iu  front  of  the  end  of  the  latter.    The  nasals 

*  Voyaj^e  de  I'Astrolabe,  Zoologic,  tomo  i,  p.  89. 

t  It  may  be  .added  that  the  young  specimens  above  described  had  not 
fully  shed  their  millv  teeth.  The  incisors  ajjpe.ir  to  have  been  renewed,  Imt 
both  the  tirst  and  second  sets  of  canines  were  still  jiresent  (see  Bull.  Miis. 
Comp.  Zool.,  vol.  ii,  pi.  iii,  fig.  .5),  the  permanent  ones  being  in  front  of  tbe 
others.  The  three  molars  of  the  lirst  set  have  been  replaced  by  the  perma- 
nent ones, the  first  and  second  of  which  are  already  quite  large.  The  hinder 
molars  are  in  one  of  the  8i)ecimens  but  just  in  sight,  and  doubtless  bad  not 
cut  through  the  gum.  In  the  other  they  are  a  little  more  advanced.  The 
middle  one  is  quite  prominent ;  the  first  is  much  smaller,  while  the  last  or 
sixth  molar  is  far  less  advanced  than  cither  of  the  others. 


COMPARISON  WITH    ALLIED    SPECIES. 


329 


tlii'iiiselve.s  arc  much  narrower  in  th«  younger  .specimen,  espe- 
cially anteriorly,  and  hence  have  a  very  dirtercnt  form  in  tlie  two 
t'xamplcs. 

Ill  i('S|M'('t  to  tile  teetii,  it  may  be  added  that  the  oUk'r  skull 
lias  siirn  upper  molars  on  one  side  and  nix  on  the  other,  the 
iioiiiial  nundu'r  being  six  on  each  side,  I  have  before  me  two 
otlitr  skulls  in  which  the  molars  are  | — t,  »!ul  two  others  in 
which  they  are  f — §!  The  form  of  the  molar  ti'eth,  esi)ecially 
,)f  the  fangs,  ditters  nuirkedly  in  the  two  skulls ;  those  of  the 
younger  having  the  longitudinal  grooves  of  the  fangs  of  nearly 
all  the  teeth  almost  wholly  obsolete,  while  in  the  other  speci- 
men the  roots  of  nearly  all  the  molars  are  more  or  less  strongly 
grooved. 

Of  the  two  female  skulls  one  is  very  aged,*  as  shown  by  the 
closed  sutures  and  the  greatly  worn  and  defective  teeth.  The 
younger,  however,  is  also  quite  advanced  in  years.  Dift'erences 
of  a  similar  character  to  those  seen  in  the  males  also  occur 
lietween  these,  but  they  are  less  nuirked. 

There  are  also  considerable  variations  in  color.  Not  only 
is  one  of  the  young  females  much  darker  below  and  about  the 
face  than  the  other,  but  similar  variations  are  seen  in  the  old 
t'eiiiales  and  in  the  nudes.  ^ 

Comparison  with  Allied  Species. — In  cranial  characters 
CaUorhinHs  ursitim,  as  already  noticed,  is  widely  different  from 
auy  of  the  species  of  Arctocephalus,  to  wiiich,  however,  it  is 
most  closely  allied.  While  in  the  latter  the  facial  portion  of  the 
skull  is  narrow  and  «lepressed,  in  C.  ummift  it  is  broad,  high, 
and  short.  The  ascending  i)ortiou  of  the  intermaxilhe  is  also 
iiuicli  broader  and  shorter,  and  the  whole  dental  armature 
is  imu'h  veaker.  In  the  character  of  the  pelage  the  Northern 
and  Southern  Fur  Seals  present  no  marked  <liflerent!es,  but  in 
lespect  to  color  the  latter  are  much  grayer  than  the  former. 
Another  obvious  difterence  consists  in  the  great  elongation  of 

*  Ri'S]itM'tiug  tho  aj>o  of  these  specimens  of  Fur  Seals,  Captsiin  Bryant  lias 
I'l'spoiidt'd  to  my  iiuiuiries  as  follows:  "The  grown  females  (the  mothers  of 
till'  jtiiiis)  were  average  specimens.  The  only  means  I  had  t>f  determining 
tht'ii  age  was  by  tho  evidences  atforded  by  disscictiou.  These  were  that 
tlio  older  t'emalo  had  given  birth  to  seven  young  and  the  other  five,  which 
^vould  nial.  ■  their  ages  respectively  ten  and  eight  years.  The  two  grown 
iiialis  wen  Jilso  selected  as  average  specimens  in  size  and  color.  Judging 
U'om  their  general  appearance  and  color,  I  estimated  them  to  be  ten  years 
old.  The  V  o  pups  were  thirty-tivo  days  old,  and  in  that  time  had  doubled 
their  size  fr  m  birth.     They  were  both  females." 


..M 

■MMm 


i'i 


If'  1^ 


m\ 


(rs 


330      ('AI.LOlMII.sUS    rWSINUS    -NOUTIIKHN    FUR    SEAL. 

tln',  toe-Haps  of  the  jtosterior  limbs,  which  in  (!.  urninm  are 
{jivatl.v  developed,  their  extension  beyoml  the  dij^its  being 
neiiily  eijual  to  th(^  h'n^tii  of  the  ro8t  of  the  foot — in  adult 
•  females  \\{)  mm.  beyond  th«!  toes.  In  Arvloccitlndns  aiinfrolis 
(  =  /((Ihlaniliciis^  anet.),  on  the  other  band,  they  extend,  as  in 
most  of  the  other  Otaries,  only  a  sh()rt  <listaue«'  beyond  tlic 
toes,  the  iiulentations  between  thom  bcinj^  but  little  posteiiur 
Ui  the  ends  of  the  toes. 

The  «'xtremo8  of  sexual  variation  seem  to  be  presented  by 
(yollorhhtiis  iirsinitx  and  Arctocephalus  aHMtraUs ;  the  fonuor 
presenting:  the  j^reatest  and  the  latter  the  least  amount  of  sex- 
ual variation  in  siz(^  of  any  of  the  tive  Anu'riean  species  of 
Otaries,  to  which  my  comparisons  are  limited  by  hutk  of  mate- 
rial.  The  adult  males  of  these  two  species  differ  little  in  size, 
while  the  female  of  ArctucvphaluH  (lustraliH  is  very  nuu^h  larger 
tlian  the  female  of  C.  ur.siniis.  The  average  len{,'th  of  tlu- 
skull  in  the  adult  males  of  both  species  is  about  245  nun.;  of 
the  females  of  A.  austmlis  about  233  mm.,  against  185  mm. 
iu  C.  nrHiniis. 

For  purposes  of  comparison  I  submit  the  following  measure- 
ments of  skulls  of  ^.  anstniliii  for  corresponding  measurements 
of  C.  ursimts  (see  anka,  p.  323) : 


■I 


^ 


0 

I: 


COMPARISON  WITH    ALLIED   8PECIE8. 


331 


s  i    i 

o  tc        Si) 

ki  <•         n 

•s  :«  -3  3  2 

K  a  3  ?!  O 


•jMoai)  JO  |iiJl|.)U 


•N    t«    t>    lA    «4    «4 


'«.)a;rin.i  ,|<i  iiipo<).i{[ 

'HH.I.IOlll   |I|IMI.I|^ 

,}0    .)T1[Pl     (U"',l     llUM.l 
'ttll|llllllM[  |l!li:t.v'.l.))(l 

()|    s.i;.iri|!\iini.i.i|ill 
,|ii  .tap.)   iiioaj   mujji 


^  »o  lo  55  rt  rt 


o   <s   o   to   »   >o 

I*     O     9     QD     ^     iO 


S?  S  S  S  3  S 


'.UOJIMI 
Hipi.tt    's.inoti    IBBBX 


HHiiu    'moucki    lOTOjj 
•qitiu.n  'djaoq  {we^ 


'e)iqjo  na3A)0(i 


■vowoo 
■Old  p;o)Ht'ui  %v  qipiAV 


•iHBraoH 


■q>309i  i«;oi 


•X9S 


^ 


9     ^     O     CO     CO     9> 
«     CO     CO     CO     M     f» 


w   CO    in   CO   «   t 
M   CO   '9  00   o>   a> 


o   1.0   o   o   e>   N 

^    -^   ift    *i»    Pi   N 

»H     rH     11     rH     l-i     IH 


e^g^S 


"p  "to  "to  "o  o  o 


tc  tt  ^  a 


a 


O     O 


a 


:«     =4    .2     P 
3     a.  "^     Ml 

2  -5 


Sa  S  (^  O 


•jgqmna  9ii3oi«in3 


(O  »0  00  iH  O  CO 
M  Ca  O  M  CO  Ci5 
fH     pH     p^     tH     i-(     tH 


ill! 


II 


332      CALLORIIINUS   URSINUS — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 


Geographical  Distribution  and  Migration.— The  Fur 
Seal  is  well  known  to  luivo  been  formerly  abundant  on  the 
western  coast  of  North  America,  as  far  south  as  California,  but 
the  exact  southern  limit  of  their  range  I  have  been  unable  to 
determine.  Captain  Scammon  speaks  of  having  seen  them  "  ou 
one  of  the  San  Benito  Islands,  on  the  coast  of  Lower  Califor- 
nia," and  again  says,  "  On  the  coast  of  California  many  beaches 
were  found  fronting  gullies,  where  [Fur]  Seals  in  large  numbers 
formerly  gathered ;  and,  as  they  there  had  plenty  of  ground 
to  retreat  upon,  the  sealers  sometimes  drove  tliem  far  enough 
back  to  make  sure  of  the  whole  herd,  or  that  portion  of  them 
the  skins  of  which  were  desirable."*  He  also  states  that  the 
"Fur  Seal  and  Sea  El«;phant  once  made  the  shores  [of  Guadalupe 
Island]  a  favorite  resorting-place,"  and  refers  to  their  former 
occurrence  on  Cedros  Island,  in  latitude  28°.t  Although  at 
one  time  abundant  ou  the  California  coast,  they  are  by  no  means 
numerous  there  now,  having  been  nearly  exterminated  by  un 
restricted  destruction  by  the  sealers.  The  writer  above  cited 
refers  also  to  their  capture  by  the  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca.  The  Seals  appear  here  and  ou  the 
neighboring  coast,  he  adds,  ^'  some  years  as  early  as  the  lirstof 
March,  and  more  or  less  remain  till  July  or  August ;  but  tuey 
are  most  plentiful  in  April  and  ]May.  During  these  two  months 
tlie  Indians  devote  nearly  all  their  time  to  sealing  wheu  the 
weather  will  permit."  He  reports  their  increase  there  in  later 
years,  and  that  while  only  a  few  dozens  were  annually  takeu 
there  from  1843  to  180-1,  fully  five  thousand  were  taken  in  1809,; 
Captain  Bryant  has  given  a  similar  report,  referring  especially 
to  their  abundance  along  the  coasts  of  Oregon,  Washington 
Territory^  and  British  Columbia  in  1869,  as  comi>ared  with  for 
mer  years.  He  says  those  taken  "were  mostly  very  yonug 
Seals,  none  appearing  to  be  over  a  year  old.  Formerly  in 
March  and  Ai)ril  the  nati  vea  of  Puget  Sound  took  large  mini- 
bers  of  pregnant  females,§  but  no  places  where  they  have 
resorted  to  breed  seem  to  be  known  oti'  this  coast."  He  thiiiks 
it  probable,  however,  that  they  may  occupy  rocky  ledges  off 


*  Marine  Mamin.,  pp.  loS,  154. 

+  J.  Ross  Browne's  Resources  ol  the  Pacific  Slope,  second  part,  p.  l^- 

t  Marine  Mamm.,  p.  154. 

$  There  arc  six  skulls  in  the  National  Museum  from  Pi;get  Sound  and  the 
neighboring  coast  (collected  at  several  different  points  by  Messrs.  Scammon 
an  Swan),  all  of  which  anJ'emaUs. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  DISTRIBUTION. 


33a 


shore  which  are  rarely  visited  by  boats.*  In  his  MS.  report  just 
receive<l  he  states  that  a  half-breed  hunter  told  him  that  he 
t'oiuul  in  summer  "  on  Queen  Charlotte's  Island,  groups  of  these 
imiiuals  consisting  of  two  or  more  beach-masters  with  a  dozen 
or  moro  teinales  and  pups,  but  no  half-grown  males." 

As  is  well  known,  the  Prybilov  or  so-caL  id  "  Fur  Seal  Isl- 
ands," off  the  coast  of  Alaska,  form  the  great  breeding- ground 
(if  the  Fur  Seals,  to  which  hundreds  of  thousands  annually 
resort  to  bring  forth  their  young.  The  Prybilov  Group  con- 
sists of  four  small  islands,  known  respectively  as  Saint  Paul's, 
Saint  George's,  Otter,  and  Walrus  Islands.  The  two  last  named 
are  of  small  size,  and  are  not  used  as  breeding-ground*  by  the 
Seals,  although  Otter  Island  is  visited  by  a  large  number  of  "  non- 
breeding  Seals."  Saint  Paul's  Island  is  the  largest,  containing 
an  area  of  about  33  square  miles,  and  having  a  coast-line  of 
about  forty-two  miles,  nearly  one-half  of  which  is  sand-beach. 
Of  this,  sixteen  and  a  half  milefe,  according  to  Mr.  Elliott,  are 
occupied  in  the  breeding-season  by  the  Fur  Seals.  Saint 
George's  Island  is  somewhat  smaller,  with  only  twenty-nine 
miles  of  shore-line.  It  presents  a  bold  coast,  a  grand  wall  of 
basalt  extending  continuously  for  ten  miles,  with  no  passage- 
way from  the  sea.  It  has,  in  all,  less,  :;han  a  mile  of  sand-beaeh, 
and  ouly  two  and  a  quarter  miles  of  eligible  landing  grounds 
for  the  Seals. 

A  few  old  male  Fur  Seals  are  said  to  make  their  appearance 
at  the  rookeries  on  these  islands  between  the  1st  and  15tli  of 
May,  they  acting,  as  it  were,  the  part  of  pioneers,  since  their 
number  is  not  much  increased  before  the  tirst  of  June.  At 
about  tiiis  date,  and  with  the  setting  in  of  the  liumid,  foggy 
weather  of  summer,  the  male  Seals  begin  to  land  by  "  hundreds 
and  thousands,"  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  females,  which  do 
not  apjiear  before  about  July  fust.  The  young  are  born  soon 
after,  and  toward  the  Last  of  this  month  the  rookeries  begin  to 
lose  tli^ir  compactness  and  definite  boundaries,  but  they  are 
not  fully  bi'oken  up  till  about  the  middle  of  September.  The 
Seals  begin  to  leave  the  islands  about  tiie  end  of  October,  the 
greater  proportion  departing  in  Nov6mbt  bile  some  remain 
till  the  end  of  the  following  mouth,  and  even  later. 

The  luunber  of  Fur  Seals  present  on  Saint  Paul's  Island  in 
July,  1S72,  was  estimated  by  Mr.  Elliott  to  exceed  three  miUiony 
and  ou  Saint  George's  Island  in  July,  1873,  at  about  one  hun- 
•  Bull.  Mu8.  Coiup.  Zoiil.,  ii,  p.  88. 


-/. 


•!     fS 


W 


m 


334       CALLORIIINUS    URSINUS NORTHERN    FUR    SEAL. 


(Ired  and  sixty-three  tbousaiid.*  Although  the.se  ishinds  t'orin 
'  by  far  their  most  popidous  resorts,  they  are  said  to  occur  in 
considerabk'  imiiibers  on  some  of  the  ishmds  to  the  northward. 
but  I  am  unable  to  find  detinite  statements  as  to  tlieir  innnlxTs 
,j^  or  favorite  stations.  Mr.  Elhott,  after  examiniiij;'  Saint  ^Matlicw's 
and  Saint  Lawrence  Islands,  became  convinced  that  they  Mere 
,  not  only  not  resorted  to  as  breeding  stations  by  the  Fur  Seals, 
but  that  these  islands,  by  their  constitution  and  climatic  coiidi 
tions,  were  unsuitable  for  this  purpose,  and  adds,  "  it  may  be 
safely  said  that  no  land  of  ours  in  the  north  is  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  that  animal,  except  that  of  Saint  Paul  and  Saint 
George."t  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  states  that  "  They  have  never  been 
found  in  Bering  Strait,  or  within  three  hundred  miles  of  it.''|  In 
early  times  these  animals  are  well  known  to  have  been  abundant 
on  Behring's  and  Copper  Islands.  According  to  ICi'aschenini 
,  kow,  they  were  so  numerous  upon  Behring's  Island  about  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  as  t^  cover  the  whole  southern  shore 
of  the  island.  Their  range  on  the  Asiatic  coast  is  given  hy  Stel- 
ler  and  others  as  extending  southward  along  the  Kamtschatkan 
coast  to  the  Kurile  Islands.    Krascheninikow  states  that  thev 


*  As  of  interest  in  the  ))resent  connection,  I  quote  the  followinf?  IVinii  Dam 
I>ier  respecting  the  abundance  of  the  Southern  Fur  Seal  at  the  Isluul  nf 
Juan  Fernandez,  two  hundred  years  ago,  or  ahotit  a  century  heloif  tlw 
beginning  of  the  Seal  slaughter  there,  which  in  less  thi'u  a  generation  iicaily 
exterminated  the  si)ecies  at  that  locality.  Danipier  and  liis  party  siicm 
fifteen  days  on  this  ialainl  in  the  year  U]8',i.  He  sa.,  s:  '^  Sealn  swnriii  as 
thick  about  this  Island  ["of  .John  Fernando,"  as  he  terms  it,  J  as  if  tlity  had 
no  other  place  m  lUt  World  to  livi'  in ;  for  there  is  not  a  Bay  nor  Rock  tliat 
one  can  get  ashotir  on,  but  is  full  of  them.  .  .  .  These  at  John  Fenm- 
do's  have  line  thick  short  Furr ;  the  like  I  have  not  taken  notice  of  any  where 
but  in  these  Se.as.  Here  are  always  thousands,  I  miglu  say  possibly  iiiillious 
of  them,  either  sitting  on  the  Bays,  or  going  and  coming  in  the  Sea  round  tbo 
Island,  which  is  covered  with  them  (as  they  lie  at  the  top  of  the  Water  phiy- 
ing  and  sunning  themselves)  for  a  mile  or  two  from  the  shore.  When  tlii'v 
come  out  of  the  Sea  thoy  bleat  like  Sheep  for  their  young;  and  though  tlie.v 
pa«8  through  hundn'ds  of  others  yoting  ones  before  they  come  to  their  own, 
yet  they  will  not  suffer  any  of  them  to  suck.  The*  young  ones  are  Hkf 
Pni)pie,^,  and  lie  much  ashore,  but  when  beaten  by  any  of  n.s,  they,  as  well 
as  the  old  ones,  will  make  towards  the  Sea,  and  swim  very  swift  and 
nimble ;  tho'  on  shore  they  lie  very  sluggishly,  and  will  not  go  out  of  om 
way  unless  we  beat  them,  but  snaji  at  us.  A  blow  on  tlie  Nose  soon  kills 
them.  Large  Ships  might  here  load  themselves  with  Seals  Skins  and  Traue- 
oyl;  for  they  are  extraordinary  fat."— J  Sew  Voyage  Hound  the  iVorld,  "MA 
edition,  corrected,"  1703,  vol.  i,  pi>.  88,90. 

t  Cond.  of  Aff.  in  Alaska,  pj).  '217,  22i. 

{ Alaska  and  its  Resources,  p.  41>;{. 


GENEK'AL    HISTORY. 


335 


ai)iK'iirL'd  there,  however,  only  in  si)rinj^  and  in  Sei>teniber,  none 
being  seen  therefrom  the  bej;inning  of  .June  till  the  end  of 
August,  at  wliieh  time  he  .says  they  reiurti  from  the  south  with 
tlieir  young.  Von  Schrenek  speaks  of  their  oecurrenee  in  tlie 
Ocliotsk  Sea  and  the  Tartarian  (Inlf  as  far  south  as  the  40th 
degree  of  hititude,  or  to  the  soutlicrn  ])ointof  Sughalien  Island. 
The  natives  reported  to  him  the  ojjcurrenee  of  great  numbers 
of  the  animals  on  tlie  eastern  <;oast  of  that  island.  Captain 
Scaiinnon  also  refers  to  their  abundance  twenty  years  since  ou 
the  eastern  side  of  Saghalieu.* 

Excei)t  during  the  season  of  reproduction,  these  animals  ap- 
pear to  lead  a  wandering  life,  but  the  extent  and  direction  of 
their  migrations  are  not  yet  well  known.  Steller  spoke  of  their 
migrations  as  being  as  regular  as  those  of  the  various  kinds  of 
sen-fowl,  and  they  are  recorded  as  arriving  with  great  regularity 
at  the  Prybilov  Islands,  but  where  they  pass  the  season  of 
winter  is  still  a  nuitter  of  conjecture. 

(iRNERAL  History. — The  Northern  Fur  Seal  was  first  nuide 
known  to  science  by  Steller  in  17.51,  under  the  name  Ursus 
mirinKs.  During  his  visit  to  KamtschaJ^ka  and  its  neighboring 
isliuids,  in  1742,  he  met  with  these  animals  ir.  great  numbers 

*C;i]it;iiii  Scainiiioii  rcl.atoM  in  jiii  oU'-liand  way,  iiicn'ly  us  tin  ii'.rori'stiiig 
iutuliiit  (it  sealing  lilt',  the  lollowin;? :  "In  thi!  midst  of  the  crimtian  War, 
an  I'litci'iirising  iirni  in  New  London,  Connecticnt,  fitted  out  iiflip])er  bark, 
wliich  \va8  otticcrt'd  and  manned  cxjtrcHsly  for  a  sealing  voyage  in  the 
Okhotsk  Sea.  'J'lie  cai»tain  was  a  veteran  in  the  business,  and  many  thought 
him  too  old  to  eomniaud,  but  tlie  result  of  the  voyage  proved  him  equal  to 
the  tu«k.  The  vessel  proeeedtul  to  Robin  Island — a  mere  volcanic  rock,  situ- 
ated on  the  eastern  side  of  the;  large  island  of  Saghalien.  Many  outlying 
rocks  and  reefs  are  about  it,  making  it  dangerous  t»»  approach,  and  affording 
l)iit  slijrht  shelter  for  an  anchorage.  Here  the  vessel  (of  about  tlireo  hun- 
ilml  tons)  lay,  with  ground-tackle  of  the  weight  for  a  craft  of  twice  her 
size.  Much  of  the  time  fresh  winds  jirevailed,  accompanied  by  the  usual 
ugly  giniind-swell ;  auil,  iu  eonsiMpu'nce  of  her  b«ung  long,  low,  and  sharp, 
tliPddk  was  at  such  times  fre<iueutly  Hooded;  nevertheless,  she  '  rode-out 
the  whole  season,  though  wet  as  a  half-tide  rock,'  and  a  valuable  cargo  of 
skins  was  iirocnred,  which  brought  an  unusually  high  price  in  the  European 
market,  on  account  cf  the  regular  Uussiau  supply  being  cut  off  iu  conse- 
quence of  the  war.  This  is  only  given  as  one  of  the  ntany  that  may  be  re- 
lated of  scaling  lift;." — Marine  Mamnuilia,  pp.  I'^O-Vi'i,  In  this  connection 
Iiaiihiinlly  help  adding  that  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  Ciiptain  Seanmion 
lias  not  I'avored  us  with  more  of  these  "  ineid«nits,"  from  the  important  bear- 
ing' they  liav(>  upon  the  former  distribution  and  abundance  of  this  and  other 

iieciesof  Seal,  and  that  he  has  not  given  mor<^  explicit  references  to  the 

loealitics  at  which  the  "ur  Seals  were  formerly  hunted  on  the  southern  por- 

"on  of  the  North  American  coast  and  elsewhere. 


"Mill* 


irivi  ''i 


i  i\ 


fihip 


I.* 


:!      5'  '. 


336   CALLOKHINrs  URSINUS NORTHERN  PUR  SEAL. 

at  Belli ing's  Island,  where  he  spent  HOine  time  among  them,  and 
carefully  Htudied  their  habits  and  anatomy,  a  detailed  account  of 
which  appeared  in  his  celebrated  inemoir  entitled  "  ])e  Bcstiis 
Mariuis,"  in  the  Transactions  of  the  St.  Petersburg  Aj-adciuy 
for  the  year  Hi*.).*  This  important  essay  was  the  source  of 
nearly  all  of  the  accounts  of  this  animal  that  appeared  prior  td 
the  bej^inning  of  the  present  decade.  The  tw^enty-eight  <|narto 
pages  of  Steller's  nu'moir  devoted  to  this  s])ecies,  gave  not  only 
a  detailed  account  of  its  anatomy,  with  an  extensive  table  ot 
measurements,  but  also  of  its  remarkable  habits,  and  tigurcs  of 
the  animals  themselves.  A  little  later  Krascheninikow,  in  Lis 
History  of  Kanitschatka,t  uiuler  the  nan»e  " Sea  Cat,"  ga\e  also 
a  long  account  of  its  habits,  apparently  based  mainly  on  Stel 
ler's  notes.f  but  it  embraces  a  few  particulars  not  given  in  "De 
Bestiis  Marinis."  Steller's  description  of  the  habits  of  this 
animal  has  been  largely  quoted  by  Button,  Pennant,  Schrel)ei, 
Hamilton,  and  other  general  writers. 

Button,  Pennant,  Schreber,  Gmelin,  and  nearly  all  writers  .11 
the  Pinnipeds,  down  to  about  1820,  confounded  the  Nortbeiu 
Fur  Seal  with  the  Fur  Seals  of  the  Southern  hemisphere,  blend 
ing  their  history  as  that  of  a  single  species.  P^ron,  in  181(5,  first 
recognized  it  as  distinct  from  its  southern  allies,  and  it  was  so 
treated  somewhat  later  by  Demarest,  Lesson,  Fischer,  Gray,  and 
other  systematic  writers,  §  but  its  distinctive  characters  were  not 


*^Nov.  Conim.  Acad.  Petrop.,  ii,  pp.  331-359,  pi.  xv,  17.')1.  Thiw,  as  is  will 
known,  is  a  posthiimoiis  pa])er,  published  six  years  sitter  Steller's  dfatli. 
Steller  dying  of  fever  November  12,  1745,  wbilii  on  his  way  from  Siberia  to 
St.  Petersburg.  The  description  of  the  Sea  Bear  was  written  at  Hcliniiu;' 
Island  in  May,  1742. 

tH'^t.  Kamtchatka  (English  edition),  trnnshited  from  the  Russian  by 
James  Grieve,  pp.  12:M30,  1764. 

t Krascheninikow,  it  is  stated,  "received  all  of  Mr.  Steller's  pai)ers,"lo 
aid  him  in  the  preparation  of  his  "  History  of  Kanitschatka." 

^Nilssoii  and  Miiller  in  1841,  and  Wagner  in  184()  and  IHIS),  on  the  otber 
hand,  still  considered  all  the  Sea  Bears  as  belonging  to  a  single  spetii's. 
Wagner,  in  184'.)  (Arch,  fiir  Natnrg.,  1849,  pp.  37-49),  described  the  ostw- 
logical  characters  of  the  Northern  species  from  three  skeletons  in  tlif 
Munich  Museum  received  from  Hehring's  Sea.  One  of  these  was  ait)>arcutl,v 
that  of  a  full-grown  female ;  a  second  was  believed  to  be  that  of  a  liall'-jti'owu 
male,  while  the  third  belonged  to  a  very  young  animal,  in  which  the  jht- 
manent  teeth  were  still  not  wholly  developed.  Wagner  compares  tiic  speeif^ 
with  Stelha's  Sea  Li<m,  and  with  the  figures  of  the  skulls  of  the  Soiitli*''" 
Sea  Bears  given  by  F.  Cuvier,  Blainville,  and  Quoy  and  Gaimard,  and  uott" 
various  differences  in  the  form  of  the  teef  h  and  skull,  but  believes  that  tin *» 
differences  must  be  regarded  as  mtsrely  variations  dependent  upon  age. 


'j  ' 


(;i:ni:i{al  iiistoky. 


337 


cltiiily  set  Ibith  till  IS')'.),  when  Dr.  J.  E.  Gniy  (k'soribed  and 
ti;;iir((l  its  skull,  iiiul  showed  that  the  Xortlieru  species  was  not 
even  eoiifi'eiierie  with  the  Sea  Bears  of  the  South.  Very  few 
spcciiiK'iis  of  either  the  Xortlieru  or  Southern  Sea  Hears  appear 
tit  liav<'  reju'hed  l<]uroj)ean  museums  prior  to  about  tluit  date, 
s(»  tiiat  naturalists  had  not  previously  been  able  to  make  a  direct 
coinparison  of  this  species  with  any  of  its  Southern  affiues. 
Dr.  (fiay,  in  referring  to  this  point  in  1850,  wrote  as  follows: 
"  1  had  not  been  able  to  see  a  specimen  of  this  species  in  any 
of  the  iiuiseums  which  I  examined  on  the  Continent  or  in  Eng- 
laiul,  or  to  tind  a  skull  of  the  genus  [Arctocephalns]  from  the 
Xortli  Pacific  0(!ean,  yet  I  felt  so  assured,  from  Steller's  <le- 
scription  and  the  geographical  position,  that  it  must  be  distinct 
from  tluj  Eared  Fur  Seals  from  the  Antarctic  Ocean  and  Aus- 
tralia, with  which  it  had  usually  been  confounded,  that  in  my 
'Catalogue  of  Seals  in  the  Collection  of  the  British  Museum' 
[1850]  I  regarded  it  as  a  distinct  8i)ecie8,  under  the  name  of 
ArctocephalHS  nrsimiSj  giving  an  abridgment  of  Steller's  descrip- 
tion as  its  specific  character."  "  The  British  Museum,"  he  adds, 
"has  just  recoi.^d,  under  the  name  Otaria  leonina,  from  Am- 
sterdam, a  specimen  [skull  and  skin]  of  the  Sea  Bear  from 
Bebring's  Straits,  which  was  obtained  fi'om  St.  Petersburg";* 
which  is  the  specimen  already  spoken  of  as  figured  by  Dr. 
(iray.  From  the  great  ditt'erences  existing  between  this  skull 
and  those  of  the  southern  Sea  Bears,  Dr.  Gray,  a  few  weelfs 
later,  separated  the  northern  species  from  the  genus  Arctoce- 
phaluH,  under  the  name  CaUorhinusA 

It  seems,  however,  that  there  were  two  skulls  of  Steller's 
Sea  Bear  in  the  Berlin  Museum  as  early  as  1841,|  and  three 
skeletons  of  the  same  species  in  the  Museum  of  Munich  in  1849,§ 
yet  Dr.  Gray  appears  to  have  been  the  first  to  compare  this 
animal  with  its  southern  relatives,  and  to  positively  decide  its 
affinities. 

Misled,  however,  by  erroneous  information  respecting  speci- 
mens of  Eared  Seals  received  at  the  British  Museum  from  Cali- 
fornia,a  skin  of  the  CaUorhinm  wmuMS  was  doubtfully  described 
l>y  this  author,  in  the  paper  in  whicli  the  name  Callorhinus  was 
liro])()se(l,  as  that  of  his  Arctocephalus  monteriemw,  which  is  a 


tirkii^f 


'f    'IS 


t  \  ! 


^<       \ 


m 


i    i  : 


n    i 


,!  %i 


*?  -j, 


*  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1859,  p.  102. 

+  iiti<i.,i8r)t),:ir)9. 

iS(u'  Aroliiv  fiir  Naturgeseli.,  1841,  p.  3134. 
vUI.i(l.,184y,  :i9. 

^lisc.  Fub.  No.  12 22 


f 


338      CALLOKHINUH    URSINUS NOUTIIEHN    FUR   SEAL. 


»'>■> 


c>>^^r- 


Hair  Seal.  This  nkiii  was  accoinpaiiied  by  a  young-  skull,  pur 
poitiuft-,  by  the  label  it  bore,  to  belong;  to  it,  but  Dr.  Gray 
observes  that  otherwise  he  should  have  thoujjht  it  too  small  to 
have  beloii}>:e(l  to  the  same  animal.  Seven  years  later,*  lie  do 
scribed  the  skull  as  that  of  ii  new  species  {ArctocephaliLs  mli 
J'onn'ainiN),  still  associating  with  it,  however,  the  skin  of  tlif 
CtiUorhiuus  ursinus.  The  skull  ho  subse(piently  considcicd  as 
that  of  a  young  A .  monierunsis  ( =  Eumctop'uu  nicUvH) ;  and  refer- 
ring  his  ^l.  imliforuianm  to  that  s])ecies,  he  was  conseqiionth 
led  into  tlu'  double  error  of  regarding  the  Unmctopias  sleUeri  as 
a  Fur  Seal  (as  already  explained  under  that  species  and  olso 
where  in  the  ])resent  paju'r),  an<l  of  excluding  the  CaUorhinus 
vrsini(,s  from  the  list  of  Fur  Seals.  To  this  1  caUed  attention 
in  ISTO,  and  in  1S71  Dr.  (Jray  correctly  referred  his  A.  monteri- 
cnsis  and  A.  mUfornianus  iu  part  (the  "skin  only")  to  ('«//»• 
rhinus  nrsi'nis.f 

AVhat  may  be  termed  the  second  or  luodern  epoch  in  the 
general  history  of  this  species  began  in  1800,  when  Captain  ('. 
M.  Scammon  i)ublished  a  highly  ijuportant  contribution  to  it> 
biology,  f  he  «lescribiug  at  considerable  length,  from  personal 
observation,  its  habits,  distribution,  and  ])roducts,  as  well  a> 
the  various  methods  employed  for  its  capture.  The  followini; 
year  Mr.  W.  IT.  Dall  devoted  a  few  pages  §  to  its  history,  in 
which  he  made  many  important  suggestions  relative  to  tin. 
sealing  business.  During  the  same  year  I  was  able  to  add  nut 
only  something  to  its  technical  history,  ||  but  also  to  make  puli 
lie  an  important  communication  on  its  habits  kindly  placed  at 
my  disposal  by  Captain  Charles  Bryant,^}  Government  agent  in 
charge  of  the  Fur  Seal  Islands  of  Alaska.  In  1874,  Ca]ttaiii 
Scammon  republished  his  above-mentioned  paper,**  addiiis 
thereto  a  transcript  of  Captain  Bryant's  observations  already 
noted.  Almost  simultaneously  with  this  appeared  Mr.  H.  AV, 
Elliott's  exhaustive  Ileport  on  the,  Seal  Islands  of  Alaska,ttin 

"Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  18()(i,  j).  ol. 

t  Suppl.  Cat,  Seals  aii«l  Whales,  p.  15 ;  Hand-List  of  Seals,  32. 
t  Overland  Monthly,  vol.  iii,  Nov.  1869,  pp.  393-399. 
ij  Alaska  and  its  Resources,  1870,  pp.  492-498. 
II  Bull.  Mus.  Comp.  ZoiJl.,  ii,  pp.  73-89. 
IT  Ibid.,  pp.  89-108. 

** Marine  Mammalia,  1874,  pp.  141-103. 
-     tt  Report  on  the  Pry  bilov  Group,  or  Seal  Islands  of  Alaska,  4to,  uupag'Hl. 
1873  [1874]. 


FIOIIKKS. 


339 


wliicli  the  present  species  juoperly  comes  in  lor  si  huge  sliarc 
of  tlic  iuitlioi's  attention.  Tlie  work  is  richly  illustrated  with 
|)luitoj;rapliic  plates,  taken  from  Mr.  Elliott's  skcti(!lies,  about 
twi'iity-live  of  which  are  chnoted  to  the;  Fui'  Seal.  The  text  of 
this  viir*'  and  ])rivately  distributed  work  has  been  sincte  re- 
printed,* with  sonic  changes  and  ad<litions,  ami  has  been 
widely  circulated.  It  contains  very  little  relating  to  the  Fur 
Sciil  tliat  is  strictly  technical,  but  the  general  history  of  its  life 
at  the  I'rybilov  Islands  is  very  fully  told,  while  the  commercial 
(II  (coiioinic  i>hasc  of  the  subject  is  treated  at  length.  A  few 
iiiiiHtr  notices  ol"  lhiss])ecies  have  since  ajjpeared  (mostly  j)opu- 
liir  articles  in  illustrate<l  maga/in(>s,  chiefly  from  the  pen  of  Mr. 
Klli(ttt),  but  nothing  relating  to  its  general  history  requiring 
spi'c-  1  notice  in  the  ])resent  connection. 

i''i(iri{ES. — The  lirst  figures  of  the  Northern  Sea  Bear  were 
uivcii  by  Stcllcr,  in  liis  i)aper  already  cited.  They  represent  an 
luhilt  male,  in  a  <|uite  natural  attitude,  and  a  female  reclining 
nil  licr  back.  In  respect  t<  details,  these  early  ligures  were 
naturally  more  or  less  rude  and  inaccurate.  They  were  copied, 
liowover,  by  iJutfon,  Schreber,  Pennant,  and  othei-  early  writers, 
:iii(l  are  tlu^  only  rejursentations  of  this  species  known  to  me 
that  wen;  made  ])i'ior  to  about  the  year  1831),  except  C/horis's 
phitiMtf  a  group  of  these  animals  entitled  "Ours  marins  dans 
\"\\v  (le  St.  Paul",t  published  in  1822.  This  represents  three 
ohl  males,  surrounded  by  their  har«ms,  and  indicates  very  faitli- 
tully  tlie  moch^  of  grouping  aiul  the  variety  of  attitudes  as- 
sniiied  l»y  these  animals  when  assembled  on  the  rookeries. 
Ilaiiiiltoii,  in  1839,  gave  a  figure  of  the  "Sea  Bear  of  Steller 
(OUir'td  »>-,s/«rt)''|  which  he  tells  us  is  "from  the  engraving  of 
thi'  distinguished  Naturalist  of  the  Euriek*,§  the  original  of 
which  I  ha\e  not  seen.  This  represents  a  nmle  and  female,  the 
latter  reclining  on  its  side,  with  a  pup  resting  on  its  right 
Hipper. 

The  lirst  llgure  of  the  skull  is  that  published  by  Gray  in 
i8,*,->,ll— a  vioAv  in  profde  of  the  skull  of  an  adult  male.  A 
wood-cut  of  the  same  was  given  in  1806,^  and  a  fine  lithographic 


"Condition  of  Afl'airs  in  Alaska,  1875, pp.  107-151. 

t  Yoy.  pittor.  uiitour  dii  Monde,  lies  Aldoutienues,  pi.  xv. 

t Murine  Ainphibiie,  pi.  xxi. 

\Ubid.,p,2G6. 

II  Proc.  Zoiil.  See.  Lond.,  1859,  pi.  Ixviii. 

1i  Cat.  Seals  aud  Whales,  p.  »5,  fig.  16. 


f;i 


.  Ji 


340      CALLORIIIXUS    ntSlXUS XOUTJIEHN    FUR    SEAL. 


plate  ill   1.S74,*  ropn'seiitiiig  tlit*  .skull  in  piofile,  liom  above 
iiiid  from  iH'low.t 

In  1S7()  I  fiiive  liju'iircs  of  t\vi»  adult  niak'  skulls  (two  views 
of  eacli),  of  an  adult  female  skull  (three  views),  of  a  very  youii^f 
skull  (tliree  views),  and  of  the  scapula,  dentition,  ete.  These, 
so  far  as  known  to  me,  are  the  only  tiijures  of  the  skull  orotiier 
details  of  structure  thus  far  published. 

In  1874  Captain  Seamnion  j;ave  fij>ures  of  the  animal,  f  a  /inc 
ograph  of  an  old  male,§  from  a  sketch  by  Mr.  Elliott,  a  woodcut 
of  the  head  of  a  female  seen  from  beh)W  (drawn  by  Elliott), ||  two 
outline  tigures  representinjf  the  female  as  seen  from  below  and 
in  proflle,  and  two  others  in  oiitUne  illustrating  "attitudes  of 
the  Fur  Seals."  1|     Mr.  Elliott,  in  his  lirst  Report  on  the  Seal 
Islands,**  in  a  series  of  over  two  dozen  large  photograpliic 
plates  (from  India  ink  sketches  from  nature)  has  given  an  ex 
haustive  presentation  of  the  phases  of  Fur  Seal  life  so  faithfully 
studied  by  him  at  St.  Paul's  Isl.and.    Among  these  may  he 
mentioned  especially  those  entitled  "The  East  Landing  and 
Black   Buttes — The  beach  covered  with  young  Fur  Seals"; 
"The  North  Shore  of  St.  Paul's  Island"  (giving  an  extensive 
view  of  the  rookeries) ;  "  Lukannon  Bear'i "  (Fur  Seals  playin;; 
in  the  surf,  and  rookeries  in  the  distance);  "Old  male  Fur  Seal, 
or  '  Seecatch ' "  (as  he  appears  at  the  end  of  the  season  after 
three  months  of  fasting) ;  "Fur  Seal  Harem  "  (showing  the  rela 
five  size  of  nmles,  females,  and  young,  various  atatudes,  posi- 
tions, etc.);  'Fur  Seal  males,  waiting  for  their  'harems'" (the 
females  beginning  to  arrive);  Fur  Seal  "llookery"  (breeding- 
grounds  at  Polavina  Point) ;  "  Fur  Seal  Harem"  (Reef  Rookeiy, 
foreground  showing  relative  size  of  males  and  females);  "Fur 
Seal  Pups  at  Sleep  and  Play";  "Hauling  Grounds"  (several 
views  at  different  points);  "Capturing  Fur  Seals";  "Driving 
Fur  Seals";  "Killing  Fur  Seals — Sealing  gang  at  work,"  etc. 

The  only  other  pictorial  coutributions  to  the  history  of  the 

*  Iluml-List  of  Seals,  i)l.  xix. 
'      1 1  infer  tins  to  bo  tlio  same  specimen  in  each  case,  not  only  from  there- 
semblance  tlio  figures  bear  to  ciich  other,  but  from  Ur.  Gray,  so  lav  as  1 
can   discover,  referring  to  only  tlic  single  skull  from  Beliring's  Strait,  re- 
ceived in  1859. 

t  Marine  Mammalia,  \>\.  xxi,  two  figures. 

$  Ibid.,  p.  14:5. 

||Ibid.,p.  145. 

iribid.,  p.  14«J. 

**  Report  on  the  Prybilov  Group,  or  Fur  Seal  Itiiands,  of  Alaska,  lUipageJ. 
and  jdates  not  numbered. 


HAIUTS. 


a4i 


Fiir  Seal  of  uotewoitiiy  iuiitortancc  is  .Mr.  Claik's  coloicd  ])lato,* 
(III  wliicli  ai'c  iei»i('S('iite(l  a  nearly  fiill-^irowii  male,  a  t'einule 
and  a  |>u]>,  i)r('i)ar('(l  lioiii  ^ikiiis  .sent  t(>  the  Jhitisli  ]Mu.seum  by 
tlif  Alaska  Comiiu'rcial  (J()ni]iaiiy.  In  these  the  attitudes  are 
cxct'llciit  and  the  eolorin;-'  lair. 

llAiU'i'S. — The  habits  of  the  I-'iir  Seal  of  the  north  .seem  to 
jiiive  heen  well  known  to  Steller  and  hi.s  companions  a  century 
and  a  (piarter  ajio,  and  their  seemin;4ly  marvellous  accounts  of 
tlieni  jirove  to  liave  been  only  to  sislifiht  degree  erroneous.  As 
a  matter  of  historic  interest,  and  for  comi)arison  with  our  pres- 
ent kiiowii'dge  of  the  subj<H't,  as  -well  as  in  some  respects  sup- 
]»l('iii('ntary  to  it,  1  herewith  subjoin  a  few  extracts  from  tbe  ac- 
count left  us  by  Krascheninikow,  based  partly,  apparently,  on 
liis  own  observations,  but  lar}>ely  on  tho.se  of  his  fellow-trav- 
('Ik'i',  Stfciler.  ''The  Sea  ('at ",  says  Krascheninikow,  t  ''  is  about 
half  the  size  of  the  Sea  Lion;  in  form  resembling  the  Seal,  but 
tldckor  about  the  breast,  and  thinner  towards  the  tail.  They 
have  the  snout  longer  than  the  Sea  Lions,  and  hu'ger  teeth ;  with 
eyes  like  cow's  eyes,  short  ears,  naked  and  black  paws,  and  black 
liair  iiiix(;d  with  gray,  which  is  short  and  brittle.  Their  young 
are  of  a  bluish  black  color. 

"  The  Sea  Cats  are  caught  in  the  spring  and  in  the  month  of 
September,  about  the  river  Shcepanora ;  at  which  time  they  go 
from  tlie  Kxrllsloy  Lsland  to  the  American  coast;  but  the  most 
are  catched  about  the  cape  of  Kro)iotzkoi/,  as  between  this  and 
the  cape  Shi(2)lnfil:oy  the  sea  is  generally  calm  and  affords  them 
pioperer  places  to  retire  to.  Almost  all  the  females  that  are 
caught  in  the  spring  are  pregnant;  and  such  as  are  near  their 
time  of  bringing  forth  their  young  are  innnediately  opened  and 
the  young  taken  out  and  skinned.  Xone  of  them  are  to  be  seen 
from  the  beginning  of  June  to  the  end  of  August,  when  they 
return  from  the  .south  with  their  young.  The  natives  Avere 
formerly  at  a  loss  to  concei\'e  where  such  great  herds  of  preg- 
uaut  I'at  animals  retired  in  spring,  and  why  they  returned  so 
woalc  and  lean  was  owing  to  their  fatigue. 

....  ''The  male  and  fenmle  differ  so  much  in  the  forin  and 
f<treiigth  of  their  bodies,  that  one  who  does  not  carefully  exam- 
ine them  would  take  them  for  different  species  of  animals;  be- 
iiides  the  females  are  wild  and  fearful.    The  male  has  from 

*  I'ldc.  Zdiil.  ,Soc.  London,  1878,  271,  pi.  xx. 

T 1  iHc  liore  Griove's  English  translation  from  llio  Kussiiin,  published  iu 


■^m 


»■ 


ih,  t 


m% 


\  iHj 


342      CALLORHINUH   URSINUS — NORTITKRN    KI7R    SEAL. 


eight  to  titt(!cn,  imd  even  sometimes  rtfty  females,  whom  he 
gkiards  with  such  jealousy  that  lie  does  not  allow  any  other  to 
come  near  his  mistresses  :  and  thoufih  many  thousands  of  tliciu 
lie  upon  the  sairuj  shore,  yet  every  family  keeps  apart;  th;it  is, 
the  male  with  his  wives,  youny  ones,  and  those  of  a  year  old, 
whiijh  have  not  yet  attached  themselves  to  any  male;  so  that 
isometimes  the  family  consists  o^'  120.  They  likewise  swim  at 
sea  in  such  droves.  Such  as  are  old,  ov  have  no  mistresses,  live 
apart;  and  the  first  that  «)ur  peoi)lefoun<l  niion  Berhujs  Island 
Avere  such  old  ones,  and  all  males,  extremely  fat  and  stinkiii;;. 
These  sometimes  lie  asleei)  a  whole  month  without  nourishment, 
and  are  the  Uercest  of  all,  attacking  all  that  pass  them,  and  tlieii 
pride  or  obstinacy  is  such  that  they  will  rather  die  than  qnit 
their  ])la«!e.  When  they  see  a  niii  oming  near  them  some  ot' 
them  rush  upon  him  and  others  lie  ready  to  sustain  the  hattk'. 
They  bite  the  stones  that  are  thrown  at  them,  and  i  iish  the 
most  violently  upon  him  who  throws  them  ;  so  that  though  you 
strike  out  their  teeth  with  stones,  or  put  out  their  eyes,  yet, 
even  blind,  thej'  will  not  (piit  their  place  :  nay,  they  dare  not 
leave  it,  for  every  step  that  any  one  moves  oft'  he  maki's  a  new 
enemy,  so  that  though  he  could  save  himself  from  the  attacks 
of  men,  his  own  brethren  would  destroy  him ;  and  if  it  liai) 
pens  that  any  one  seems  to  retire  the  least,  then  others  draw 
near  no  [to]  prevent  his  running  away  ;  and  if  any  one  seems 
to  suspect  the  courage  of  another,  or  his  design  to  run  away,  he 
falls  upon  him.  This  suspicion  of  one  another  is  sometimes  car- 
ried so  far,  that  for  a  whole  verst  one  sees  nothing  but  these 
bloody  duels;  and  at  such  time  one  may  pass  between  tliciii 
without  any  manner  of  danger.  If  two  fall  upon  one,  then  some 
others  come  to  support  the  weakest ;  for  thej'  do  not  allow  of 
unequal  combat.  During  these  battles  the  others  that  are  swuu- 
niing  in  the  sea  raise  their  heads,  and  look  at  the  success  of 
the  combatants ;  at  length  beconung  likewise  fiercer,  they  come 
out  and  increase  the  number. 

....  "When  two  of  them  oidy  fight  the  battle  lasts  fio 
quently  foran  hour:  sometimes  they  rest  awhile,  lying  byoue 
another;  then  both  rise  at  once  and  renew  the  engafiemeiit. 
They  fight  with  their  heads  erect,  and  turn  them  aside  from 
one  another's  stroke.  So  long  as  their  strength  is  equal  they 
tight  with  their  fore  paws ;  but  when  one  of  them  becomes  weak 
the  other  seizes  him  with  his  teeth,  and  throws  him  upon  the 
ground.    When  the  lookers  on  see  this  they  come  to  the  assist- 


HABITS. 


343 


iiiict'  of  t\n'  vanqiii.slu'd.  1l\w  wounds  they  niako  with  their 
T(M'tli  Mv  JiH  deep  as  those  made  with  a  sabre;  and  in  the  month 
(it'  '/"///  you  will  hardly  see  one  of  tliem  that  has  not  some 
wound  upon  him.  After  tlu^  end  of  the  battle  they  throw  them- 
selves into  the  water  to  wash  their  bodies.  The  occasions  of 
tlieir  qiiari'els  ai  '  these: — The  Urst  and  most  bloody  is  about 
riicir  lemales,  when  one  en<lea\()rs  to  carry  otf  tiu;  mistress  of 
aiiotlier,  or  the  youn;;'  ones  that  are  fi'Uiales;  the  fenudes  that 
;ire  jncscnt  follow  the  eon<piei'or.  Tin;  second  is  a1)out  their 
pliiecs.  M'hcn  one  comes  too  near  that  of  another,  which  they 
(loii't  allow,  either  for  want  of  room,  or  because  they  are  .jeal- 
ous of  their  connnji'  too  near  their  mistresses.  The  third  is 
owiii;^-  to  their  endeavouring  to  do  justice,  and  end  the  quarrels 
of  others. 

....  '"Another  reason  of  the  Sea  Cats  going  in  the  spring 
to  the  eastwards  to  the  Desert  Islands  nnist  be,  that  resting 
;iii(l  sleeping  without  nourishment  for  three  months,  they  free 
theiuselves  from  the  fat  which  was  troublesome  to  them,  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  bears  who  live  the  whole  winter  without 
nourishment ;  for  in  the  months  oiJunCj  July,  and  August,  the  old 
(lUcs  do  nothing  but  sleep  upon  the  shore,  lying  in  one  place 
like  a  stone,  now  and  then  looking  at  one  another,  and  yawn- 
ing and  stretching,  without  meat  or  drink;  but  the  young  ones 
licgiii  to  walk  in  the  beginning  of  July.  When  this  animal  lies 
upon  the  shore  and  diverts  himself,  Ills  lowing  is  like  that  of  a 
cow;  when  he  tights  he  growls  like  a  bear;  when  he  has  con- 
quered his  enemy,  he  chirps  like  a  cricket ;  but  being  vanquished 
or  wounded,  he  groans  or  mews  like  a  cat ;  coming  out  of  the 
water,  he  commonly  shakes,  strokes  his  breast  with  his  hinder 
paws,  and  smooths  the  hair  upon  it.  The  male  lays  his  snout 
to  that  of  tlie  females,  as  if  he  was  kissing  her.  When  they 
sleo})  in  the  sun  they  liold  up  their  paws,  wagging  them  as  the 
(logs  do  their  tails.  They  lie  sometimes  upon  their  backs,  at 
other  times  like  a  dog  upon  their  bellies ;  sometimes  contract- 
ing, at  other  times  extending  themselves.  Their  sleep  is  never 
so  sound  but  that  they  awake  at  the  approach  of  any  person, 
how  softly  soever  he  goes,  and  are  presently  upon  their  guard; 
besides  their  smell  and  hearing  are  surprisingly  acute. 

"  They  swim  so  fast  that  they  can  easily  make  ten  versts  in  an 
liour;  and  when  they  happen  to  be  wounded  at  sea  they  seize 
the  boats  of  the  fishers  with  theu'  teeth,  and  drag  them  along 
^vitli  such  swiftness  that  they  appear  to  fly  and  not  to  swim 


344      CALLOIMIINUS    UKSINIIS NORTIIKIJN    IIK*    HKXu 


n]u>u  tlu'  wiitcr.     \\y  \\m  iiieiuis  tlu!  Ixmt  is  iVt'ijiUMitly  over- 
tni'iMMl  iiinl  the  |»(!()|>1«'  (h'owiu'd,  unlt'.s.s  liowho  stcri's  it  bovciy 

.skillliil,  iiiid  ()l*s«'rv»'s  tlu' <'()urs(M)t't]u^  animal Tlicy 

lastcn  tln'ii'  loiv  paws  in  tlio  rocks,  und  thus  draw  up  tlicir  body. 
wldeli  tlu>y  can  move  but  slowly  in  sucli  places,  but  upon  a 
l»lain,  one  is  in  diinf^cr  of  beiny  ov«iitakou  by  them,  rjwu 
Bifinifx  Island  there  are  such  nund)ersot' them  that  they  cover 
.v^'-''^  . ,  the  whole  shore:  so  that  truvellers  are  t'renuentiv  oblij^ed  tor 
|v-    r     sal'etv  to  leave  the  sands  jind  level  countrv  and  yo  over  tlu-  hills 


r 


and  rocky  places.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  this  island  the  Sen 
Cats  are  found  only  upon  the  south  coast  which  looks  towards 
Kamtsi'hntka.  The  reason  for  this  may  be,  that  this  is  the  lirst 
land  they  meet  with  goinji;  east  from  tlu^  Krouotzhyy  i)ass."* 

Steller  an<l  Krascheninikow  both  evidently  considered  the 
"Sea  Cats"  danj^erous  to  man,  both  on  land  and  in  the  sea. 
They  also  attributed  to  them  a  degree  of  magnanimity  autl 
intelligence  in  relation  to  their  Cv>ntests  with  each  other  uncoii- 
firmed  by  modern  observers.  In  several  respects  the  ac<'ounts 
of  these  authors — in  the  main  virtually  identical — border  uiwu 
the  mythical,  but,  generally  speaking,  are  remarkably  free  from 
exaggeration,  considering  the  times  at  which  they  Avere  writteu. 

xVs  already  stated,  they  formed  the  source  of  all  our  knowl- 
edge of  these  strange  beasts  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  pres- 
ent decade.  Choris  makes  only  very  brief  mention  of  them 
and  says  very  little  about  their  habits,  t  Veniaminov,  iu  hi> 
"Zapieska"  published  at  Saint  Petersburg,  iuKussian,  in  1840, 
ami  known  to  me  only  as  quoted  and  translated  by  Mr.  II.  W, 
Elliott,!  has  given  valuable  statistical  information  respcctiu;; 
the  sealing  business  as  prosecuted  by  the  Kussiaus  at  the  Prv 
bilo  V  Islands,  but  seems  to  have  given  no  detailed  account  of  their 
habits.  Our  tirst  important  recent  information  respecting  the 
economy  of  these  animals  is  that  given  by  Captain  Charles 

*  Krascheninikow'a  Hist.  Kamtschatka,  Grieve's  English  translation,  pi'. 
12:5, 131. 

t  His  .account  iu  full  is  as  follows:  "  L'ours  marius,  on  russt^  nivoutch,  con- 
vre  par  niillidrs  les  rivages  des  lies  Kotoviya  [Islands  of  8aiut  Paul  ami 
Saint  Gcorgo],  oil  sont  jetdes  abondanimeut  dcs  plantcs  marines  (/«(•»«)• 
On  entend  do  tres-loin  Ic  cri  do  ces  aniniaiix,  lorsqu'ou  est  en  nicr.  h'- 
fcnielles  sont  beauconp  plus  potites  quo  Ics  milles ;  elles  ont  Ic  corps  pln> 
tluet  et  decouleur  januiltre.  Les  mAles  ont  jusqu'st  six  pied  do  baut  lois- 
qu'ils  Invent  la  tetc ;  les  jeunes  sont  ordinairenieut  d'lm  Ijrun  noir ;  il  paraii 
quo  les  fcni.clles  no  font  jamais  plus  d'uu  petit." — From  the  descriptiou  ol 
"Hcs  S.Georgesct  S.Paul,"  iu  " Voy. luttorcsq. autour  du  Monde.'' 

*  Condition  of  Aftairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  241-24'i. 


HAIUTS. 


345 


Ijryaiit,  in  1870.*  Mr.  IClliott's  iUM-oimt,  puldisluMl  tlii'0(!  or 
Ibiir  vcais  later,  is  tar  mort'  (Ictailrd,  and  ri\s|K'('tin<;-  in(»st])oiuts 
jiiiiy  lie  considered  as  fairly  exhaustive  of  the  sul>Je<!t,  more  than 
tliirty  |»a};es  of  his  report  hein;;'  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
haliitsot  the  sp(!cies.  Captain  i'.ryant  has  now  kindly  |>laced 
;ii  iii\  disposal  a  coninninication  embodying'  the  results  of  his 
('i<:lit  years"  observations  on  these  animals,  i)rei)ared  by  my 
r('(|iicst  «'xi)ressly  tor  the  present  work.  While  replete  with 
new  iiilbrmation,  it  (h)es  not,  to  any  };reat  extent,  dui)licate 
t.;e  account  of  the  habits  of  the  species  ])ublished  by  Mr.  Elliott, 
l)einn  <levoted  mainly  to  a  detailed  history  of  the  changes  in 
the  rehitive  preponderance  of  the  diflerent  chisses  of  Seals 
resiiltiii;;  from  the  ditl'erent  systems  of  selectinf,^  the  aninmls  to 
be  killed  for  their  furs,  and  to  other  features  (»f  the  general 
subject  not  liitherto  fully  ])reHented.  Its  importance  us  a  con- 
tribution to  the  econonuc  phases  of  the  subject  can  scarcely  be 
overrated,  while  at  the  same  time  it  forms  a  most  valuable 
contribution  to  the  biology  of  the  si>ecies.  I>elieving  it  desira- 
ble to  piesent  in  the  present  connectu)n  a  full  and  connected 
history  of  the  species,  I  offer  no  apology  for  the  <;opious  extracts  I 
t'loni  Mr.  Elliott's  graphic  account  of  the  habits  of  the  Fur  Seal  r 
which  here  follow : 

•'The  fur  seal  {Callorhinus  uriihiufi),  which  repairs  to  these 
islaiuis  to  l)reed  in  nund)ers  that  seem  almost  fabulous,  is  by 
far  the  highest  organized  of  all  the  Pinnipedia,  and,  indeed,  tin- 
that  matter,  when  land  and  water  are  fully  taken  into  account, 
there  is  no  other  aninml  superior  to  it  from  a  purely  physical 
point  of  view ;  and  few  creatures  that  can  be  said  to  exhibit  a 
higher  order  of  instinct,  ai)proaching  even  intelligence,  belong- 
ing to  the  animal  kingdom 

"Observe  it  as  it  comes  leisurely  swimming  on  toward  the 
land ;  how  high  above  the  water  it  carries  its  head,  and  how 
deliberately  it  surveys  the  beach,  after  having  stepped  upon  it ; 
it  may  be  truly  said  to  step  with  its  fore  fli])pers,  for  they  reg- 
iilaily  alternate  as  it  moves  up,  carrying  the  head  well  above 
them,  at  least  three  feet  from  the  grouiul,  with  a  perfectly  erect 
neck. 

•  ■  .  .    '"We  observe  as  the  seal  moves  along  that,  though  it 

hamlles  its  tore  limbs  in  a  most  creditable  manner,  it  brings  up 

its  rear  in  (luite  a  different  style ;  for  after  every  second  step 

ahead  witli  the  fore  feet  it  arches  its  spine,  and  with  it  drags 

'*  Bull.  Mus.  Coinp.  Zool.  il,  pp.  BO-lOt-. 


346      CALL0RHINU3   URSINUS NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 


and  lift.s  togetlier  the  hinder  limbs  to  a  fit  position  nnder  its 
body  for  another  movement  forward,  by  which  the  spine  is 
ajjain  straij;htened  (Mit  so  as  to  take  a  fresh  hiteli  up  on  the 
posteriors.  This  is  the  U'isnrely  and  natural  movement  <mi  land 
when  not  disturbed,  tlie  body  being  carried  clear  of  the  grouiHl. 

"The  radi(!al  dilference  in  the  form  and  action  of  the  hinder 
feet  cannot  fail  to  strik(^  the  eye  at  once.  They  are  one-seventli 
longer  and  very  nuich  lighter  and  mort*  slender;  they,  too,  aiv 
laerged  in  the  body  like  those;  anterior;  notiiing  can  be  seen  nt' 
the  legs  above  the  tarsal  joint 

"Xow,  as  we  look  at  this  far  seal's  progression,  that  wliich 
seems  most  odd  is  tJie  gingerly  manner  (if  1  may  be  allowed  to 
use  the  ex]U'ession)  in  wliich  it  carries  these  hind  tlii)]t('i's. 
They  are  held  out  at  right  angles  from  the  body  directly  oppo- 
site the  i)elvis,  the  toe-ends  and  Haps  slightly  waving  and  curl 
ing  or  drooping  over,  supported  daintily,  as  it  were,  above  the 
earth,  only  suffering  its  Aveight  behind  to  fall  upon  the  licels. 
vliicli  are  opposed  to  each  other  scarcely  live  inches  aj)art. 

"  We  shall,  as  we  see  hi:n  again  later  in  the  season,  have  to 
notice  a  different  mode  of  progression,  both  when  lording'  it 
over  his  harem  or  when  he  grows  shy  and  restless  at  the  end 
of  the  breeding-season,  and  now  i)roceed  to  notice  him  in  the 
order  of  his  arrival  and  that  of  his  family,  his  behavior  (luiiii? 
the  long  period  of  ftisting  and  unceasing  activity  and  vigihuitr 
and  other  cares  Avhich  devolve  ui)on  him,  as  the  most  eniiueiit 
of  all  polygamists  iu  tlie  brutp  vrorld ;  and  to  fully  comprclicnd 
this  exceedingly  interesting  animal,  it  will  be  necessary  to  refer 
tfl  my  drawings  and  ])aintings  made  from  it  and  its  haunt.s.  |*j 

•'  The  adult  males  are  first  to  arrive  in  the  spring  on  the 
ground  deserted  by  all  classes  the  preceding  year. 

"Between  the  1st  and  5th  of  May,  usually,  a  few  bulls  will 
be  found  scattered  oAcr  the  rookeries  pretty  close  to  the  w atei. 
They  are  at  this  time  quite  shy  and  i^ensitive,  not  yet  beiii; 
satisticl  with  the  land,  an<l  a  great  many  spend  day  after  diiy 
before  coming  ashore  id' ;  .swimming  out  among  the  breakers;! 
little  distance  from  the  land,  to  which  they  seem  somewhat 
reluctant  at  first  to  repair.  The  iivst  arrivals  are  not  alwa,v< 
the  oldest  bulls,  but  may  be  said  to  be  the  finest  an«l  most  am 
bitious  of  their  class.  They  are  full  grown  and  able  to  hold 
their  stations  on  the  rocks,  which  they  imniediately  ti'ke  up  at'tci' 
coming  ashore. 

[*•  Set!  Mr.  Elliott's  "  Report  on  tlie  I'rybilov  Grcap,  or  Fur  Seal  Islands,  of 
Alaska,"  esne.ia'ily  the  plate.s  alrea'ly  nie'at'.aed  at  p.  340.] 


HABITS. 


347 


"  I  am  not  able  to  say  authoritatively  that  these  animals  come 
back  an<l  take  up  the  same  i>osition  on  the  breeding-grounds 
occupied  by  them  during  the  preceding  season.  From  my 
knowledge  of  their  action  and  habit,  and  from  what  I  have 
k'iU'iuMl  of  the  ual^ives,  I  should  say  that  very  few,  if  any  of 
them,  make  such  a  selection  and  keep  these  places  year  after 
year.  One  old  bull  was  pointed  out  to  me  on  the  Eeef  Gar- 
hutch  Ivookery  as  being  known  to  the  natives  as  a  regular  visitor 
at,  ch)so  by,  or  on  the  same  rock  every  season  during  the  past 
thi'oe  years,  but  he  tailed  to  re-appear  on  the  fomth;  but  if 
those,  animals  came  each  to  a  certain  i^lace  and  occupied  it  reg- 
iihiily,  season  after  season,  I  think  the  natives  here  Avould  know 
it  definitely;  as  it  is,  they  do  not.  I  think  very  likely,  how- 
ever, that  the  older  bulls  come  back  to  the  same  rookery-ground 
wlieie  they  spent  the  previous  season,  but  take  up  their  posi- 
tions on  it  just  as  the  circumstances  attending  their  arrival  will 
permit,  sucli  as  lighting  other  seals  which  have  arrived  before 
tlici..,  tS:c. 

"With  the  object  of  testing  this  matter,  the  Russians,  during 
the  early  ^":trt  of  their  possession,  cut  off  the  ears  from  a  given 
uuinbei"  (»f  young  male  seals  driven  up  for  that  purpose  from 
one  of  the  rookeries,  and  the  result  was  that  cropped  seals  were 
found  on  nearly  all  the  different  rookeries  or  'hauling-grouuds ' 
on  the  islands  after.  The  same  experiment  was  made  by  agems 
two  years  ago,  who  had  the  left  ears  taken  off  from  a  hundred 
young  males  which  were  found  on  Lukannon  Eookery,  Saint 
Paul's  Island ;  of  these  the  natives  last  year  found  two  on  !N"o- 
vastosh-nah  Eookery,  ten  miles  north  of  Lukannon,  and  two 
or  tlnee  from  English  Bay  and  Tolstoi  Eookery,  six  miles  west 
l>y  water;  one  or  two  were  tak'  n  on  Saint  George's  Island, 
thirty-six  miles  to  the  southeast,  and  not  one  from  Lukannon 
was  found  among  those  that  wore  driven  from  there;  and,  prol>- 
uhly,  had  all  the  young  m.Jes  on  the  two  islands  been  driven 
up  and  examined,  the  rest  would  have  been  found  distributed 
quite  ecpially  all  around,  although  the  natives  say  that  they 
tiiiuk  the  cutting  off  of  iiio  animal's  ear  gives  the  water  such 
access  to  its  head  as  to  cause  its  death ;  this,  however,  I  think 
requires  confirmation.  These  exp^riiu^nts  would  tend  to  prove 
that  when  the  seals  approach  tu  islands  in  the  spring  they 
ha\'e  nothing  but  a  geneial  instinctive  appreciation  of  the  tituess 
of  the  land  as  a  whole,  and  no  especial  fondness  for  any  partic 
nlar  q}ot. 


'1(1 


■'Si 


348      CALLORIIINUS    FRSINUS — NORTITEKN   FUR    SEAL, 


''  Tlie  landing  of  tbe  soals  upon  tlio  respective  rookeries  is 
inliuen(,'e(l  greatly  by  tiie  direction  of  the  Avind  at  the  time  of 
ap]>roach  to  the  islands.  The  prevailing  winds,  coming  liom 
the  northeast,  north,  and  northwest,  carry  far  out  to  sea  tlie 
odor  or  scent  (jf  the  pioneer  bulls,  which  have  located  them- 
selves on  different  breeding-grounds  three  or  four  weeks  usu- 
ally in  advance  of  the  masses;  and  hence  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  rookeries  on  the  south  and  soi;theastern  shores  of  Saint 
Paul's  Island  receive  nearly  all  the  seal-life,  although  there  art' 
miles  of  eligible  ground  on  the  north  shore. 

•'To  settle  this  question,  however,  is  an  exceedingly  difficult 
matter ;  for  the  identification  of  individuals,  from  one  season 
to  another,  among  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  even  millious. 
that  come  under  the  eye  on  a  single  one  of  these  great  rook- 
eries, is  really  impossible. 

"From  the  time  of  the  first  arrivals  in  May  up  to  the  1st  of 
June,  or  as  late  as  the  middle  of  this  month,  if  the  weather  be 
clear,  is  <an  interval  in  which  everything  seems  quiet ;  very  few 
seals  are  added  to  the  pioneers.  By  the  1st  of  June,  however, 
or  thereabouts,  the  foggy,  humid  weather  of  summer  sets  in, 
and  with  it  the  bull-seals  come  up  by  hundreds  and  thousands, 
and  locate  themselves  in  advantageous  positions  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  females,  which  are  generally  three  weeks  or  a  mouth 
later,  as  a  rule. 

"The  labor  of  locating  and  maintaining  a  position  in  the 
rookery  is  really  a  serious  business  for  those  bulls  which  come 
in  last,  and  for  those  that  occupy  the  water-line,  frequently 
resulting  in  death  from  severe  Avounds  in  combat  sustained. 

'•  It  appears  to  be  a  well-understood  principle  among  the  able- 
bodied  bulls  that  each  one  shall  remain  undisturbed  on  liis 
ground,  which  is  usually  about  ten  feet  square,  i)rovided  ho  is 
strong  enough  to  hold  it  against  all  comers ;  for  the  crowdiisf; 
in  of  fre^h  bulls  often  causes  the  removal  of  many  of  those  wlio. 
though  equally  able-bodied  at  first,  have  exhausted  tliemselves 
by  fighting  esirlier,  and  are  driven  by  the  fresher  animals  back 
farther  and  higher  uj)  on  the  rookery. 

••  Some  of  these  l)ulls  show  wonderful  sti  ,'ngth  and  coiira.ue. 
I  have  marked  one  veteran,  who  was  among  the  first  to  take 
UJ)  his  position,  and  that  one  on  tin;  water-line,  when;  ut  least 
fifty  or  sixty  des])erate  battles  were  fought  victoriously  by  him 
with  nearly  as  many  ditt'erent  seals,  who  coveted  his  position. 
and  when  the  fighting  seas()n  was  over,  (after  the  cows  ]iav( 


HAHITS. 


340 


mostly  all  hauled  up,)  I  saw  liiin,  covered  with  scars  and  gashes 
rsnv  and  bloody,  an  eye  gouged  out,  but  lording  it  bravelj^  over 
his  liareiu  of  tifteeu  or  twenty  cows,  all  huddled  together  on  the 
same  s))ot  he  had  first  chosen. 

'•  The  fighting  is  mostly  or  entirely  done  with  the  mouth,  the 
opponents  seizing  each  other  with  the  teeth  and  clenching  the 
jinvs;  iiathing  but  sheer  strength  can  shake  them  loose,  and 
that  effort  almost  always  leaves  an  ugly  wound,  the  sharp 
canines  tearing  out  deep  gutters  in  the  skin  and  blubber  or 
shre<lding  the  fiippers  into  ribbou-strii)s. 

"Tliey  usually  approach  each  other  with  averted  heads  and  a 
great  many  false  passes  before  either  one  or  the  other  takes  the 
initiative  by  griping;  the  heads  are  darted  out  and  back  as 
quick  as  flash,  their  hoarse  roaring  and  shrill,  piping  whistle 
never  ceases,  while  their  fat  bodies  writhe  and  swell  with  exer- 
\'on  "ud  rage,  fur  flying  in  air  and  blood  streaming  down — all 
combined  make  a  picture  fierce  and  savage  enough,  and  from 
its  great  novelty,  exceedingly  strange  at  first  sight. 

"  In  these  battles  the  parties  are  always  distinct,  the  offensive 
and  the  defensive;  if  the  latter  proves  the  weaker  he  with- 
draws from  the  position  occupied,  and  is  never  followed  by  his 
conqueror,  who  complacently  throws  up  one  of  his  hind  flippers, 
fans  himself,  as  it  were,  to  cool  himself  from  the  heat  of  the 
conflict,  utters  a  peculiar  chuckle  of  satisfaction  and  contempt, 
with  a  sharp  eye  open  for  the  next  covetous  bull  or  '  see-catch.'* 

"The  period  occupied  by  the  males  in  taking  and  holding 
tbcir  positions  on  the  rookery  offers  a  favorable  opportunity  in 
wLidi  to  study  them  in  the  thousand  and  one  different  atti- 
tudes and  postures  assumed  between  the  two  extremes  of  des- 
perate confli(!t  and  deep  sleep — sleep  so  sound  that  one  can,  by 
keeping  to  the  leeward,  approach  close  enough,  stepping  softly, 
to  pull  the  whiskers  of  any  one  taking  a  nap  on  a  clear  place ; 
but  after  the  first  touch  to  these  whiskers  the  trifler  must  jump 
back  with  great  celerity,  if  he  has  any  regard  for  the  sharp 
teeth  and  tremendous  shaking  which  will  surely  overtake  him 
if  he  does  not, 

"Tlie  neck,  chest,  and  shoulders  of  a  fur-seal  bull  comprise 
inoi'i!  than  two-thirds  of  his  whole  weigbt,  and  in  this  long 
thick  neck  and  fore  limbs  is  embodied  the  larger  portion  of  his 
>*trength ;  when  on  land,  with  the  fore  feet  he  does  all  climbing 

*"'Si'c-i'atch,'  native  name  for  tho  bulls  ou  the  rookerios,c8pccially  those 
whith  aie  n'lle  to  maintain  their  position." 


1^'  t 


IIH 


k 


1  ii 


V 


350   CALLOHHINUS  UKSINUS — NORTHERN  FUR  SEAL. 


over  rocks,  over  the  grassy  hummocks  back  of  the  rookery,  tlie 
hiiul  flippers  being  gathered  up  after  every  second  step  for- 
ward, as  described  in  the  manner  of  walking;  these  fore  feet 
are  the  propelling  power  when  in  water,  almost  exclusively,  the 
hinder  ones  being  used  as  rudders  chiefly. 

''  The  covering  to  the  body  is  composed  of  two  coats,  one  be 
ing  of  short,  crisp,  glistening  over-hair,  and  the  other  a  close, 
soft,  clastic  pelage,  or  fur,  whi(!h  gives  distinctive  value  to  the 
pelt. 

"At  this  season  of  lirst  'hauling  up'  in  the  spring,  the  pre- 
vailing color  of  the  bulls,  after  they  dry  off"  and  have  been  ex 
posed  to  the  weather,  is  a  dark,  dull  brown,  with  a  spriiiklinjj 
of  lighter  brown-black,  and  a  number  oi"  hoary  or  frosted  gray 
coats  ;  on  the  shoulders  the  over-hair  is  either  a  gray  or  rulbus 
ocher,  called  the  'wig;'  these  colors  are  most  intense  upon 
the  back  of  the  head,  neck,  and  spine,  being  lighter  underiioatb, 
The  skin  of  the  muzzle  and  flippers,  a  dark  bluish  black,  fadin" 
to  a  reddish  and  purplish  tint  in  some.  The  ears  and  tail  are 
also  similar  in  tint  to  fhii  body,  being  in  the  case  of  the  foriuei 
a  trifle  lighter ;  the  ears  on  a  bull  fur-seal  are  from  an  incli  to 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  length ;  the  jyavil ions  tightly  rolled  up  on 
themselves  so  that  they  are  similar  in  shape  and  size  to  tlie  lit- 
tle linger  on  the  human  hand,  cut  off'  at  the  second  (phalaiiiical) 
joint,  a  shade  more  cone-shaped,  for  they  arc  greater  in  diauie- 
ter  at  the  base  than  at  the  tip. 

"  I  think  it  probable  that  the  animal  has  and  exerts  the  power 
of  compressing  or  dilating  this  scroll-like  pavilion  to  its  ear, 
accordingly  as  it  dives  deep  or  rises  in  the  water;  and  also,  1 
am  quite  sure  that  the  nair-seal  has  this  control  over  the  meatim 
externus,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  it;  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  verily  it  in  cither  case  by  observation ;  but  such  opj)ortniiity 
as  I  have  had,  gives  me  untloubted  proof  of  the  greatest  kceu 
ness  in  hearing ;  for  it  is  iujpossiblc  to  approach  one,  even  wheu 
sound  asleep ;  if  you  make  any  noise,  tmiuently  no  nifitter  how 
slight,  t;;B  alarm  will  be  given  instantly  by  the  insignifioant- 
looking  auditors,  and  tlic  aninud,  rising  uj)  with  a  single  luotiou 
erect,  gives  you  a  stare  of  astonisliiuent,  and  at  this  season  of 
defiance,  together  with  incessant  surly  roaring,  grttwliug,  and 
'  spitting.' 

"  This  spitthig,  as  I  call  it,  is  by  no  means  a  fair  or  fi'.ll  cxpres 
sion  of  the  most  characteristic  sound  and  action,  peculiar,  so 
far  as  I  have  observed,  to  tlie  fur-seals,  the  bulls  in  particuhU' 


HABITS. 


351 


if 


t 


It  is  the  usual  prelude  to  their  combats,  aiul  follows  somewhat 
in  this  way:  when  the  two  disputants  are  nearly  within  reach- 
iii>;-  or  strikin*r  distance,  they  make  a  number  of  feints  or  false 
jjiisscs  at  one  another,  with  the  mouth  wide  open  and  liftinj; 
the  lii)s  or  snarling,  so  as  to  exhibit  the  glistening  teeth,  and 
with  each  pass  they  expel  the  air.  so  violently  through  the 
liiiyiix  as  to  make  a  rapid  choo-choo-choo  sound,  like  the  steam- 
liutl's  in  the  smoke-stack  of  a  locomotive  when  it  starts  a  heavy 
train,  and  especially  when  the  driving-wheels  slip  on  tlic  rail. 

■•All  the  bulls  now  have  the  jmwer  and  fre(pient  inclination 
to  titter  four  entirely  distinct  calls  or  notes — a  hoarse,  resonant 
Kiai,  loud  and  long;  a  low  gurgling  growl;  a  chuckling,  sibi- 
lant. pi]>ing  whistle,  of  which  it  is  imi)ossible  to  convey  an  ade- 
(|tiatc  idcii,  for  it  must  b(^  hetird  to  be  understood;  and  this 
spitting,  jnst  described.  The  cows*  have  but  one  note — a  hol- 
low. ])r()l<)nged,  hia-a-ting  call,  addressed  only  to  their  pups ;  on 
all  other  occasions  they  are  usually  silent.  It  is  something  like 
tlic  cry  of  a  calf  or  sheej).  They  also  make  a  spitting  sound, 
and  snort,  when  suddenly  disturbed.  The  pups '/;/«-<irr  also, 
with  little  or  no  variation,  the  sound  V)eing  sonu'what  weaker 
and  hoiirser  than  that  of  their  mothers  for  the  first  two  or  three 
weeks  after  birth ;  they,  too,  spit  and  cough  when  aroused  sud- 
(loidy  from  a  nap  or  driven  into  a  corner.  A  number  of  pups 
•  lying  at  a  short  distance  ofl"  bring  to  mind  very  strongly  the 
idea  of  a  tlock  of  sheep  ^baa-aa-infi.'' 

'•  Indeed,  so  similar  is  the  sound  that  a  munber  of  sheep 
liiotight  up  from  San  Francisco  to  Saint  George's  Island  during 
tlie  suninu'r  of  1873  were  (ionstantly  attracted  to  the  rookeries, 
nuiniiig  in  among  the  seals,  and  had  to  be  driven  away  to  a 
j;ood  feeding-ground  by  a  small  boy  detailed  for  the  purpose. 


""Witliout  cxplaii.ation  I  maybe  considered  as  making  nso  of  misapplic<l 
tiTiiis  ill  ilcsciininj;  tlicwc  animal.H,  for  tlic  iii('oni*isteiiey  of  eonpliiig  '  pups' 
^vitli  ' ('OWN '  and  'bulls,'  and  'rookeries'  with  the  breoding-grounds  of 
till'  same,  cannot  fail  to  be  noliced  ;  but  this  nomejidatiire  lias  bcon  given 
iiiiil  Used  by  the  English  and  American  whalemen  and  scaling-parties  for 
many  years,  and  the  chaiacteristic  features  of  the  seals  suit  tlie  odd  naining 
'  ^^actly,  so  mmli  so  that  I  liave  felt  satisfied  to  retain  the  style  throughout 
as  rciidrring  my  description  more  intelligilde,  es])e('ial]y  so  tn  iliose  wlm  are 
'"Kilned  in  the  busiiu'ss  or  may  be  hereafter.  Tlie  llussians  ai-e  more  con- 
^istci.i,  l)nt  not  so  *])at.'  The  bnl'  is  called  '  see-catch,' a  term  im])lying 
••tivimtli,  vigor,  i&c. ;  the  cow,  'matkah.'  or  motlier;  the  pups,  'kotickie,' 
"V  little  sciils;  the  non-breeiling  males,  un<lersix  iind  seven  years.  ■  liolln> - 

liickic,"  or  bachelors.  Tlie  nami^  applied  collectively  to  the  fur-seal  by 
lliem  is  'mor.skie-kot,'  or  sea-cat." 


j. 


n  i 


352      CAM.OKHIXUJS    ritSIXrS XORTlIKlfX    VVVv    SEAL. 

''Tlu'  sound  arising'  from  these  {•reat  breediiiy-fironiulsot'tlK 
fur-seal,  wIumc  thousands  ui>on  thousaiuls  of  an}>iy,  vi;iilaiit 
hulls  are  roariny,  ehuekliiij;',  ])i]>iriy\  and  multitudes  of  seal- 
mothers  are  calling"  in  hollow,  bla-atiu};' tones  to  their  ycHiii;;, 
which  in  turn  resjmnd  iiu-essantly,  is  simply  inih'scribablc.  It 
is,  at  a  sli'jht  distance,  softened  into  a  deej)  booming',  as  of  a 
cataract,  and  can  be  lieard  a  long  distance  off  at  sea,  uiulei 
favorable  circumstances  as  far  as  live  or  six  miles,  and  fre- 
quently warns  vessels  that  may  be  a])i»roaching  the  islands  in 
thick,  foggy  weather,  of  tlie  positive,  though  unseen,  proximity 
of  land.  Night  and  day,  throughout  the  season,  the  dhi  of  the 
rookeries  is  steady  and  constant. 

"  The  seals  seem  to  suffer  great  inconvenience  from  a  coni- 
ptiratively  low  degree  of  heat ;  for,  with  a  temperature  of  46= 
and  48°  on  land,  during  the  summer,  they  show  signs  of  dis 
tress  from  heat  whenever  they  make  any  exertion,  pant,  raise 
their  hind  flippers,  and  use  them  incessantly  as  fans.  AVith  tbe 
thermometer  at  ooO-GOo,  they  seem  to  suffer  even  Avhen  at  rest. 
and  at  such  times  the  eye  is  struck  by  the  kaleidoscopic  appear 
ance  of  a  rookery,  on  ^vhich  a  million  seals  are  spread  out  in 
everj'  imaginable  position  their  bodies  can  assume,  all  indus- 
triously fanning  themselves,  using  sometimes  the  fore  flippers 
as  ventilators,  as  it  were,  by  holding  them  aloft  motionk'ss,  at 
the  same  moment  fanning  briskly  with  the  hind  flipper,  or  tiip 
pers,  according  as  they  sit  or  lie.  This  wavy  motion  of  flapping 
and  fanning  gives  a  peculiar  shade  of  hazy  indistinctness  tu 
the  whole  scene,  which  is  difficult  to  express  in  language ;  but 
one  of  the  most  ])rominent  characteristics  of  the  fur-seal  is  this 
fanning  manner  in  which  they  use  their  flippers,  when  seen  ou 
the  breeding-grounds  in  season.  They  also,  when  idling,  as  it 
were,  oft"  shore  at  sea,  lie  on  their  sides,  with  only  a  partial  ex 
posure  of  the  body,  the  head  submerged,  and  hoist  up  a  lore  or 
liind  flipper  clear  of  the  Avater,  while  scratching  themselves  or 
enjoying  a  nap;  but  in  this  position  there  is  no  limning.  1  say 
'  scratching,'  because  the  seal,  in  common  with  all  animals,  is 
preyed  upon  by  vermin,  a  si)ecieK  of  louse  and  a  tick,  peculiiu 
to  itself. 

''AH  the  bulls,  from  the  vei;,  first,  that  have  been  al)li'  to 
hold  their  positions,  have  not  left  them  for  an  instant,  iiiylit  •'! 
day,  nor  do  they  do  so  until  the  end  of  the  rut  ting-season,  wlii^li 
subsides  entirely  between  the  1st  and  lOth  of  August,  begin 
ning  shortly  sifter  the  <;om ing  of  the  cows  in  June.    Of  necessity. 


HAIUTS. 


353 


tlKiclon',  this  causes  tlieni  to  fast,  to  abstain  eutirdy  from  food 
of  any  kind,  or  water,  for  three  months  at  least,  and  a  few  of 
iliciii  stay  four  months  before  goinjjj  into  the  water  for  the  first 
time  after  haulinj;  up  in  May. 

"This  alone  is  remarkable  euouj^h,  but  it  is  simply  v.uudtrful 
wlicn  we  conie  to  associate*  the  condition  .with  the  unceasing;' 
activity,  restlessness,  and  duty  devolved  upon  the  bulls  as 
hoads  and  fathers  of  large  families.  They  do  not  stagnate,  like 
bears  in  caves ;  it  is  evidently  accomplished  or  due  to  the  ab- 
sorption of  their  own  fat,  with  which  they  are  so  liberally  sup- 
jiliod  when  they  take  their  positions  on  the  breeding-ground, 
and  which  gradually  diminishes  while  they  remain  on  it.  But 
still  some  most  remarkable  provision  must  be  made  for  the  en- 
tire t()ri)idity  of  the  stomach  and  bowels,  consequent  upon  their 
being  empty  and  unsupplied  during  this  long  period,  which, 
however,  in  spite  of  the  violation  of  a  supposed  physiological  ^ — 
law,  does  not  seem  to  aflfect  them,  for  they  come  back  just  as  \^  Qjuuv^ 


sleek,  tat,  and  ambitious  as  ever  in  the  following  season. 

"I  have  examined  the  stomachs  of  a  number  which  were 
driven  up  and  killed  immediately  after  their  arrival  in  spring, 
and  natives  here  have  seen  hundreds,  even  thousands,  of  them 
tlnring  the  killing-season  in  June  and  July,  but  in  no  case  has 
anything'  been  fonnd  other  than  the  bile  and  ordinary  secretions 
of  healthy  organs  of  this  class,  with  the  exception  only  of  find- 
ing in  erery  one  a  snarl  or  cluster  of  worms  {Nematoda),  Irom 
the  size  of  a  walnut  to  that  of  one's  fist,  the  fast  apparently 
bavhig  no  etfect  on  them,  for  when  three  or  four  hundred  old 
bulls  were  slaughtered  late  in  the  fall,  to  supply  the  natives 
with  'bidarkee'  or  canoe  skins,  I  found  these  worms  in  a  lively 
•  ouditiou  in  every  jjaunch  cut  open,  .and  their  presence,  I 
think,  gives  some  reason  for  the  habit  which  tliese  old  bulls 
liave  (if  swallowing  small  bowlders,  the  stones  in  some  of  the 
^toinaehs  weighing  half  a  pound  or  so,  aiul  in  one  paunch  I 
found  about  five  pounds  in  the  aggregate  of  larger  pebbles, 
^hich  in  grinding  against  one  another  must  destroy,  in  a  great 
iiieasiirc,  tliese  intestinal  i)ests.  The  sea-lion  is  also  troubled 
ill  the  saiin'  way  by  a  similar  species  of  worm,  and  1  have  pre- 
~^'i V('(l  a  stomach  of  one  of  these  animals  in  which  are  more 
ilian  ten  pounds  of  bowlders,  some  of  them  alone  quite  large. 

li''  greater  size  of  this  animal  enables  it  to  swallow  stones 
^vliicii  wcao],  t^vj,  .^,1,1  tiiive  pounds.  I  can  ascribe  no  other 
|'''"i^e  lor  this  habit  anuuig  these  animals  than  that  given,  as 
Misc.  Pill).  No.  11.' 1';5 


354      CALLORIIINUS   UBSINUS — NOUTIIERN   FUR  SEAL. 


tLey  are  of  the  highest  typo  of  the  carnivora,  eating  fish  as  a 
regular  means  of  subsistence;  [*]  varying  the  monotony  of  this 
diet  with  occasional  juicy  fronds  of  sea- weed,  or  kelp,  and  per- 
haps a  crab,  or  such,  once  in  a  while,  provided  it  is  small  iiml 
tender,  or  soft-shelled. 

"  Between  the  12th  and  14th  of  June  the  lirst  of  the  cow-seals 
come  up  from  the  sea,  and  the  bulls  signalize  it  by  a  universal. 
spasmodic,  desperate  fighting  among  themselves. 

''  The  strong  contrast  between  the  males  and  females  in  size 
and  shape  is  heightened  by  the  air  of  exceeding  peace  aud 
iimiability  which  the  latter  class  exhibit. 

''  The  cows  are  from  -4  to  4i  feet  in  length  from  head  to  tail. 
,and  uuich  more  shapely  in  their  ])roportions  than  the  bulls,  th- 
neck  and  shoulder  being  iiot  near  so  fat  and  heavy  in  propor 
tion  to  the  posteriors. 

"When  they  come  up,  wet  and  dripping,  they  are  of  a  dull, 
dirty-gray  color,  darker  on  the  back  and  upper  parts,  but  iu  ;i 
few  hours  the  transformation  made  by  drying  is  wonderful; 
you  would  hardly  believe  they  could  be  the  same  animals,  foi 
they  uow  fairly  glisten  with  a  rich  steel  and  maltese-gray  lustti 
on  the  back  of  the  head,  neck,  and  spine,  which  blends  into  an 
almost  pure  white  cm  the  chest  and  abdomen.  But  this  beauti 
ful  coloring  in  turn  is  altered  by  exi^osure  to  the  weather,  lor 
in  two  or  three  days  it  will  gradually  change  to  a  dull,  rufoiu> 
ocher  below,  and  a  cinereous-brown  and  gray-mixed  above ;  this 
color  they  retain  throughout  the  breeding-season  up  to  the  timi' 
of  shedding  the  coat  in  August. 

"  The  head  and  eye  of  the  female  are  really  attractive ;  tlio 
■expression  is  exceedingly  gentle  and  intelligent ;  the  large,  luij' 
trous  eyes,  in  the  small,  Avell-formed  head,  apparently  glcM 
with  benignity  and  satisfaction  when  she  is  perched  up  on  some 
•convenient  rock  and  has  an  opportunity  to  quietly  fan  herself. 

"  The  cows  appear  to  be  driven  on  to  the  rookeries  by  au  ac 
curate  instinctive  appreciation  of  the  time  in  which  their  period 
of  gestation  ends;  for  in  all  cases  marked  by  myself,  the  pups 
are  bom  soon  after  landing,  some  in  a  few  hours  after,  but  most 
usually  a  day  or  two  elapses  before  delivery. 

[*Tho  habit  of  swallowiug  stones  i.s  one  apparently  foiiunon  to  nil  oil"' 
Pinnipeds.  Tlie  cominon  belief  among  seab^rs  and  others  is  that  llioy  t.iKf 
in  these  stones  aw  ballast.  Compare  on  tliis  point  a  ([notation  alrcidy  ^'ivtl' 
respecting  the  Southern  8ea  Lion  ( OtariajiiVata),  diitca,  p.  31L  Mr.  KlHott' 
oxplauatiou  apiwar.s  to  ))e  more  reasonable  tJian  most  that  have  been  pro- 
posed.] 


HABITS. 


355 


"They  are  noticed  and  received  by  the  bulls  on  the  water- 
line  station  with  niu<;h  attention ;  they  are  alternately  coaxed 
and  urged  up  on  to  the  rocks,  an«l  are  inmietliately  under  the 
most  Jealous  supervision ;  but  owing  to  the  covetous  and  ambi- 
tious nature  of  the  bulls  which  occupy  the  stations  reaching 
way  buck  from  the  water-line,  the  little  cows  have  a  rough-and- 
tunihle  time  of  it  when  they  begin  to  arrive  in  small  numbers 
iit  fust ;  for  no  sooner  is  the  pretty  animal  fairly  established  on 
tilt'  station  of  bull  number  one,  who  has  installed  her  there,  he 
pciliajts  sees  another  one  of  her  style  down  in  the  water  from 
which  she  has  just  come,  ami  in  obedience  to  his  polygamous 
feeling,  he  devotes  himself  anew  to  coaxing  the  later  arrival 
in  the  same  winning  manner  so  successful  in  her  case,  when 
bull  number  two,  seeing  bull  number  one  oft"  his  guard,  reaches 
out  with  his  long  strong  neck  and  picks  the  unhappy  but  pas- 
sive creature  up  by  the  scruft"  of  hers,  .just  as  a  cat  does  a  kit- 
ten, and  deposits  her  on  his  seraglio-ground ;  then  bidls  immber 
tliiee,  four,  and  so  on,  in  the  vicinity,  seeing  this  high-handed 
oiieiation,  all  assail  one  another,  and  especially  bull  number 
two.  and  have  a  tremendous  light,  perhaps  for  half  a  minut<?  or 
so.  and  during  this  connnotion  the  cow  generally  is  moved  or 
moves  farther  back  from  the  water,  two  or  three  stations  more, 
where,  when  all  gets  quiet,  she  usually  remains  in  ])eace.    Her 
last  lord  and  master,  not  having  the  exi)0sure  to  such  diverting 
temptation  as  had  her  first,  he  gives  her  such  care  that  she  not 
only  is  unable  to  leave  did  she  wish,  but  no  other  bull  can  seize 
upon  Iter.    This  is  only  one  instance  of  the  many  difterent  trials 
and  tribulations  which  both  parties  on  the  rookery  subject 
tliemselves  to  before  the  harems  are  filled.    Far  back,  fifteen  or 
twenty  stations  deep  from  the  water-line  sometimes,  but  gen- 
wally  not  more  on  an  average  than  ten  or  fifteen,  the  cows 
crowd  in  at  the  close  of  the  season  for  arriving,  July  10  to  14, 
and  then  they  are  able  to  go  about  pretty  much  as  they  pleast?, 
''»r  the  bulls  have  become  greatly  enfeebled  by  this  constant 
I'Sliting  and  excitement  during  the  past  two  months,  and  are 
'liiite  content  with  even  only  one  or  two  partners. 

'•  The  cows  seem  to  haul  in  coinpact  bodies  from  the  water  up 
fo  tlic  rear  of  the  rookeries,  never  scattering  about  over  the 
Ji'ound;  ami  they  will  not  lie  (piiet  in  any  position  oUiSide  of 
tlie  great  mass  of  their  kind.  This  is  due  to  their  intensely 
giogarious  nature,  and  for  the  sake  of  protection.  They  also 
select  land  witli  special  reference  to  the  drainage,  having  ii 


I 


n^ 


h 


350      CALLORIIINUS    IR.SINUS NOUTIIKK'X    I'Ull    8I-:AL. 


This  Is  wi'U  shown 


oil 


Kiciil  dislike  to  watcr-piuldlcd  fiiourul 
Saint  Piitil. 

••  I  hiivi^  Ibiiiid  it  (lilUciilt  to  as«'ertiiin  the  averaj{e  nniuhci of 
cows  to  one  hull  on  the  rookei-y,  but  1  think  it  will  be  nciuiy 
correct  to  assij^u  to  each  male  IVoiii  twelve  to  lifteen  leinales, 
oc(Mi]>.vinj;'  the  stations  nearest  the  Mater,  and  those  back  in  the 
rear  from  tive  to  nine.  1  have  counted  forty-tive  cows  all  under 
the  charj;«'  of  one  bull,  which  had  them  penned  up  on  a  tiat 
table-rock,  near  Keetavie  l*oint;  the  bull  was  enabled  to  do 
this  (|uite  easily,  as  there  was  but  one  way  to  ^o  to  or  come  from 
this  ser.aglio,  and  on  this  i)ath  the  old  Turk  took  his  stand  and 
guarded  it  well. 

"At  the  rear  of  all  thes^  rookeries  there  is  always  a  large 
number  of  able-bodied  bidls,  who  wait  patiently,  but  in  vain, 
for  families,  most  of  them  having  had  to  fight  as  desperately 
for  the  privilege  of  being  there  as  any  of  their  more  fortunately 
located  neighbors,  avIio  are  nearer  the  water  than  themselves; 
but  the  cows  do  not  like  to  be  in  any  outside  position,  where 
they  are  not  in  close  company,  lying  most  quiet  and  content  in 
the  largest  harems,  and  these  la vge  families  i)ack  the  suiface  of 
the  ground  so  thickly  that  there  is  hardly  moving  or  turninj,' 
room  until  the  females  cease  to  come  up  from  the  sea ;  but  the 
inaction  on  the  part  of  the  bulls  in  the  rear  during  the  ruttinj,' 
season  only  serves  to  q  aalify  them  to  move  into  the  places  va- 
cated by  those  males  who  are  obliged  to  leave  from  exhaustion, 
and  to  take  the  positions  of  Jealous  and  fearless  protectors  for 
the  young  pups  in  the  fall. 

"The  courage  wuth  which  the  fur-seal  holds  his  position,  as 
the  head  and  guardian  of  a  family,  is  of  the  very  highest  order, 
compared  with  that  of  other  animals.  I  have  repeatedly  tried 
to  drive  them  when  they  haxe  fairly  established  themselves, 
and  have  almost  always  failed,  using  every  stone  at  my  com 
mand,  making  all  the  noise  I  could,  and,  finally,  to  put  their 
courage  to  the  full  test,  I  walked  up  to  within  20  feet  of  a  bull 
at  the  rcfir  and  extreme  end  of  Tolstoi  Kookery,  Avho  had  four 
cows  in  charge,  and  commenced  with  my  double-barreled 
breech-loading  ,shot-gun  to  pepper  him  all  over  with  nnistiird 
seed  or  dust  shot.  His  bearing,  in  spite  of  the  uoise,  smell  of 
powder,  and  pain,  did  not  change  in  the  least  from  the  usual 
attitude  of  determined  defense  wiiich  nearly  all  the  bulls  as- 
sume when  attacked  with  showers  of  stones  and  noise;  lit' 
would  dart  out  right  and  left  and  catch  the  cows,  which  tini 


lIAniTS. 


357 


idly  atti'inptt'd  to  run  after  oiieli  report,  and  tliuff  and  drag 
tliciii  hack  to  tlioir  jdacos ;  tlioii,  strctcliing  uj*  to  his  lull  height, 
look  MIC  directly  and  defiantly  in  the  lace,  roaring  and  si>itthig 
most  vclieniently.  The  cows,  however,  soon  got  away  from 
liiiii:  hut  he  still  stood  his  ground,  making  little  (charges  on  me 
of  10  or  I-"*  fwt  in  a  saceession  of  gallops  or  lunges,  spitting 
finiously,  and  then  retreating  to  the  ohl  position,  back  of  which 
lie  would  not  go,  fully  resolved  to  hold  his  own  or  die  in  the 
attempt. 

"This  courage  is  all  the  more  noteworthy  from  the  fact  that, 
in  re;,fard  to  man,  it  is  invariably  of  a  defensive  character.  The 
seal,  if  it  makes  you  turn  when  you  attack  it,  never  follows 
you  much  farther  than  the  boundary  of  its  station,  and  no  ag- 
•fiavation  will  comi)el  it  to  become  otteusive,  as  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  observe. 

"The  cows,  during  the  whole  season,  do  great  credit  to  their 
amiable  expression  by  their  manner  an<l  behavior  on  the  rook 
ery:  ncner  fight  or  (juaiTel  one  with  another,  and  never  or  sel 
(lom  utter  a  cry  of  pain  or  rage  when  they  are  roughly  handled 
Ity  the  bulls,  who  frequently  get  a  cow  between  them  and  tear 
the  skin  from  her  back,  cutting  deep  gashes  into  it,  as  they 
siiatcli  her  from  mouth  to  mouth.  These  wounds,  however, 
heal  rapidly,  and  exhibit  no  traces  the  next  year. 

"The  cows,  like  the  bulls,  vary  much  in  weight.  Two  were 
taken  from  the  rookery  nearest  Saint  Paul's  Villa,'^e,  after  they 
had  been  delivered  of  their  young,  and  the  respective  weights 
were  .")(»  and  101  pounds,  the  former  being  about  three  or  four 
years  old,  and  the  latter  over  six.  They  both  were  fat  and  in 
exeelleiit  condition. 

"It  is  quite  out  of  the  question  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  i)osi- 
tious  in  which  the  seals  rest  when  on  land.  They  may  be  said 
to  assiuiie  every  possible  attitude  which  a  flexible  body  can  be 
put  into.  One  favorite  position,  espe(.'ially  with  the  cows,  is  to 
pereli  ui)on  a  i)oint  or  top  of  some  rock  and  throw  their  heads 
back  upon  their  shoulders,  with  the  nose  held  aloft,  then,  clos- 
iiiji  their  eyes,  take  short  nai)s  without  changing,  now  and  then 
gently  tanning -with  one  or  the  other  of  the  long,  slender  liind 
thpjic  :  another,  and  the  most  common,  is  to  curl  themselves 
up.  just  us  a  dog  does  on  a  hearth-rug,  bringing  the  tail  and 
the  nose  closfi  together.  They  also  stretch  out,  laying  the  head 
straif^lit  with  the  body,  and  sleep  for  an  hour  or  two  without 
moving,  holding  one  of  the  hinder  flippers  up  all  the  time,  now 
iiiid  tlioM  gently  waving  it,  the  eyes  being  tightly  closed. 


.:|| 


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358      CALLORHINUS   URSINUS— NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 


"  The  sleep  of  the  fur-SQ^l,  from  the  old  bull  to  the  young  pup^ 
is  always  accompanied  by  a  nervous,  muscular  twitching  aud 
slight  shifting  of  the  flippers ;  quivering  and  uneasy  rolliu<i  of 
the  body,  accompanied  by  a  quick  folding  anew  of  the  fore  Hip- 
l)ers,  which  are  signs,  iis  it  were,  of  their  having  nightiuiues, 
or  sporting,  perhaps,  in  a  visionary  wa  ;  far  off  in  some  dream- 
land sea ;  or  disturbed,  perhaps  more  i)robably,  by  their  intes- 
tinal parasites.  I  have  studied  huijdreds  of  all  classes,  steal- 
ing softly  up  so  closely  that  I  could  lay  my  hand  on  theiu,  ami 
have  always  found  the  sleep  to  be  of  this  nervous  description. 
The  respiration  is  short  and  rapid,  but  with  no  breathing  (un- 
less your  ear  is  brought  very  close)  or  snoring  sound ;  the  heav- 
ing of  the  flanks  only  indicates  the  action.  I  have  frequently 
thought  that  I  had  succeeded  in  finding  a  snoring  seal,  espe- 
cially among  the  pups,  but  a  close  examination  always  gave 
some  abnormal  reason  for  it,  generally  a  slight  distenq)er,  l)y 
vrhich  the  nostrils  were  stopped  up  to  a  greater  or  less  degree, 

"As  I  have  said  before,  the  (;ows,  soon  after  landing,  are  de- 
livered of  their  young. 

"Immediately  after  the  birth  of  the  puj),  (twins  are  rare,  if 
ever  [occurring],)  it  finds  its  voice,  a  weak,  husky  hlaat,  and 
begins  to  paddle  about,  with  eyes  wide  open,  in  a  confused  sort 
of  way  for  a  few  minutes  until  the  mother  is  ready  to  give  it 
attention,  and,  still  later,  suckle  itj  and  for  this  piu'pose  slie 
is  provided  with  four  small,  brown  nipples,  placed  about  eight 
inches  apart,  lengthwise  with  the  body,  on  the  abdomen,  be 
tween  the  fore  aud  hinder  flippers,  with  some  four  inches  of 
space  between  them  transversely.  The  nipples  are  not  usually 
visible ;  only  seen  through  the  hair  and  fur.  The  milk  is  abuii 
daut,  rich,  and  creamy.  The  pups  nurse  very  heartily,  gorgiu;,' 
themselves. 

"The  pup  at  birth,  and  for  the  next  three  months,  is  of  a  jet- 
black  color,  hair,  eyes,  and  flippers,  save  a  tiny  white  patch 
just  back  of  each  fore  foot,  and  weighs  from  3  to  4  pounds,  aud 
12  to  14  inches  long ;  it  does  not  seem  to  nurse  more  than  once 
every  two  or  three  days,  but  in  this  I  am  most  likely  mistakeu, 
for  they  may  have  received  attention  from  thj?-  mother  in  the 
night  or  other  times  in  the  day  when  I  was  unable  to  watch 
them. 

"The  apathy  with  which  the  young  are  treated  by  the  old  on 
the  breeding-grounds  is  somewhat  strange.  I  have  never  seeu 
a  cow  caress  or  fondle  her  ofltspring,  and  should  it  stray  but  a 


HABITS. 


359 


short  distance  from  the  hareiu,  it  can  be  picked  up  and  killed 
before  the  motlier's  eyes,  without  causing  her  to  show  the 
sli<,4itest  concern.  The  same  indifference  is  exhibited  by  the 
bul!  to  all  that  takes  place  outside  of  the  boundary  of  his  se- 
iiifilio.  While  the  pups  are,  however,  within  the  limits  of  his 
liiu'cm-j^rouud,  he  is  a. jealous  and  fearless  protector;  but  if  the 
lirrlc  animals  pass  beyond  this  boundary,  then  they  n)ay  be 
(.iirriod  off  Avithout  the  slightest  attention  in  their  behalf  from 
rlioir  guardian. 

"  It  is  surprising  to  me  how  few  of  the  pups  get  crushed  to 
death  while  the  ponderous  bulls  are  floundering  over  them 
when  engaged  in  lighting.  I  have  seen  two  bulls  dash  at  each 
other  with  all  the  energy  of  furious  rage,  meeting  right  in  the 
midst  of  a  small  'pod'  of  forty  or  tifty  pups,  trampling  over 
them  Avitli  their  crushing  Aveights,  and  bowling  them  out  right 
and  left  in  every  direction,  without  injuring  a  single  one.  1  do 
not  think  more  than  1  per  cent,  of  the  pups  born  each  season 
are  lost  in  this  manner  on  the  rookeries. 

''To  test  the  vitality  of  these  little  animals,  I  kept  one  in  the 
house  to  ascertain  how  long  it  could  live  without  nursing,  hav- 
ing taken  it  immediately  after  birth  and  before  it  could  get 
any  taste  of  its  mother's  milk ;  it  lived  nine  days,  and  iu  the 
whole  time  half  of  every  day  was  spent  in  floundering  about 
over  the  floor,  accompanying  the  movement  with  a  persistent 
hoarse  blaating.  This  experiment  certainly  shows  wonderful 
vitality,  and  is  worthy  of  an  animal  that  can  live  four  months^ 
without  food  or  water  and  preserve  enough  of  its  latent;  strength 
and  vigor  at  the  end  of  that  time  to  go  far  off  to  sea,  and  return 
as  fat  and  hearty  as  ever  during  the  next  season. 

''  In  the  pup,  the  head  is  the  only  disproportionate  feature 
when  it  is  compared  with  the  proportion  of  the  adult  form,  the 
neck  being  also  relatively  shorter  and  thicker.  E  shall  have  to 
speak  again  of  it,  as  it  grows  and  changes,  when  I  finish  with 
the  breeding-season  now  under  consideration. 

"'The  cows  appear  to  go  to  and  come  from  the  water  quite  fre- 
queutly,  and  usually  return  to  the  spot,  or  its  iieighborhood, 
where  they  leav^e  their  j)ups,  crying  out  for  them,  and  recogniz- 
iug  the  individual  replies,  though  ten  thousand  around,  all  to- 
gether, should  blaat  at  once.  They  (piickly  single  out  their 
own  and  attend  them.  It  would  be  a  very  unfortunate  matter 
if  the  mothers  could  not  identify  their  young  by  sound,  since 
their  i>up.s  get  together  like  a  great  swarm  of  bees,  spread  out 


fl 


360      CALLORIIINUS    URSINUS NORTHERN    FIR    SEAL. 

upon  tlic  ground  in  'pods'  or  groups,  while  they  are  youiif;, 
and  not  very  hirge,  but  by  the  middle  and  end  of  Seiteinber, 
until  they  leave  in  Xoveniber,  they  cluster  t')gether,  sleeping 
and  frolicking  by  tens  of  thousan<ls.  A  niotlicr  conies  uj)  from 
the  water,  where  she  has  l)een  to  wash,  and  perhaps  to  fend, 
for  the  last  day  or  two,  to  about  where  she  thinks  her  imp 
should  be,  but  misses  it,  and  flnds  instead  a  swarm  of  pui)y  iu 
which  it  has  been  incorporated,  owing  to  its  great  fondness  for 
society.  The  mother,  without  at  ftrst  entering  into  the  crowd 
of  thousands,  calls  out,  just  as  a  sheep  does  for  her  lambs,  lis- 
tens, and  out  of  all  the  din  she — if  not  at  first,  at  the  end  of  a 
few  trials — recognizes  the  voice  of  her  offspring,  and  then  ad- 
vances, striking  out  right  and  left,  and  over  the  crowd,  toward 
tho  position  from  which  it  replies ;  but  if  the  pup  at  this  time 
happens  to  be  asleep  she  hears  nothing  from  it,  even  though  it 
were  close  by,  and  in  this  case  the  cow,  after  calling  for  a  time 
without  being  answered,  curls  herself  up  and  takes  a  nap,  or 
lazily  basks,  and  is  most  likely  more  successful  when  she  calls 
again. 

"  The  pups  themselves  do  not  know  their  mothers,  but  they 
are  so  constituted  that  they  incessantly  cry  out  at  short  inter 
vals  during  the  whole  time  they  are  awake,  and  in  this  way 
a  mother  can  pick,  out  of  the  monotonous  blaatin^  of  thou 
sands  of  'nips,  her  own,  and  she  will  not  permit  any  other 
to  suckle. 

"Between  the  end  of  July  and  the  5th  or  8th  of  August  the 
rookeries  are  completely  changed  in  appearance ;  the  systematii 
and  regular  disposition  of  the  families,  or  harems,  over  the 
whole  extent  of  ground  has  disappeared ;  all  order  heretofore 
existing  seems  to  be  broken  up.  The  rutting- season  over,  those 
bulls  which  held  positions  now  leave,  most  of  them  very  thin 
in  flesh  and  weak,  and  I  think  a  large  proportion  of  them  dn 
not  come  out  again  on  the  land  during  the  season ;  and  such  as 
do  conie,  appear,  not  fat,  but  in  good  flesh,  and  in  a  new  coat 
of  rich  dark  and  gray-brown  hair  and  fur,  with  gray  and 
grayish-ocher  'wigs'  or  over-hair  on  the  shoulders,  forming' n 
strong  contrast  to  the  dull,  rusty-brown  and  umber  dross  in 
which  they  appeared  during  the  summer,  and  which  they  ]i;ni 
begun  to  shed  about  the  15th  of  August,  in  common  witli  tlie 
cows  and  bachelor  seals.  After  these  bulls  leave,  at  the  ('lo"*f 
of  their  season's  work,  those  of  them  that  do  return  to  the  land 
do  not  come  back  until  the  end  of  September,  and  do  not  lianl 


'  ^^    ;:.'.t_^r--i  — -' 


HAHITS. 


361 


iij)  oil  the  rookcry-ftrouiuls  as  a  rule,  ring  to  herd  together, 

as  (1(1  the  young  male-s,  on  the  sa  -vehes  and  other  roeky 
points  close  to  the  water.  The  ^-  l^ups,  and  those  l»ulls 
which  have  been  in  retirement,  n.  .ke  possession,  in  a  very 
disorderly  manner,  of  the  rookeries;  also,  come  a  large  number 
ofyonng,  three,  four,  and  live  year  old  males,  who  have  not 
been  permitted  to  land  among  the  cows,  during  the  rutting- 
season,  by  the  older,  stronger  bulls,  who  have  savagely  fought 
them  otf  whenever  they  made  (as  they  constantly  do)  an  attempt 
to  land. 

"  Three-fourths,  at  least,  of  the  cows  are  now  off  in  the  water, 
only  coming  ashore  to  nurse  and  look  after  their  pups  a  short 
time.  They  lie  idly  out  in  the  rollers,  ever  and  anon  turning 
over  and  over,  scratching  their  backs  and  sides  with  their  fore 
and  liind  flippers.  Nothing  is  more  suggestive  of  immense 
comfort  and  enjojment  than  is  this  action  of  these  animals. 
Tiii'v  appear  to  get  very  lousy  on  the  breeding-ground,  an'i  che 
tVequent  winds  and  showers  drive  and  spatter  sand  into  their 
fur  and  eyes,  making  the  latter  quite  sore  in  many  oases.  They 
also  ])ack  the  soil  under  foot  so  hard  and  solid  that  it  holds 
water  in  the  surface  depressions,  just  like  so  many  rock  basins, 
on  the  rookery;  out  and  into  these  puddles  they  flounder  an<l 
patter  incessantly,  until  evaporation  slowly  abates  the  nuisance. 
••  The  pups  sometimes  get  so  tlioroughly  plastered  in  these 
muddy,  slimy  puddles,  that  theii-  Iiair  falls  ott'  in  patches,  giving 
tbein  the  appearance  of  being  troubled  with  scrofula  or  some 
other  plague,  at  flrst  sight,  but  they  are  not,  from  my  observa- 
tion, perraaner.iy  in'med. 

"  Early  in  Angus .  Hth)  the  pups  that  are  nearest  the  water  (m 
the  rookeries  essay  swimming,  but  make  slow  and  clumsy  prog- 
ress, tlounderiug  about,  wlien  over  head  in  depth,  in  the  most 
awkward  manner,  thrashing  the  water  with  their  fore  flippers, 
not  using  tlie  hinder  ones-  In  a  few  seconds,  or  a  minute  at 
the  most,  the  youngest  is  so  weary  that  he  crawls  out  upon 
the  roeks  or  beach,  and  immediately  takes  a  recuperative  nap, 
repeating  the  lesson  as  tpiick  as  he  awakes  and  is  rested.  Tliey 
so(»n  p't  familiar  with  the  water,  and  delight  in  it,  swinnning 
in  endless  evolutions,  twisting,  turning,  diving,  and  when  ex- 
hausted, they  draw  up  on  tiie  beach  again,  shake  themselves  as 
young  dogs  do,  either  going  to  sleep  on  the  spot,  or  having  a 
lazy  iVolic  among  themsch  es. 
"In  this  matter  of  learning  to  swim,  I  have  not  seen  any 


'  '  i'' 


I 


i:     i 


.;^'l 


I  r 


362      CALLORHINUS    UKSINUS — NORTHERN    FUR   SEAL. 

'drivinjjf'  of  the  youiig  pups  into  the  water  by  the  old  in  order 
to  teach  them  this  process,  as  has  been  atfiruied  by  writers  on 
the  subject  of  seal  life. 

"  The  pups  are  constantly  shifting,  at  the  close  of  the  ruttiiijij- 
season,  back  and  forth  over  the  rookery  in  large  squads,  some- 
times numbering  thousands.  In  the  course  of  these  chaiiyos 
of  position  tliey  all  come  sooner  or  'ater  in  contact  with  tlic  sea ; 
the  pup  blunders  into  the  water  for  the  iirst  time  in  a  most 
awkward  mainior,  and  gets  (mt  again  as  (juick  as  it  can,  but  so 
far  from  showing  any  fear  or  dislike  of  this,  its  most  natural 
element,  as  soon  as  it  rests  from  its  exertion,  is  immediately 
ready  for  a  new  trial,  and  keeps  at  it,  if  the  sea  is  not  too 
stormy  or  rougli  at  the  time,  imtil  it  becomes  quite  familiar 
with  the  water,  and  during  all  this  period  of  self-tuition  it 
seems  to  tlioroughly  enjoy  the  exercise. 

"By  the  loth  of  September  all  the  pups  have  become  familiar 
with  the  water,  have  nr^arly  all  deserted  the  background  of 
the  rookeries  and  are  down  by  the  water's  edge,  and  skirt  the 
rocks  and  beaches  for  long  distances  on  ground  previously  un- 
occupied by  seals  of  any  class. 

»'Tliey  are  now  about  ftve  or  six  times  their  original  weight, 
and  are  beginning  to  shed  their  black  hair  and  take  on  their 
second  coat,  which  does  not  vary  at  this  age  between  the  sexes. 
They  do  this  very  slowly,  and  cannot  be  called  out  of  moltius 
or  shedding  until  the  middle  of  October,  as  a  rule. 

"  The  pup's  second  coat,  or  sea-going  j.acket,  is  a  unifoiiii, 
dense,  light  pelage,  or  under-fur,  grayish  in  some,  light-browu 
in  others,  the  fine,  close,  soft,  and  elastic  hairs  which  compose 
it  being  about  one-half  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  over-hair,  two 
thirds  of  an  inch  long,  quite  coarse,  giving  the  color  by  which 
you  recognize  the  condition.  This  over -hair,  on  the  back,  nee)'. 
and  head,  is  a  dark  chinchilla-gray,  blending  into  a  white,  just 
tinged  with  a  grayish  tone  on  the  abdomen  and  chest.  The 
ui)per  lip,  where  the  whiskers  or  mustache  takes  root,  is  of  a 
lighter-gray  tone  than  that  which  surrounds.  This  mustacln' 
consists  of  fifteen  or  twenty  longer  or  shorter  whitish-gri\v 
bristles  (one-half  to  three  inches)  on  each  side  and  back  of  the 
nostrils,  which  are,  as  I  have  before  said,  similar  to  that  of  u 
dog. 

"The  most  attractive  feature  about  the  fur-seal  pup,  awl 
upward  as  it  grows,  is  the  eye,  which  is  exceedingly  large,  dark. 
and  liquid,  with  which,  for  beauty  and  amiability,  to.<jether  with 


HABITS. 


363 


intellijionce  of  expression,  those  of  no  otlier  animal  can  be  com- 
pared.   The  lids  tare  well  supplied  with  eyelashes. 

'•  I  do  not  think  that  their  range  of  vision  on  land,  or  out  of  the 
water,  is  very  great.  1  have  had  them  (the  adults)  ca.ch  sight 
of  my  person,  so  as  to  distinguish  it  as  a  foreign  character,  three 
and  tour  hundred  paces  oft",  with  the  wind  l)lowi)ig  strongly 
from  them  toward  myself,  but  generally  they  will  allow  you  to 
approacli  very  close  indeed,  bcrore  recognizing  your  strange- 
ness, and  the  pups  will  scarcely  notice  the  form  of  a  liuman 
being  until  it  is  fairl;y  on  them,  whereupon  they  make  a  lively 
noise,  a  me<lley  of  coughing,  spitting,  snorting,  blnating,  and 
):i't  away  from  its  immediate  vicinity,  but  instantly  resume, 
liowin cr,  their  previous  occupation  of  either  sleeping  or  play- 
ing, as  though  nothing  had  liappened. 

"  But  the  power  of  scent  is  (together  with  their  hearing,  be- 
fore mentioned)  exceedingly  keen,  for  I  have  found  that  I  would 
most  invariably  awake  them  from  soundest  sleep  if  I  got  to  the 
windward,  even  when  standing  n  considerable  distance  off'. 

"  To  recapitulate  and  sum  up  the  system  of  reproduction  on 
the  rookeries  as  the  seals  seem  to  have  arranged  it,  I  would 
say,  that — 

"  First.  The  earliest  bulls  appear  to  land  in  a  negligent,  indo- 
lent way,  shortly  after  the  rocks  at  the  water's  edge  are  free 
from  ice,  frozen  snow,  &c.  This  is  generally  about  the  1st  to 
the  otli  of  May.  They  land  first  and  last  in  perfect  confidence 
and  without  fear,  very  fat,  ami  of  an  average  weight  of  five 
liundred  pounds;  som.-  staying  at  the  water's  edge,  some  going 
away  back,  in  fact  all  over  the  rookery. 

"  Second.  That  by  the  10th  or  12th  of  June,  all  the  stations 
on  the  rookeries  have  been  mapiied  out,  fought  for,  and  held  in 
waiting  for  the  cows  by  the  strongest  and  most  enduring  bulls, 
wlio  are,  as  a  rule,  never  under  six  years  of  age,  aiul  sometimes 
three,  and  even  ocCcasionally  four  times  as  old. 

''Third.  That  the  cows  make  their  first  appearance,  as  a  class, 
by  the  12th  or  15tli  of  June,  in  rather  small  numbers,  but  by 
the  2.')d  and  25th  of  this  mont  they  begi?\  to  flock  up  so  as  to 
til!  the  harems  very  perc(iptibly,  cand  by  the  8th  or  10th  of  July 
they  have  most  all  come,  stragglers  excepted ;  average  weight 
eighty  pounds. 

"  Fourth.  That  the  rutting-season  is  at  its  height  from  the  10th 
to  the  inth  of  July,  and  that  it  subsides  entirely  at  the  end  of 
this  month  and  early  in  August,  and  that  it  is  confined  entirely 
to  the  land. 


f 


11 


'1 


IfliliP^s 


ilir 


i  i  i  * 


364      CALLORIIINUS    URSINUS — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 

"  Fifth.  That  the  cows  bear  tlieir  first  young  when  three  yoar.s 
of  ajjc. 

"Sixth.  That  tlie  cows  are  limited  to  a  single  pii))  each,  as  a 
rnle,  in  hearing,  and  this  is  born  soon  after  landing;  no  excep- 
tion has  thus  far  been  witnessed. 

"  Seventh.  That  the  bulls  who  ha\*e  held  vhe  harems  leave  for 
the  wat<?r  in  a  straggling  manner  at  tlu^  close  of  the  rutting- 
season,  greatly  emaciated,  not  returning,  if  at  all,  until  six  or 
seven  weeks  have  elapsed,  jind  that  the  regular  systematic 
distribution  of  families  over  the  rookeries  is  at  an  end  for  the 
season,  a  general  medley  of  young  bulls  now  free  to  come  up 
from  the  water,  old  males  who  have  not  been  on  seraglio  duty, 
cows,  and  an  immense  majority  of  pups,  since  only  about  25 
per  cent,  of  their  mothers  are  out  of  the  water  at  a  time. 

"  The  rookeries  lose  their  compactness  and  definite  bounda- 
ries by  the  2otli  to  28th  July,  when  the  pups  begin  to  haul  hack 
and  to  the  right  and  left  in  small  squads  at  first,  but  as  the 
season  goes  on,  by  the  18tli  August,  they  swarm  over  three  and 
four  times  the  area  occupied  by  them  when  born  on  the  rook- 
eries. The  system  of  family  arrangement  and  definite  compact 
ness  of  the  breeding-classes  begins  at  this  date  to  break  up. 

"  Eighth.  That  by  the  8th  or  10th  of  August  the  i)ups  bom 
nearest  the  water  begin  to  learn  to  swim,  and  by  the  15th  or 
20tli  of  September  they  are  all  familiar  mor-^  or  less  with  it. 

"Ninth.  That  by  the  middle  of  September  the  rookeries  are 
entirely  broken  up,  only  confused,  straggling  bands  of  cows, 
J  oung  bachelors,  pups,  and  small  squads  of  old  bulls,  crossing 
and  recrossing  the  ground  in  an  aimless,  listless  manner ;  the 
season  is  over,  but  iny  of  these  seals  do  not  leave  these 
grounds  until  driven  otf  by  snow  and  ice,  as  late  as  the  end  of 
December  and  12th  of  January. 

'•'■['•'' Ilaulinggrounds.^' — ]  This  recapitulation  is  the  sum  and 
substance  of  my  observations  on  the  rookeries,  and  I  will  now 
turn  to  the  consideration  of  the  hauling-grounds,  ujjon  which 
the  yearlings  and  almost  all  the  males  under  six  years  come 
out  from  the  sea  in  squads  from  a  hundred  to  a  thonsan<l,  and. 
later  in  the  season,  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  to  sleep  and 
frolic,  going  from  a  (piarter  to  lialf  a  mile  back  iroin  the  sea,  as 
at  English  Bay. 

"This  class  of  seals  are  termed  'hoUuschukie'  (or  'baclidor 
seals')  by  the  natives.  It  is  with  the  seals  of  this  division  that 
these  peo])le  are  most  familiar,  since  they  are,  together  with  a 


■V^r. 


HABITS. 


365 


few  tliousaud  pups  and  some  old  bulla,  the  only  oues  driven  up 
to  the  killing-grounds  for  their  skins,  for  reasons  which  are  ex- 
cellent, and  which  shall  be  given  further  on. 

"Since  the  'holluschukie'  are  not  permitted  by  their  own 
kind  to  land  on  the  rookeries  and  rest  there,  they  have  the 
choice  Oi  two  methods  of  landing  and  locating. 

"  One  of  these  opportunities,  and  least  used,  is  to  pass  up 
from  and  down  to  the  water,  through  a  rookery  on  a  pathway 
left  l>y  connuon  consent  between  the  harems.  Ou  these  lines 
of  i)ti><«age  they  are  unmolested  by  the  old  and  jealous  bulls, 
who  guard  the  seraglios  ou  either  side  as  they  go  and  come ; 
generally  there  is  a  continual  file  of  them  on  the  way,  travel- 
ing' up  or  down. 

"As  the  two  and  three  year  old  holluschukie  come  up  in  small 
squads  with  the  first  bulls  in  the  spring,  or  a  few  days  later, 
these  common  highways  between  the  rear  of  the  rookery-ground 
and  the  sea  get  well  defined  and  traveled  over  before  the  arrival 
of  the  cows ;  for  just  as  the  bulls  crowd  up  for  their  stations,  so 
do  the  bachelors,  young  and  old,  increase.  These  roadways 
may  be  termed  the  lines  of  least  resistance  in  a  big  rookery ; 
they  are  not  constant ;  they  are  splendidly  shown  on  the  large 
rookeries  of  Saint  Paul's,  one  of  them  (Tolstoi)  exhibiting  this 
feature  finely,  for  the  hauling-ground  lies  up  back  of  the  rook- 
ery, on  a  flat  and  rolling  summit,  100  to  120  feet  .above  the  sea- 
level.  The  young  males  and  yearlings  of  both  sexes  come 
through  the  rookery  on  these  narrow  pathways,  and,  before 
reaching  the  resting-ground  above,  are  obliged  to  climb  up  an 
almost  abrupt  bluff,  by  following  and  struggling  in  the  little 
water-runs  and  washes  which  are  worn  in  its  face.  An  this 
is  a  large  hauling-ground,  on  which  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand 
commonly  lie  every  day  during  the  season,  the  sight  always,  at 
all  times,  to  be  seen,  in  the  way  of  seal  climbing  and  crawling, 
was  exceedingly  novel  and  interesting.  They  climb  over  and 
np  to  places  here  where  a  clumsy  man  might  at  first  sight 
say  he  woidd  be  unable  to  ascend. 

"The  other  method  by  which  the  'holluschukie'  enjoy  them- 
selves on  land  is  the  one  most  followed  and  favored.  They,  in 
this  case,  repair  to  the  beaches  unoccupied  between  the  rook- 
cries,  uud  there  extend  themselves  out  all  the  way  back  from 
the  water  a<5  far,  in  some  cases,  as  a  (piarter  of  .a  mile,  and  even 
farther.  1  have  had  under  my  eye,  in  one  straightforward 
sweep,  from  Zapad-nie  to  Tolstoi,  (three  miles,)  a  million  and  a 


366  CALLORHINUS  UR8INU8 — NORTHERN  FUR  SEAL. 

half  of  seals,  at  least,  (about  the  middle  of  July.)  Of  these  I 
estimated  fully  one-half  were  pups,  yearlings,  and  *  hoUuschu- 
kiw.'  The  great  majority  of  the  two  latter  classes  were  hauled 
out  and  pack'^d  thickly  over  the  two  miles  of  sand-beach  and 
flat  which  lay  between  the  rookeries ;  many  large  herds  were 
back  as  far  from  the  water  as  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

•'A  sumll  flock  of  the  younger  ones,  from  one  to  three  years 
ohl,  will  frequently  stray  away  back  from  the  hauling-ground 
lines, 'out  and  up  onto  the  fresh  moss  and  grass,  and  tliere 
sport  and  play,  one  with  another,  just  as  puiipy-d'ogs  do;  and 
when  weary  of  this  gamboling,  a  general  disposition  to  sleep  is 
suddenly  manifested,  and  they  stretch  themselves  out  and  curl 
ui)  in  all  the  positions  and  all  the  postures  that  their  flexible 
spines  and  ball-and-socket  joints  will  permit.  One  will  lie  upon 
his  back,  holding  up  his  hind  flippers,  lazily  waving  them  in 
the  air,  while  he  scratches  or  rather  rubs  his  ribs  with  the  fore 
hands  alternately,  the  eyes  being  tightly  closed ;  and  the  breath, 
indicated  by  the  heaving  of  his  flanks,  drawn  quickly  but  regu- 
larly, as  though  in  heavy  sleep ;  another  will  be  flat  upon  his 
stomach,  his  hind  flippers  drawn  under  and  concealed,  while  he 
tightly  folds  his  fore  feet  back  against  his  sides,  just  as  a  fish  will 
sometimes  hold  its  pectoral  fins ;  and  so  on,  without  end  of  va- 
riety, according  to  the  ground  .and  disposition  of  the  animals. 

"While  the  young  seals  undoubtedly  have  the  power  of  going 
without  food,  they  certainly  do  not  sustain  any  long  fasting 
periods  on  land,  for  their  coming  and  going  is  frequent  and 
irregular ;  for  instance,  three  or  four  thick,  foggy  days  Avill 
sometimes  call  them  out  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  a  million 
or  two,  on  the  different  hauling-grounds,  where,  in  some  cases. 
they  lie  so  closely  together  that  scarcely  a  foot  of  ground,  over 
acres  in  extent,  is  bare ;  then  a  clearer  and  warmer  day  will 
ensue,  and  the  ground,  before  so  thickly  packed  with  animal- 
life,  will  be  almost  deserted,  comparatively,  to  be  filled  again 
immediately  on  the  recurrence  of  favorable  weather.  They  are 
in  just  as  good  condition  of  flesh  at  the  end  of  the  season  as  at 
the  first  of  it. 

"These  bachelor  seals  are,  I  am  sure,  Avithout  exception,  the 
most  restless  animals  in  the  whole  brute  creation ;  they  frolic 
and  lope  about  over  the  grounds  for  hours,  without  a  moment's 
cessation,  and  their  sleep  after  this  is  short,  and  is  accompanied 
with  nervous  twitchings  and  uneasy  movements;  they  seem  to 
be  fairly  brimful  and  overrunning  with  warm  life.    I  have  never 


HABITS. 


367 


observed  anything  like  ill-humor  grow  out  of  their  playing  to- 
{jetlicr;  invtiriably  well  pleased  one  with  another  in  all  their 
frolicsoiue  struggles. 

"The  pups  and  j'earlings  haA'e  an  especial  fondness  lor  sport- 
inj:  on  the  rocks  which  are  just  at  the  watei-'s  level,  so  as  to  be 
alteniiitely  covered  and  uncovered  bj-  the  sea-rollers.  On  the 
bare  summit  of  these  water- worn  spots  they  struggle  and  clam- 
ber, a  dozen  or  two  at  a  time,  occasionally,  for  a  single  lock ; 
the  strongest  or  luckiest  one  pushing  the  others  all  ott",  which, 
liowever,  simply  redouble  their  efforts  and  try  to  dislodge  him, 
who  thus  has,  for  a  few  moments  only,  the  advantage  ;  for  with 
the  next  roller  and  the  other  ])ressure,  he  generally  is  ousted, 
and  the  game  is  repeated.  Sometimes,  as  well  as  I  could  see, 
iho  same  squad  of 'holluschukie' pl.ayed  around  a  rock  thus 
situated,  off" '  Nail  Sped'  rookery,  during  the  whole  of  one  day; 
but,  of  course,  they  cannot  be  told  apart. 

"The  Miolluschukie,'  too,  are  the  champion  swimmers;  at 
least  they  do  about  all  tlie  fancy  tumbling  au<l  turning  that  is 
(lone  by  the  fur-seals  when  in  the  water  around  the  islands. 
The  grave  old  bulls  and  their  matronly  companions  seldom 
indulge  in  any  extravagant  display,  such  as  Jumping  out  of  the 
water  like  so  many  <lolphins,  describing,  as  these  youngsters 
flo,  beautiful  elliptic  cui'ves,  rising  three  and  even  four  feet 
from  the  sea,  Avith  the  back  slightly  arched,  the  fore  flippers 
folded  back  against  the  sides,  and  the  hinder  ones  extended  and 
pressed  together  straight  out  behind,  plumping  in  head  first, 
reappearing  in  the  same  manner  after  an  interval  of  a  few  sec- 
onds. 

"All  classes  will  invariably  make  these  dolphin-jumps  [*]  when 
they  ar(^  suddenly  surprised  or  are  driven  into  the  water,  turn- 
ing" their  hea<l8,  while  sailing  in  the  air,  between  the  'rises' 
and  '  plumps,'  to  take  a  look  at  the  cause  of  their  disturbance. 
They  all  swim  with  great  rapidity,  and  may  be  fairly  said  to 
dart  with  the  velocity  of  a  bird  on  the  wing  along  under  the 
water ;  and  in  all  their  swimming  I  have  not  been  able  yet  to 
satisfy  myself  how  they  used  their  long,  flexible,  hind  feet,  other 
than  as  steering  mediums.  The  propelling  motion,  if  they  have 
any,  is  so  rapid,  that  my  eye  is  not  quick  enough  to  catch  it ; 

the  fore  feet,  however,  can  be  very  distinctly  seen  to  work. 


I 


['Mr.  J.  H.  Blak«,  who  accompanied  Professor  Agasslz  on  the  Hassler  Ex- 
Pfiditiou  to  Soutli  America  in  1871,  as  artrst  of  the  expedition,  observed  the 
isouthern  Sea  Lions  (Otaria  jubata)  performing  similar  evohitions.] 


368     CALLOIMIINUS   UKSINUS — NORTHERN    FUR   SEAL. 


featheiiiij?  forward  and  sweeping  back  flatly,  opposed  to  the 
water,  with  great  rapidity  and  energy,  and  are  evidently  the 
sole  propulsive  power. 

"All  tbeir  movements  in  the  water,  when  in  traveling  or  sport, 
aro  quick  and  joyous,  and  nothing  is  more  suggestive  of  intense 
sa^  isfaction  and  great  comfort  than  is  the  spectacle  of  a  few 
thousand  old  bulls  and  cows,  oft"  and  from  a  rookery  in  August, 
idly  rolling  over,  side  by  side,  rubbing  and  scratching  with  the 
fore  and  hind  flippers,  which  are  here  and  there  stuck  up  out 
of  the  water  like  lateen-sails,  or  *cat-o'-nine  tails,'  in  either  case, 
as  it  may  be. 

"When  the  'hoUuschukie'  are  uj)  on  land  they  can  be  readily 


^'''^  separated  into  two  classes  by  the  color  of  their  coats  and  size, 


viz,  the  yearlings,  and  the  two,  three,  four,  and  five  year  old 
bulls. 

"  The  first  class  is  dressed  just  as  they  were  after  they  shed 
their  pup-coats  and  took  on  the  second  the  previous  year,  iu 
September  and  October,  and  now,  as  they  come  out  iu  the 
spring  and  summer,  the  males  and  females  cannot  be  distin- 
guished apart,  either  by  color  or  size;  both  yearling  sexes 
having  the  same  gray  backs  and  white  bellies,  and  are  the  same 
in  behavior,  action,  weight,  and  shape. 

"About  the  15th  and  20th  of  August  they  begin  to  grow 
'  stagey,'  or  shed,  in  common  with  all  the  other  classes,  the  pups 
excepted.  The  over-hair  requires  about  six  weeks  from  the 
commencement  of  the  dropping  or  falling  out  of  the  old  to  its 
full  renewal. 

"  The  pelage,  or  fur,  which  is  concealed  externally  by  the 
hair,  is  also  shed  and  renewed  slowly  in  the  same  manner;  but, 
being  so  much  finer  than  the  hair,  it  is  not  so  apparent.  It  was 
to  me  a  great  surprise  to  '  learn,'  from  a  man  who  has  been 
heading  a  seal-killing  party  on  these  islands  during  the  past 
three  years,  and  the  Government  agent  in  charge  of  these  in- 
terests, that  the  seal  never  shed  its  fur ;  that  the  over-hair  only 
was  cast  off  and  replaced.  To  prove  that  it  does,  however,  is  a 
very  simple  matter,  and  does  not  require  the  aid  of  a  micro- 
scope. For  example,  take  up  a  prime  spring  or  fall  skin,  after 
every  single  over-hair  on  it  has  been  plucked  out,  and  you  will 
have  difficulty,  either  to  so  blow  upon  the  thick,  fine  fur,  or 
to  part  it  with  the  fingers,  as  to  show  the  hide  from  which  it 
has  grown;  then  take  a  'stagey'  skin,  by  the  end  of  August 
and  early  in  September,  when  all  the  over-hair  is  present,  about 


HAIJITS. 


36!) 


oHclfiird  to  one-half  groicn,  and  the  first  putt" you  expend  upon 
it  ciisily  siiows  the  liido  below,  sometimes  quite  a  broad  welt. 
This  iinder-f'ur,  or  pelajjfo,  is  so  fine  and  delicate,  and  so  uuicli 
concealed  and  shaded  by  the  coarse  over-hair,  that  a  careless 
eye  may  be  pardoned  for  any  such  blunder,  but  oidy  a  very  cas- 
u.  1  observer  could  make  it. 

"The  yearling  cows  retain  the  colors  of  the  old  coat  in  che 
new,  and  from  this  time  on  shed,  year  after  year,  just  so,  for  the 
young  and  the  old  cows  look  alike,  as  far  as  color  goes,  when 
they  haul  up  on  the  rookeries  in  the  summer. 

"The  yearling  males,  however,  make  a  radical  change,  com- 
ing out  from  their  'staginess'  in  a  uniform  dark-gray  and  gray- 
black  mixed  and  lighter,  and  dark  ocher,  on  the  under  and  up- 
per parts,  resi)ectively.  This  coat,  next  year,  when  they  come 
up  on  the  hauling-grounds,  is  very  dark,  and  is  so  for  the  third, 
fourth,  and  fifth  years,  when,  after  this,  they  begin  to  grow 
more  gray  and  brown,  year  by  year,  with  rufoas-ocher  and 
whitish-gray  tipped  overnair  on  the  shoulders.  Some  of  the 
very  old  bulls  become  changed  to  uniform  dull  grayish-ocher 
all  over. 

"The  female  does  not  get  her  full  growth  and  weight  until  the 
end  of  her  fourth  year,  so  far  as  I  have  observed,  but  does  the 
most  of  her  growing  in  the  first  two. 

"The  male  does  not  get  his  full  growth  and  weight  until  the 
close  of  his  seventh  year,  but  realizes  most  of  it  by  the  end  of 
the  fifth,  osteologically,  and  from  this  it  may  be,  perhaps,  truly 
inferred  that  the  bulls  live  to  an  average  age  of  eighteen  or 
twenty  years,  if  undisturbed  in  a  normal  condition,  and  that 
the  cows  attain  ten  or  twelve  under  the  same  circumstances. 
Their  respective  eight,  when  fully  mature  and  fat  in  the  spring, 
will,  I  think,  stnice  an  average  of  four  to  five  hundred  pounds 
for  the  male  and  from  seventy  to  eighty  for  the  female. 

"  From  th'  i  fact  that  all  the  young  seals  do  not  change  much  in 
weight,  frora  the  time  of  their  first  coming  out  in  the  spring 
till  that  of  their  leaving  in  the  fall  and  early  winter,  I  feel  safe 
iu  saying,  since  they,  too,  are  constantly  changi.ig  from  land  to 
^viiter  and  from  water  to  land,  that  they  fee*^  at  irregular  but 
not  long  intervals  during  the  time  they  are  here  under  obser- 
vation. 1  do  not  think  the  young  males  fast  longer  than  a  week 
wten  (lays  at  a  time  as  a  class.  .    .  ;  ■    ;■  ;    .• 

"They  leave  evidences  of  their  being  on  these  great  repro- 
<hictivo  fields,  chiefly  on  the  rookeries,  such  as  hundreds  of 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 24 


'■'   rm 


i^  ti 


imm 


r  V,    ^: 


370      CALLORHINUS   URSINUS — NORTHERN    FUR   SEAL. 

the  dead  carcasstiS  of  those  of  them  that  have  been  infirm,  sick, 
killed,  or  which  have  crawled  off  to  die  Jtom  death-wounds  re 
ceived  in  some  struggle  for  a  harem  ;  and  over  these  decaying, 
jiutrid  bodies,  the  living,  old  and  young,  clamber  and  patter. 
and  by  this  constant  stirring  up  of  putrescent  matter  give  rise 
to  an  excoedingly  disagreeable  and  far-reaching  '  funk,'  which 
has  been,  by  all  the  writers  who  have  spoken  on  the  subject,  re- 
ferred to  as  the  smell  Avhich  these  animals  have  in  nitting.  If 
these  creatures  have  any  such  odor  peculiar  to  them  when  iu 
this  condition,  I  will  frankly  confess  that  I  am  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  fumes  which  are  constantly  being  stirred 
up  and  rising  out  from  these  decaying  carcasses  of  old  seals  and 
the  many  pups  which  have  been  killed  accidentally  by  the  old 
bulls  while  fighting  with  and  charging  back  and  forth  against 
one  another. 

"  They,  however,  have  a  peculiar  smell  when  they  are  driven 
and  get  heated ;  their  steaming  breath  exhalations  possess  a 
disagreeable,  faint,  sickly  tone,  but  it  can  by  no  means  be  con 
founded  with  what  is  universally  understood  to  be  the  rutting 
odor  among  animals.  The  finger  rubbed  on  a  little  fm-seal 
blubber  will  smell  very  much  like  that  which  is  appreciated  iu 
their  breath  coming  from  them  when  driven,  only  stronger, 
Both  the  young  and  old  fur-seals  have  this  same  breath-smell 
at  all  seasons. 

"By  the  end  of  October  and  the  10th  of  November  the  great 
mass  of  the  ^hoUuschukie'  have  taken  their  departure;  the  few 
that  remain  from  now  until  as  late  as  the  snow  and  ice  will 
permit  them  to  do,  in  and  after  December,  are  all  down  by  the 
water's  edge,  and  hauled  up  almost  entirely  on  the  rocky 
beaches  only,  deserting  the  sand.  The  first  snow  falling  makes 
them  uneasy,  as  also  does  rain-fall.  I  have  seen  a  large  haul 
ing-ground  entirely  deserted  after  a  rainy  day  and  night  by  its 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  occupants.  The  falling  drops  spatter 
and  beat  the  sand  into  their  eyes,  fur,  &c.,  I  presume,  and  iu 
this  way  make  it  uncomfortable  for  them. 

"  The  weather  in  which  the  fur-seal  delights  is  cool,  moist. 
foggy,  and  thick  enough  to  keep  the  sun  always  obscured  so  as 
to  cast  no  shadows.  Such  weather,  continued  for  a  few  weeks 
in  June  and  July,  brings  them  up  from  the  sea  by  millions; 
but,  as  I  have  before  said,  a  little  sunlight  and  the  temperatuiv 
as  high  as  50°  to  55°,  will  send  them  back  from  the  hauling 
grounds  almost  as  quickly  as  they  came.    These  simny,  waiw 


MODE    OF   CAPTURE. 


371 


days  are,  however,  on  Saint  Paul's  Island,  very  rare  indeed, 
and  .0  the  seals  can  have  but  little  ground  of  complaint,  if  we 
may  presume  that  they  have  any  at  all."* 

THE  C^iASE  -The  manner  of  capturing  the  Fur  Seals  has 
groatl     vaned  at  difierent  times  and  at  different  localities. 
Kraschennukow  states  that  on  liehring's  Island,  a  century  an 
jarier  ago,  the  common  way  of  killing  them  was  to  hrs 

w  :  i  Th^^^^^^^  "'*'  '''''''^  "'^  ^^^"  ^•^^t  «"^  theh-  brains 
m  11 ,  Inks.  This  he  says  was  a  work  of  so  much  labor  that 
-hroe  men  were  hardly  able  to  kill  one  with  300  strokes  "In 
cmsequence  of  their  seldom  landing  on  the  Kamtschatka 'coast 
!  r;?  "^'"^^^  ''^''  «^^*  «^«  »-«ves  were  accustomed  to 
P  r.s ne  them  in  boats,  "and  throw  darts  or  harpoons  ac  them." 
Ue  says  they  had  to  be  particularly  cautious  not  to  let  the 
wounded  Sea  "fasten  upon  the  side  of  the  boat  and  overturn 

wi  h  T-T     r';  i"  "'"  ^'"^  "'  ^'^^  fi«^«™-  «t-^l  ready 
^utll  axes  to  cut  off  his  paws."t 

Cjiiptain  Scammon  thus  describes  the  pursuit  of  the  Fur  Seal 

0  1  ^r  ^%'^'^««"^:-  I«'-<^=  "When  going  in  pursut 

nom  in  the  morning,  and  usually  return  the  following  evening 

The  flshmg.gear  consists  of  two  spears,  which  are  fitted  to  a 

P|-.ed  pole  fifteen  feet  in  length  j  to  ihe  spears  a  llris^t 

ached  which  IS  fastened  to  the  spear-pole  close  to,  or  is  held 

he  hand  of,  the  spearman,  when  he  darts  the  weapon.    A 

eal-  lub  IS  a  so  provided,  as  well  as  two  seal-skin  buoys-the 

^t  1  be        ^aken  a,  the  canoe  to  be  used  in  rough  weather; 

Hn  i  hT, ultT'  ^'"?8-  P«^r«^^'  «^"  »ot  be  managed  with  the 
me  ,u  hand,  a  buoy  is  ^bent  on',  and  the  animal  is  allowed  to 
At  Its  o«.n  com-se  for  a  time.    Its  efforts  to  escape,  by  divinr 

nevf  ''  t:^  ^'"^^■"«"  '^'"^^  "^'^^'  "-  «-^-«  of 'the  Z^ 

Si   '^.U  V'V'^b  ""^^  ^'  i«  «^l>t"red  by  bemg  clubbed. 

he  olo   •   ^  ''''  '  *^'"  *^'  P"'"  i«  instantly  withdrawn,  and 
sdZtH    1    ""I'^l'''^""*^  *^  ^'^^  floundering  creatm-e,  which 

1  f^^^^^^^  :f  ^f-e  described.    Indians  from  the  Vancouver 
^liorelieciuently  Start  uUhe  night,  so  as  to  be  on  the  bestseai- 

*  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  123-150. 

t  Hist.  Kamtsch.  (Englisli  ed.),  p.  130.  ,    ' 


.(« 


.'172    cAi.T.oiiiiixrs  imsiNra — noktiikrn  fuk  seal. 


>V;' 


r\ 


\ 


W 


iiij,'  fjfiound  in  the  inorninjf.    This  localitj'  is  .said  to  bo  soutli- 
Avcst  of  Cape  Classet,  five  to  fifteen  miles  distant."* 

In  liuntinj^  Seals  for  their  eommercial  prodncts  the  common 
method  of  killing  them  appears  to  have  generally  been  by  club- 
bing them,  as  is  at  present  practiced  on  the  Seal  Islands  of 
Alaska,  one  or  two  lieavy  blows  npon  the  head  being  sulficieut 
to  dispatch  them.  The  method  of  attack  is  very  much  like  that 
practiced  in  destroying  herds  of  Walruses,  already  described. 
A  large  party  cautiously  laud,  when  possible,  to  the  leeward  of 
a  rookery,  and  then,  at  a  given  signal,  rush  upon  the  Seals,  with 
loud  shouting,  and  with  their  clubs  soon  destroy  large  number.s. 
It  has  generally  been  practiced  without  system  or  restraint, 
resulting  in  the  speedy  destruction  of  large  rookeries.  As  is 
well  known,  the  Southern  Sea  Bears  or  Fur  Seals  {Arctocephalm 
^^falklandicus,"  A.  forsteri,  A.  ^^  cinereiiSj'^  etc.)  were  long  since 
practically  exterminated  at  many  localities  where  they  were 
formerly  very  abundant,  as  has  been  the  case  Avith  the  Northern 
Fur  Seal  on  our  own  Califomian  coast.  At  one  time  thje  same 
destructive  and  ruinous  policy  was  pursued  by  the  Kussiaus  at 
the  Prybilov  Islands,  but  th^  folly  of  such  a  practice  was  soon 
peiceived,  and  through  government  interference  theii*  extermi- 
nation there  has  been  happily  prevented.  Their  destruction  is 
at  present  regulated  by  the  United  States  Government,  the 

j  whole  matter  being  judiciously  and  systematically  managed. 

'  The  manner  of  taking  and  killing  the  Seals,  and  the  method 
adopted  to  prevent  their  decrease,  has  been  described  in  detail 
by  Mr.  Elliott,  and  is  here  appended. 

"Taking  t'ie  Seals. — By  reference  to  the  habits  of  the  fur 
seal,  it  is  plain  that  two-thirds  of  all  the  males  that  are  born  (and 

;  thoy  are  equal  in  number  to  the  females  born)  are  never  per 
mitted  by  the  remaining  third,  strongest  by  natural  selection, 

"  to  land  upon  the  same  ground  with  the  females,  which  always 

■•  herd  together  en  masse.  Therefore,  this  great  band  of  bachelor 
seals,  or  '  hoUuschuckie,'  is  compelled,  wiien  it  visits  land,  to 
live  apart  entirely,  miles  away  frequently,  from  the  brooding 
grounds,  and  in  this  admirably  perfect  manner  of  nat.ne  arc 
those  seals  which  can  be  properly  killed  without  injury  to  the 

'rookeries  selected  and  held  aside,  so  that  the  natives  can  visit 
and  take  them  as  they  would  so  many  hogs,  without  disturbing 
in  the  .slightest  degree  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  breeding- 

1  grounds  where  the  stock  is  perpetuated. 

*  Marine  Mammalia,  pp.  1.54,  L^S. 


MODE  OF  (ArrrHi:. 


373 


-The  niiimier  in  which  the  nativi's  Ciiptuic  iuid  drive  the 
lioiliisclmckie  up  from  the  htiuliiig-;4roiiiuls  to  the  sh»U{>hteriug- 
liclds  near  the  vilUige.s  and  elsewhere,  cannot  he  improved  upon, 
;iii(l  is  most  sutisl'actory. 

"in  the  early  part  of  the  season  large  bodies  of  the  young- 
baclielor  seals  do  not  haul  uj)  on  land  very  far  from  the  water, 
a  liw  '<><ls  at  the  most,  and  the  men  are  obliged  to  approach 
slyly  and  run  quickly  between  the  dozing  sej^s  and  the  surf, 
hclbie  they  take  alarniMnd  bolt  into  the  sea,  and  in  this  way  a 
(lo/A'U  Aleuts,  running  down  the  long  sand-beach  of  Euglish 
Bay,  some  driving-morning  early  in  June,  will  turn  back  from 
the  water  thousands  of  seals,  Just  as  the  mold-board  of  a  plow 
lays  over  and  back  a  furrow  of  earth.  As  the  sleeping  seals 
are  lirst  startled  they  arise,  and  seeing  men  between  them  and 
the  water,  inunediately  turn,  loi)e  and  8crand)le  rapidly  back 
over  the  land;  the  natives  then  leisurely  walk  on  the  tiauks  and 
in  the  rear  of  the  drove  thus  secured,  and  direct  and  drive  them 
over  to  the  kiUing-grounds. 

"A  drove  of  seals  on  hard  or  firm  grassy  ground,  in  cool  and 
moist  weather,  may  with  safety  be  driven  at  the  rate  of  half  a 
mile  an  hour;  they  can  be  urged  along  with  the  expenditure  of 
a  great  many  lives  in  the  drove,  at  the  speed  of  a  mile  or  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  even  per  hour,  but  this  is  highly  injudicious  and 
i!<  seldom  ever  done.  A  bull  seal,  fat  and  unwieldj',  cannot 
travel  with  the  younger  ones,  but  it  can  lope  or  gallop  as  it 
were  over  the  gTound  as  fast  as  an  ordinary  man  can  run  for  a 
hun<lred  yards,  but  then  it  falls  to  the  earth  supine,  utterly 
exhausted,  hot  and  gasping  for  breath. 

"The  seals,  when  driven  thus  to  the  killing-grounds,  require 
but  little  urging;  they  are  permitted  to  frequently  halt  and 
cool  off,  as  heating  them  injures  their  fur;  they  never  show 
fight  any  more  than  a  flock  of  sheep  would  do,  unless  a  few  old 
seals  are  mixed  in,  which  usually  get  so  weary  that  they  prefer 
toeonie  to  a  stand-still  and  light  rather  than  to  move;  this  action 
oil  their  part  is  of  great  advantage  to  all  parties  concerned,  and 
the  old  fellows  are  always  permitted  to  dro]>  behind  and  remain, 
tor  tlie  lur  on  tliem  is  of  little  or  no  value,  the  pelage  very  much 
shorter,  coarser,  and  more  scant  than  in  the  younger,  esi)ecially 
wi  on  th(>  ]>arts  posteriorly.  This  change  in  the  condition  of 
the  t'lir  seems  to  set  in  at  the  time  of  their  shedding,  in  the 
tifth  year  as  a  rule.  .      . 

"As  the  drove  progresses  the  seals  all  move  in  about  the  same 


''r  I' 


iJ^^ 


* 


fill  If/!' 


<l^Bl! 


'^ 


■mi 


374   CALLORHINUS  URSINUS — NORTHERN  FUR  SEAL, 

way,  a  kind  of  a  walkinjif-step  and  a  slidinj;,  sliambling  gallop, 
and  the  profjjression  of  the  whole  body  i.s  a  succession  of  stai  ts,^ 
made  every  few  minutes,  spasmodic  and  irregular.  Kvery  now 
and  then  a  seal  will  get  weak  in  the  lumbar  region,  and  drag 
liis  posterior  after  it  for  a  short  distance,  but  finally  drops  breath- 
less and  exhausted,  not  to  revive  for  hours,  days  perha])s.  mid 
often  never.  Quite  a  large  luimber  of  the  weaker  ones,  on  tho 
driest  <lriving-days,  are  tlius  laid  out  iind  left  on  the  road;  if 
one  is  not  too  much  heated  at  the  time,  the  native  driver  usually 
taps  the  beast  over  the  head  ami  removes  its  skin.  This  will 
hap])en,  no  matter  how  carefully  they  are  driven,  and  the  death- 
loss  is  (piite  large,  as  much  as  .'i  or  4  per  cent,  on  the  loiij;or 
drives,  such  as  three  and  four  miles,  from  Zapadnio  or  Polavina 
to  the  village  on  Saint  Paul's,  and  T  feel  satistied  that  a  consid- 
erable innnber  of  those  rejected  from  the  drove  and  i)ermitt('d 
to  return  to  the  water  die  subsequently  from  internal  iujniios 
sustained  on  the  drive  from  overexertion.  I  therefore  think  it 
improper  to  extend  drives  of  seals  over  any  distance  exceediiij; 
a  mile  or  a  mile  and  a  half.  It  is  better  for  all  jiarties  con- 
eerned  to  erect  salt-houses  and  establish  killing-grounds  adjii- 
cent  to  all  of  the  great  hauling-grounds  on  Saint  Paul's  island 
should  the  business  ever  be  developed  above  the  present  limit. 
As  matters  .-ow  are,  the  ninety  thousand  seals  belonging  to 
the  quota  of  Saint  Paul  last  summer  were  taken  and  skinned  in 
less  than  forty  days  within  one  mile  from  either  the  village,  or 
salt-house  on  Northeast  Point. 


'-m 

■Kl- 

^  mf 

si 

1         , 

'  ■ 

M 

iilik 

"  Killing  the  Seals. — The  seals  when  brought  up  to  the  kill 
ing- grounds  are  herded  there  until  cool  and  rested ;  then  squads  or 
'pods'  of  tifty  to  two  hundred  are  driven  out  from  the  body  ot 
the  drove,  surrounded  and  huddled  up  one  against  and  over  the 
other,  by  the  natives,  who  caiTy  each  a  long,  heavy  club  of  hard 
wood,  with  which  they  strike  the  seals  down  by  blows  upon  the 
head;  a  single  stroke  of  a  heavy  oalc  bludgeon,  well  and  fairly 
delivered,  will  crush  in  at  once  the  si  'ht,  thin  bones  of  a  seal's 
skull,  laying  the  creature  out  lifeless;  .  .ese  strokes  are  nsuallj 
repeated  several  times  with  each  animal,  but  are  very  quickly 
done. 

"  The  kill?  g-gang,  consisting  usually  of  fifteen  or  twenty  men 
at  a  time,  are  under  the  supervision  of  a  chief  of  their  own  se- 
lection, and  have,  before  going  into  action,  a  common  under- 
standing as  to  what  grades  to  kill,  sparing  the  others  which  are 


MODE    OF   CAPTURE. 


375 


uulit,  under  age,  &c.,  permitting  them  to  eseiipe  and  return  to 
the  water  as  soon  as  the  marked  ones  are  knocked  down ;  the 
natives  then  drag  the  shiin  out  from  the  heap  in  which  they 
Imve  t'aUen,  and  spread  the  bodies  out  over  the  ground  Just  free 
Iniiii  touching  one  another  so  that  they  will  not  be  hastened  iu 
•lit'iitiiig'  or  blasting,  hnishing  the  work  of  death  by  thrusting 
into  the  chest  of  each  stunned  and  senseless  seal  a  long,  sharp 
knife,  which  touches  the  vitals  and  bleeds  it  thoroughly;  and 
iiiicdol  day,  another  'pod'  is  started  out  and  disposed  of  in 
the  same  way,  and  soon  until  a  thousand  or  two  are  laid  out,  or 
the  (hove  is  linished:  then  they  turn  to  and  skin;  but  if  it  is  a 
waini  day,  every  'pod'  is  s^rinned  as  soon  as  it  is  knocked  down. 
"This  work  of  killing  as  well  as  skinning  is  performed  verj'^ 
rapidly;  for  exami>le,  forty-live  men  or  natives  on  Saint  Paul's 
lUuing  .Mine  and  .fuly,  1872,  in  less  than  four  working- weeks 
(hove,  killed,  skinned,  and  salted  the  pelts  of  72,000  seals. 

"Q'ho  labor  of  skinning  is  exceedingly  severe,  and  is  trying 
to  ail  exi)ert,  requiring  long  practice  before  the  muscles  of  the 
hack  and  thighs  are  so  developed  as  to  i)ermit  a  man  to  bend 
down  to  and  finish  well  a  fair  day's  work. 

"The  body  of  the  seal,  preparatory  to  skinning,  is  rolled  over 
or  put  upon  its  back,  and  the  native  makes  a  single  swift  cut 
through  the  skin  down  along  the  neck,  chest,  and  belly,  from 
tlie  lower  jaw  to  the  root  of  the  tail,  using  for  this  puqiose  a 
huge,  sharp  knife.  The  fore  and  hind  flippers  are  then  succes- 
sively lifted,  and  a  sweeping  circular  incision  is  made  through 
the  skin  on  them  Just  at  the  point  where  the  body-fur  eudsj 
then,  seizing  a  flap  of  the  hide  on  either  one  side  or  the  other  of 
the  abdomen,  the  man  proceeds  to  rapidly  cut  the  skin  clean 
and  free  from  the  body  and  blubber,  which  he  rolls  over  and 
out  from  the  skin  by  hauling  up  on  it  as  he  advances  with  his 
work,  standing  all  the  time  stooping  over  the  carcass  so  that 
his  hands  are  but  slightly  above  it  or  the  ground.  This  opera- 
tion of  skinning  a  fair-sized  seal  takes  the  best  men  only  a  min- 
ute and  a  half,  but  the  average  time  on  the  ground  is  about 
tour  minutes. 

"Nothing  is  left  of  the  skin  upon  the  carcass  savea  small  patch 
of  each  up])er  lip,  on  which  the  coarse  mustache  grows,  the  skin 
on  the  tip  of  the  lower  jaw,  the  insignificant  tail,  together  with 
the  bare  hide  of  the  flippers. 

"The  blubber  of  the  flir-seal  is  of  a  faint  yellowish  white,  and 
lies  entirely  between  the  skin  and  the  flesh,  none  being  depos- 


S;  ;l 


I 


1; 


Hnipl-ini 


o7(>      ("AM.OUIIIM'.S    UKHINUS— X<)liTIIi;UN    VVll    SEAL. 


iUid  in  between  the  iiniHeles.     Aroand  the  siiuill  and  hivj><'  intes- 
tines ii  inodeiiile  <|niintity  of  hard,  linn  tat  is  found.     The  hluh 
ber  possesses  an  extremely  olfensive,  siekeninj;' (»(U)r,  dillieult  to 
wasli  from  the  luinds.     It  makes,  however,  a  very  fair  oil  for 
Inbrieatii-g',  burning,  &e. 

•'The  llesh  of  the  fur-seal,  when  carefully  cleaned  from  fat  or 
blubber,  can  be  cooked,  and  by  most  i)eople  eat«Mi,  who,  did 
they  not  know  what  it  was,  mi}»ht  <;onsider  it  some  i)oor,  tough, 
dry  beef,  rather  «hirk  in  color  and  overdone.  That  of  the  i>ui), 
however,  while  on  the  land  and  milk-fed,  is  tender  and  juicy  but 
insipid. 

"  The  skins  are  taken  from  the  field  to  the  salt-house,  where 
they  are  laid  out  oi)en,  one  upon  another,  'hair  to  fat,'  like  so 
many  sheets  of  paper,  with  salt  profusely  spread  upon  the  fltsshy 
sides,  in  'kenches'  or  bins.  After  lying  a  week  or  two  salted 
in  this  style  they  are  ready  for  bundling  and  shipping,  two  skins 
to  the  bundle,  the  fur  outside,  tightly  rolled  ut)  and  strongly 
corded,  having  an  average  weight  of  twelve,  fifteen,  and  twenty- 
two  pounds  when  made  up  of  two,  three,  and  four  year  old  skin.i 
respectively. 

"The  company  leasing  the  islands  are  permitttHl  by  law  to 
take  one  hundred  thousand,  and  no  more,  annually ;  this  they 
do  in  June  and  July ;  after  that  season  the  skins  rapidly  grow 
worthless  by  shedding,  and  do  not  pay  for  transportation  and 
tax.  The  natives  are  paid  forty  cents  a  skin  for  the  catch,  and 
keep  a  close  account  of  the  progress  of  the  work  every  day, 
as  it  is  all  done  by  them,  and  they  know  within  fifty  skins,  one 
way  or  the  other,  when  the  whole  nmnber  have  been  secured 
each  season.  This  is  the  onlj^  occupation  of  some  three  hmi- 
dred  and  fifty  people  here,  and  they  naturally  look  well  after  it. 
The  interest  and  close  attention  paid  by  these  Aleuts  on  liotli 
islands  to  this  business  was  both  gratifying  and  instructive  to 
me  while  stationed  there." 

In  regard  to  the  preparation  and  value  of  the  skin  Mr.  Elliott 
states  as  follows: 

"The  common  or  popular  notion  regarding  seal-skins  is  that 
they  are  worn  by  those  animals  Just  as  they  appear  when  ott'orod 
for  sale.  This  is  a  >'ery  great  mistake;  few  skins  are  loss 
attractive  than  the  seal-skin  as  it  is  taken  from  the  creatun'. 
The  fur  is  not  visil)le,  concealed  entirely  by  a  coat  of  stitf  over 
hair,  dull  gray,  brown,  and  grizzled.  The  best  of  these  nnv 
skins  are  worth  only  $5  to  $10,  but  after  dressing  they  bring 


PKKrAUATIOX    OF   THE   SKINS. 


377 


lioiii  •*<-.")  to  *40;  siiul  it  takos  tlire*'  •»)1"  tliom  to  make  a  lady's 
sucU  iind  l>oa."* 

As  :iii  iiitc'n'stin;^'  siipph'iiiciit  to  tliis  i»(>rtioii  of  the  subject, 
1  tiaiiscribe  a  letter  I'roiii  (Jeorj;e  (J.  Treadwell  <\  Co.,  leadiiiy 
liiiiiers,  and  loii^'  laiiiiliar  with  the  iiiaTiner  of  ]>re]>ariny  the 
skins,  addretssed  to  [Mr.  Elliott  (dated  Albany,  October  22, 
is7t).  ill  which  the  i»rocess  of  dressin}.!;  the  .skins  for  market  is 
vei,\  dearly  set  forth.  The  h'tter  (extracted  from  Mr.  Elliott's 
i;('|i(trt)  is  as  follows: 

••The  Alaska  ('(munercial  Company  sold  in  London,  Deceni- 
Itei.  1S7.'),  about  sixty  thousand  skins  taken  from  the  islands 
leased  by  onr  Government  of  the  caUili  of  1873.  The  remain- 
(U't.  vii"  the  catch,  about  forty  thousand,  were  sold  in  March. 
This  company  have  made  the  collection  of  seal  from  tuese 
islaiuls  much  more  valuable  than  they  were  before  their  leace, 
liy  tlie  care  used  by  them  in  curing  the  skins,  and  taking  them 
(i'i  \  Avhen  in  sea;jon.  We  have  worked  this  class  of  seal  for 
si'vcral  years — when  they  were  owned  by  the  Russian  American 
Fur  ('on)nany,  and  during  the  first  year  they  were  owned  by 
our  (iovermuent. 

••Wlion  the  skins  are  received  b^-  us  in  the  salt,  we  wash  oft" 
the  salt,  placing  them  upon  a  beam  somewhat  like  a  tanner's 
beam,  removing  the  fat  from  the  tiesh-side  with   a  beaming- 
knife,  care  being  re(piired  that  no  cuts  or  uneven  places  are 
made  in  the  pelt.     The  skins  are  n(;xt  washed  in  water  and 
plaeed  upon  the  beam  with  the  fur  up,  and  the  grease  and 
Avater  removed  by  the  knife.    The  skins  are  then  dried  by  mod- 
orate  heat,  being  tacked  out  on  frames  to  keep  them  smooth. 
After  lu'ing  fully  <lried  they  are  soaked  in  water  and  thoroughly 
cleansed  with  soap  and  water.     In  some  cases  they  can  be  un- 
liain-d  without  this  drying  process,  and  cleanse<l  before  drying. 
After  tlu'  cleansing  process  they  pass  to  the  picker,  who  dries 
the  fur  by  stove-heat,  the  pelt  being  kept  moist.    When  the 
fur  is  dry  In;  places  the  skin  on  a  beam,  and  while  it  is  warm 
he  removes  the  main  <,'oat  of  hair  with  a  dull  shoo-knife,  grasping 
tlif  hair  with  his  thumb  and  knife,  the  thund)  being  protected 
hy  a  rubber  cob.    The  hair  must  be  ])ulled  out,  not  broken. 
Alter  a  jtortion  is  removed  the  skin  nuist  again  be  warmed  at 
ihe  stove,  tlie  ])elt  being  kept  moist.     When  the  outer  hairs 
have  been  mostly  removed,  he  use-;  a  l)eaming-knife  to  work 
wit  the  liner  hairs,  (which  arc  shorter,)  and  the  remaining 
*  Condition  of  Aflairs  in  Aluskti,  pp.  80-85. 


\ 


i'fHIitil!! 


378     CALLORIIINUS   URSINUS — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 


coarser  hairs.  It  will  be  seen  that  f,'reat  care  must  be  used,  as 
the  skin  is  in  thfit  si/*^  state  that  t(M»  much  pressure  of  the  knife 
would  take  the  fur  also;  iiulee<l,  baresjiots  are  uuide;  carele.s-sly 
cured  skins  are  soinetinnis  worthless  on  this  account.  The 
skins  are  next  dried,  alterward  dampened  on  the  pelt  side, 
and  shaved  to  a  Hue,  iwm  surface.  They  are  then  stictclicd, 
worked,  and  dried;  afterward  softened  in  a  I'uUin^-mill,  op  by 
treading  them  with  the  bare  feet  in  a  h(>yshea<l,  (.ne  head  IxMiig 
removed  and  the  cask  placed  nearly  n])ri^ht,  into  which  tlie 
Avorkman  gets  with  a  few  skins  and  some  line  hard-wood  sav. 
dust,  to  absorb  the  grease  while  hr,  dances  ui)on  them  to  biciik 
them  into  leather.  If  the  skins  have  been  shaved  tliiii,  as 
re(piired  when  finished;  any  defective  spots  or  holes  must  now 
be  mendc(i,  the  skin  smoothed  and  pasted  with  pai)er  on  the 
pelt  side,  or  two  pasted  together  to  i)rotect  the  oelt  in  dyeing. 
The  usual  jirocess  in  the  United  States  is  to  leave  ti.e  pelt  suf- 
ticiently  thick  to  protect  them  without  pasting. 

"In  dyeing,  the  liquitl  «lye  is  put  on  Avith  a  brush,  carefully 
covering  the  i)oints  of  the  standing  fur.  After  lying  folded, 
with  the  i)oints  touching  each  other,  for  some  little  time,  the 
skins  are  hung  np  and  dried.  The  dry  dye  is  then  removed, 
another  coat  applied,  dried,  and  removed,  and  so  on  until  the 
required  shade  is  obtained.  One  or  two  of  these  coats  of  dye 
are  put  on  much  heavier  and  pressed  down  to  the  roots  of  the 
fur,  making  what  is  called  the  ground.  From  eight  to  twelve 
coats  are  required  to  produce  a  good  color.  The  skins  are  then 
washed  clean,  the  fur  dried,  the  pelt  moist.  They  are  shaved 
down  to  the  required  thickness,  dried,  working  them  some 
while  drying,  then  softened  in  a  hogshead,  and  sometimes  run 
in  a  revolving  cylinder  with  fine  sawdust  to  clean  them.  The 
English  ])rocess  does  not  have  the  washing  after  dyeing. 

"  I  should,  perhaps,  ssiy  that,  with  all  the  care  used,  many  skins 
are  greatly  inj  ured  in  the  working.  Quite  a  quanti  ty  of  English 
dyed  seal  were  sold  last  season  for  $17,  damaged  in  the  dje. 

"  The  above  is  a  general  process,  but  we  are  obliged  to  vary 
for  different  skins ;  thosa  from  various  parts  of  the  world  require 
ilifferent  treatment,  and  there  is  quite  a  difference  in  the  skins 
from  the  Seal  Islands  of  our  country — I  sometimes  think  about 
as  much  as  in  the  human  race."  • 

History  and  Prospects  of  the  Fur  Seal  Business  at 


*  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  85, 66. 


',ll 


■Mam 


HISTORY  AND  PROSPECTS  OF  FUR  SEAL  BUSINESS.    379 


I  II 


THE  I'RYKiLGV  ISLANDS. — From  tbo  speedy  extermination  of 
the  Fur  Seals  of  tbe  Southern  hemisphere  at  many  points  wliere 
tlicye.\iste<l  a  century  ago  in  apparently  inexhaustible  numbers,* 
till'  preservation  of  the  Nortlu'rn  Fur  Seals  at  the  two  small 
isliiiuls  that  n')W,  so  far  as  known,  form  their  principal  breeding- 
stations,  becomes  a  matter  of  nuicb  zoological  intc^rcst  as  well  as 
of  practical  importi'  .ce.  The  islands  o*"  Saint  (!eorge  and  Saint 
Paul  were  discovered,  respectively,  in  j7H1{  and  1787,  and  im- 
iiicdiiitcly  after,  it  is  state<l,  as  many  as  six  companies  established 
tlitinsclvcs  at  these  islands,  all  vicing  with  each  other  in  the  de- 
sti'iu'tion  of  the  Seals  in  consequence  of  the  great  commercial 
value  of  the  skins.  No  record  appears  to  have  been  kept  of  the 
iiuiiibcr  annuHily  killed  between  1787  an<l  1805,  at  which  time 
the  mimbcr  of  Seals  frequenting  the  islands  had  greatly  de- 
creased. Then  follows  for  two  yctars  a  cessation  of  the  slaugh- 
ter, which  was  resumed  in  1808.  Up  to  1822  the  destruction 
of  Seal  life  was  indiscriminate  and  wholly  without  restriction 
from  government  or  other  sources.  In  this  year  it  was  ordered 
lliat  young  Seals  should  be  spared  each  year  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  up  the  stock.  This  order  was  so  honestly  enforced  that 
in  four  years  the  number  of  Seals  on  Saint  Paul's  Island  in- 
creased tenfold.  The  number  annually  taken  these  years  was 
only  8,000  to  10,000,  instead  of  40,000  to  50,000,  the  number  for- 
merly killed  yearly.  Subsequently  the  killing  was  allowed  to 
greatly  increase,  which  prevented  any  augmentation  in  the 
number  of  Seals.  In  1834  the  number  allowed  to  be  killed  ou 
Saint  I'aul's  Island  was  reduced  from  12,000  to  0,000.  After 
this  date  the  conditions  of  increase  were  more  carefully  studied 
and  more  carefully  regarded,  so  that  there  was  a  gradual  numer- 
ical increase  from  1835  to  1857,  when  the  rookeries  are  said  to 
have  become  very  nearly  as  large  as  now,  the  natives  believing, 
however,  that  there  has  been,  since  the  last-named  date,  a  very  , 
gradual  but  steady  increase.  The  great  diminution  seems  to  ^ 
have  set  in  about  1817,  and  to  have  continued  till  1834,  when, 
as  Mr.  Elliott  expresses  it,  "hardly  a  tithe  of  the  former  num- 
bers appeared  on  the  ground.''  From  1835  to  1857  there  was 
a  steady  increase,  when  the  maximum  then  reached  appears  to 
have  been  maintained. 

In  regard  to  the  number  now  present  on  these  islands,  Mr. 
Elliott  estimated,  from  a  careful  survey  of  the  breeding-grounds^ 

"See  a/i/ed,  p.  334,  footnote,  e.  g.,  respecting  their  former  abundance  and 
farly  almost  total  extirpation  at  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandez. 


X 


I 


1^^ 


iJHO      CALI.OUIIIMS    UIJSIM'S NOUTIIKUN    FUR    SEAL. 


i'i 


Is,    1 


thill  in  187.'i  tln'ic  w(;re  on  the  Pryhilov  Fshinds  '■'■orrr  fmr 
million  scrot  hundred  tlioitNand^^  Fur  Heals,  and  that  one  million 
are  born  tliere  annually,  (livided  about  equally  between  males 
an<l  females.  So  many  <)f  these  are  destroyed  by  their  mUuriil 
enemies  during  the  ibllowin;,'  six  months  that  oidy  about  one  liall" 
return  the  sueceedinj;-  sprinj>'.  During'  the  next  winter  about 
one-tenth  of  th(^  remainder  are  also  destroyed  at  sea,  after 
whieh  V(!ry  few  appear  to  die  from  natural  causes.  Only  one- 
fifteenth  of  the  annual  increase  of  nudes  can,  in  consequence  of 
the  peculiar  habits  of  the  aninuds,  share  in  the  office  of  repro- 
duction. Assuming  the  above  statement  to  be  a  fair  estimate 
of  the  number  of  Seals  annually  born  on  the  islands,  ^Mr.  Elliott 
states  it  as  his  belief  that,  after  making  due  allowance  for  the 
number  that  perish  at  sea  during  early  life,  and  for  the  perpet- 
uatioii  of  the  stock,  180,000  young  male  Seals  nuiy  be  annually 
taken  lor  their  skins. 

"  With  regard  to  the  i)icnase  of  the  seal-life,"  says  Mr.  Elliott, 
1  "  I  do  not  think  it  within  the  i)Ower  of  human  management  to 
promote  this  end  to  the  slightest  appreciable  degree  beyond  its 
present  extent  and  condition  in  a  state  of  nature;  for  it  caimot 
fail  to  be  evident ^  from  mj-  detailed  description  of  the  habits 
and  life  of  the  fur-seal  on  these  islaruls  during  a  great  part  of 
the  year,  that  «*ould  man  have  the  same  supervision  and  con- 
trol over  this  animal  during  the  tchole  season  which  he  has  at 
bis  conunand  while  they  visit  the  land,  he  might  cause  them  to 
midtiply  and  increase,  as  he  \ ould  so  many  cattle,  to  an  imlefl- 
nite  number,  oidy  limited  by  time  aiul  means ;  but  the  case  in 
question,  uufortuiuitely,  takes  the  fur-seal  six  months  out  of 
every  year  far  beyond  the  reach,  or  even  cognizance,  of  any  one, 
where  it  is  exposed  to  known  powerful  and  destructive  natural 
enemies,  and  many  others  probably  unknown,  which  prey  njwu 
it,  and,  in  accordance  with  a  well-recognized  law  of  nature,  keep 
it  at  about  a  certain  number  which  has  been  for  ages,  and  will 
be  for  the  future,  as  affairs  nowMire,  i^s  maximitm  iimit  of  in- 
creaxc.  This  law  holds  good  everywhere  throughout  the  aninwl 
kingdom,  regulating  and  preserving  the  equilibrium  of  life  in  a 
state  of  nature.  Did  it  not  hold  good,  these  Seal  fshuKls  and 
all  Jiering  Sea  would  have  been  literally  covered,  and  Inivc 
swarmed  with  tliem  long  before  the  Russians  discovered  them; 
but  there  were  no  more  seals  when  first  seen  here  by  iiunian 
eyes  in  1786-'87  than  there  are  now,  in  1874,  as  far  as  all  evi- 
dence goes."  , , 


KNEMIKS. 


381 


"What  can  be  done  t«»  inonioto  tln'ir  incroaso?  We  cannot 
niitst' a  j-rciitcr  nniiihcr  ot'  t'cnialc>  tube  born  every  year ;  wo 
(1(1  not  toudi  or  disturb  these  females  as  they  avow  up  and  Hve, 
and  we  save  more  than  enoujfh  nudes  to  serve  them.  Nothinfji; 
more  can  be  done,  for  it  is  impossible  to  protect  them  from 
(k'iuUy  enenues  in  their  winderinjjfs  for  food." 

"In  view,  therefore,  of  all  these  facts,''  .;ontinnes  Mr.  KUiott, 
••  I  liav<»  no  hesitation  in  saying  (piite  confidently  that,  under 
the  present  ruhss  and  regulations  governing  the  sealing  inter- 
ests on  these  islands,  the  increase  or  diminution  of  the  life  will 
luuoimt  to  nothing;  that  the  seals  will  continue  for  all  time  in 
iilMuit  the  same  number  and  condition."* 

Enemies  op  the  Fur  Seals.— Man,  of  course,  stands  first  ini 
importance  as  an  enemy  of  the  Fur  Seals,  but  under  the  restric- 
tions respecting  the  killing  these  animals  now  enforced  at  the 
Prybilov  Islands,  does  not  appear  to  have  a  very  marked 
influence  in  effecting  their  decrease.  That  they  suffer  greatly 
from  other  animals  is  evident  from  tlie  fact  that  only  about 
one-half  of  the  Seals  annually  born  at  the  Seal  Islands  ev^r 
return  there  again.  What  these  enemies  are  is  not  as  yet  well 
known,  since  it  is  only  within  a  few  years  that  the  mattor  has 
been  so  closely  studied  as  to  render  it  apparent  that  there  is 
this  very  large  decrease  of  young  Seals  during  their  absence 
from  the  islands.  It  has  been  known,  however,  for  many  years 
that  Killer  Whales  (different  species  of  Orca)  prey  habitually 
upon  the  young,  from  these  having  been  found  in  their  stomachs. 
Michael  CaiToU,  Esq.,  in  his  "  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of. 
Newfoundland  "  and  in  the  reports  on  the  Canadian  Fisheries, 
alludes  to  the  great  destruction  of  j'oung  Seals  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  by  this  animal  and  by  sharks  and  sword-fishes,  and  also 
by  tlieir  being  crushed  in  the  ice.  The  Orca  and  the  sharks 
arc  alluded  to  by  Mr.  Elliott  as  preying  extensively  upon  the 
young  Seals,  and  it  may  be  that  many  others  are  destroyed  by 
enemies  not  at  prcvSent  well  known. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  prepared  for  publication,  I  have  re- 
ceived from  Captain  Bryant  the  subjoined  account,  based  on 
long  personal  experience  at  Saint  Paul's  Island.  Although  in 
some  points  anticipated  by  Mr.  Elliott's  published  Report,  and 
covering  to  a  great  extent  the  same  phases  of  the  subject,  it 
contains  so  much  additional  matter  that  at  the  expense  of  some 

*  Condition  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  pp.  88, 89. 


II 


I. 
f 

k 


M 


iM 


mtffMni 


w 


382      CALLOKHINU8    URSINUa — NOKTHEKN   FUU   SEAL. 

reiteration  I  have  <K,«int'(l  it  best  to  Mitroduco  it  entire.  Tlu' 
report  is  suldressed  an  a  personal  eoinnmnication  to  me  in  re 
sponso  to  my  earnest  solicitation  for  the  final  results  of  his 
many  years  of  observation  n|)on  the  Alaskan  Fur  Seal.  By  way 
of  explanation  of  tlu^  <'haracter  of  his  rei>ort,he  observes: 

"The  object  I  wish  to  attain  in  writinj;  these  notes  is  to  put 
on  re(!or(l  the  result  of  my  observations  on  the  Fur  Seals  ol 
Saint  Paul's  Island  <lurin;;'  tsij^ht  years'  residence  as  '"rea.stiry 
agent  in  (iluirgo  of  the  interest  of  tin'  Unite<l  States  Treasurv 
Department.  In  order  to  do  this  some  account  of  their  habits 
and  the  condition  of  affairs  on  my  tlrst  arrival  there  ncoius 
necessary  as  a  starting  i)oint,  in  order  that  the  changes  tliat 
have  since  occurred  may  be  more  cleajly  understood.  As  you 
have  had  the  result  of  my  tirst  season's  obser\  ations  there,  [*!  I 
need  not  be  so  diffuse  in  my  descriptions  as  vould  be  otherwise 
necessary,  and  you  will  understand  that  who  ve  any  of  my  for 
mer  statements  are  omitted  or  changed  it  is  due  to  correction 
made  necessary  by  my  longer  experience.  1  shall  endeavor  to 
make  this  report  as  brief  as  is  consistent  with  the  successful 
attainment  of  the  objects  before  stated." 

"  HiSTOllY  OF   THE  FuK-SEAL  FISHERY  AT   THE  PRYBILOV 

Islands,  Alaska,  from  1869  to  1877. — Preliminary  and 
General  Observations.— The  island  of  Saint  Paul  is  of 
purely  volcanic  origin,  consisting  of  a  collection  of  elevated 
cones  and  elongated  ridges,  connected  by  low  valleys  composed 
of  beds  of  marine  sand  that  has  gradually  been  thrown  on  the 
shores  by  the  action  of  the  waves.  This  sand  is  of  so  light  a 
character  that  when  dry  it  readily  drifts  over  the  hills,  thereby 
covering  the  lava  surface.  It  also  washes  into  the  coves  formed 
by  the  projecting  points  of  land,  where  it  constitutes  broad. 
low  be.-iies.  The  shores  of  the  points  and  ridges  which  extend 
out  into  the  sea  are  mostly  composed  of  irregular  masses  of 
broken  rock,  washed  by  the  surf  and  rains,  so  tliat  no  sand 
accumulates  on  them  except  in  an  occasional  crack  or  gully. 
These  rocky  slopes  are  selected  by  the  breeding  Seals  as  the 
places  for  bringing  forth  their  young,  they  having  a  repuj; 
nance  to  occupying  the  sandj'  spaces. 

"  The  male  Fur  Seal  attains  its  full  growth  and  strength  at  the 
age  of  six  or  seven  years,  when  it  weighs,  at  the  time  of  land- 


L*  See  Bull.  Mus.  Comp.  ZooL,  vol.  ii,  1870,  pp.  89-108.] 


CONDITION   IN    1869. 


383 


in;>,  from  tu  'eo  huiulrod  aiul  ttfty  pounds  to  four  huudred ;  in 
exceptional  cases  a  weight  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  is 
ittaiiuul.  TIio  males  acquis  'lo  power  of  procreation  in  the 
iDiiith  year,  and  at  five  years  b..  vro  largely  in  the  duty  of  repro- 
(iMction. 

"Tlie  females  bring  forth  young  in  their  fourth  year ,'and  then 
wi'i;;li  from  (M'ty-flve  to  sixty-live  pounds.  They  <!ontinue  to 
iiK  roase  in  si/o  until  tho'sixth  year,  often  attain  a  weight  of 
iiiiu  ty  pounds,  and,  in  exceptional  cases,  even  one  hundred  and 
eifiliU  the  general  average  beiiig  eighty  [)ou;.ds.  It  will  be 
tliiis  seen  that  the  greater  strength  and  weight  of  the  nudes 
oniible  them  to  control  the  females,  which  they  do  absolutely 
when  on  the  breeding-places.  The  young  Seals  at  birth  weigh 
six  pounds,  and  the  young  males,  when  they  leave  the  island 
at  the  age  of  four  aiul  a  half  months,  weij^h  thirty-eight  pounds, 
hut  a  large  portion  ol  this  eight  consists  of  excessive  fat,  so 
that  when  they  return  to  t''«'  i  and  tlu;  following  year,  although 
they  Iiavc  grown  longer,  thoy  have  lost  their  superabundant 
fat.  and  weigh  only  forty-two  pounds.  At  the  age  of  two  years 
thoii-  average  weight  is  sixty-one  pounds ;  at  three  one  hundred 
and  seven.  After  this  they  increase  in  weight  much  more 
vai)i(lly,  attaining  their  full  size  at  six.  Subseipiently,  their  in- 
crease in  weight  Ji-s  due  to  excessive  fatness,  rather  than  to  con- 
tiuued  growth. 

"  In  spring  a  careful  watch  is  kept  for  the  arrival  of  the  first 
Seals,  which  come  with  great  uniformity,  the  record  showing 
only  four  days'  variation  in  the  last  seven  years  in  the  time  of 
their  being  first  seen  in  the  water  near  the  island.  The  time  of 
lauding,  however,  varies  with  the  condition  of  the  shores,  some 
'jfasons  the  beaches  being  obstructed  by  snow  and  ice.  As  a 
rule,  a  few  effect  a  landing  within  five  or  six  days  after  their 
first  ap]iearance.  The  males  invariably  come  first  and  entirely 
l>y  themselves.  The  first  arrivals  are  of  old  Seals,  which  coast 
aloug  the  shore  for  two  or  three  days,  and  are  at  first  exceed- 
iiijily  sensitive  to  disturbing  influences,  but  soon  after  landing 
hecoujc  torpid  and  indifferent  to  objects  approaching  to  within 
eight  ov  ten  rods.  They  continue  in  this  state  until  they  be- 
»!oine  so  numerous  as  to  begin  to  crowd  on  each  others' premises. 
After  the  first  fortnight  they  arrive  quite  rapidly.  The  groups 
are  then  composed  of  Seals  of  all  ages,  from  two  years  upward, 
^nth  a  few  yearlings,  but  those  of  full  size  predominate.  Most 
<il'  the  yearlings  arrive  with  the  females  in  July. 


4\ 


Ifliii' 


i 


A 


d- 


/    > 


384     CAl.LORIIINUS    URSINUS — NORTHERN    FUR    SEAL. 

"As  before  stated,  the  Seals  select  and  occupy  for  their  brcod- 
iug-stations  the  rocky  sIoik's  of  tlu;  i)roJectiiig  heatl-laiuls.  [*] 
Oil  their  arrival  at  the  island  the  full-jirowii  Seals  separate  fioiu 
the  younger,  the  former  hauling  up  on  the  shore  singly  or  in 
groui)s  of  two  or  three,  separate<l  by  (piitc  wide  intervals,    'flie 
young  gather  in  a  single  body  where  tJie  shore  is  smooth  uiul 
spend  their  time  hi  play,  pushing  ai  d  tumbling  over  eacli  othci, 
or  gathering  in  groups  of  from  three  to  ten  around  some  rock 
near  the  shore,  passing  hours  in  apparently  trying  to  crowd 
each  other  off  the  rock,  of  which  each  seems  to  be  striviiiji  to 
gain  possession,  to  the  exclu.sion  of  the  others.    Later,  as  the 
number  of  Seals  on  the  beaches  increases,  the  young  ones  are 
crowded  back  to  the  uphind,  and  find  access  to  the  water  by 
passing  along  the  sandy  belts  which  extend  down  to  the  sea. 
As  the  shore  line  becomes  completely  occupied  those  which  are 
old  and  strong  enough  fight  their  way  to  a  place  on  the  breed- 
ing-grounds, while  the  younger  and  weaker  seek  the  .saudy 
openings  and  crawl  up  to  join  their  own  class.    Here  thoy 
spend  the  time  alternately  in  playing  and  sleeping,  usually 
going  into  the  water  for  an  hour  or  two  every  day.     It  is  only 
the  'beachmasters,'  or  breeding  bulls,  on  the  rookery  that 
remain  continuously  in  their  places,  for  if  they  were  to  leave 
them  they  would  be  immediately  occupied  by  some  other  beach- 
master,  and  they  could  regain  possession  only  by  a  victory  over 
the  trespasser.    The  struggle  among  the  old  bulls  goes  on  until 
the  breeding-grounds  are  fully  occupied,  averaging  one  old  male 
to  each  square  rod  of  space,  while  the  younger,  meantime,  find 
their  way  to  the  upland.    During  the  latter  portion  of  the  laud- 
ing time  there  is  a  large  excess  of  old  males  that  cannot  find 
room  on  the  breeding  places;  these  pass  up  with  the  younger 
Seals  and  congregate  along  the  upper  edge  of  the  rookery,  and 
watch  for  a  chance  to  charge  down  and  fill  any  vacancies  that 
may  occur.    These,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  beachniasteis. 
are  called  the  '  reserves,'  while  those  younger  than  tive  years 
are  denominated  by  the  natives  '  holluschucke,'  a  term  deuot 
ing  bachelors  or  unmarried  Seals.    It  is  from  these  latter  that 
the  Seals  are  selected  to  kill  for  their  skins. 

"By  the  middle  of  June  all  the  malei,  except  the  great  body 
of  the  yearlings,  have  arrived;  the  rookery  is  filled  with  the 

[*  This  stateiutnit,  tin  well  ns  tins  follow iu<;  acconnt  of  tlio  habits  of  the 
Fur  Sesil,  rclatoa  to  tiio  state  of  tlu;  rookeries  as  observed  in  18()9,  as  is 
stated  later  (2iOstfa,  p.  r?H8)  in  the  present  re^iort.]  .  . 


<:OXDITION    IN    1869. 


385 


'1' 


l)oiKliiuiister.s ;    iiio   'reserves'   all   occupy  the   most   atlvau- 
ta{,a'(>us  position  for  seizing  upon  any  vacancies,  and  the  bach- 
dors  spread  over  the  adjoining  uplands.    At  this  time  the  first 
feniiilcs  make  their  appearance.    They  are  not  observed  in  the 
wator  in  any  luunbers  until  they  ai)pear  on  the  shore.    Inune- 
(liately  on  landing  they  are  taken  jwssession  of  by  the  nearest     . 
males,  who  compel  them  to  lie  down  in  the  spaces  they  have  re- 
served for  their  families.    For  a  few  days  the  females  arrive 
slowly,  but  by  the  25th  of  the  month  thousands  land  daily.    As   I 
Hoou  as  the  males  in  the  line  nearest  to  the  shore  get  each  seven   I 
or  eight  females  in  their  possession,  those  higher  up  watch  their  11 
opportunity  and  steal  them  from  them.    This  they  nr^nilip^i'^h     1 
seizing  the  females  by  the  neck  as  a  cat  takes  iier  kitten.     1 
ThoselTnniigher  up  pui'iJU^  lllb  Scimu  muthod  uutd  lllU  ^iitliiu 
'    ^<ling  space  is  filled.    In  the  average  there  are  about  flf-  | 
tten  females  to  one  beachmaster.    Soon  after  the  females  have 
landed  each  gives  birth  to  a  single  young  one.    During  pxrturi- 
tion  the  female  lies  extended  on  the  rocks,  and  keeps  up  a  fanning 
motion  with  her  hind  flippers.    They  appear  to  suffer  little  in  la- 
bour.   The  young  Seal  remains  in  the  phicenta  until  liberated 
by  the  mother,  who  rends  the  envelope  with  her  teeth,  which 
she  sometimes  does  before  parturition  is  completed.    Once  freed 
from  the  sac,  the  little  fellow  is  very  active  and  soon  learns  to 
nurse.    The  mother  suckles  her  young  while  lying  on  her  side ; 
the  teats  being  situated  on  the  belly.    Two  days  after  the  birth    f.  . 
of  the  young  the  fenmle  is  in  heat  and  receives  the  mi.le.    Dur- 
ing copulation  the  female  extends  herself  on  the  rocks  in  the 
same  manner  as  when  giving  birth  to  her  young.    The  act  of 
coition  continues  for  from  seven  to  ten  minutes,  during  which, 
at  intervals  of  two  or  three  minutes,  occur  rapid  vibrations  of 
the  body  of  the  male,  accompanied  by  a  fanning  movement  of 
the  hind  flippers  by  the  female,  who  is  otherwise  quiescent. 
Ordinarily  the  operation  is  similar  to  that  of  the  cat,  but  in 
some  instances,  when  a  male  and  female  are  by  themselves, 
without  danger  of  interruption,  I  have  seen  the  male  deliber-   ^  ^ 
ately  turn  the  female  on  her  back  and  copulate  in  that  manner. 
This,  however,  happens  more  frequently  in  the  water  than  on  0;l^\''V  ' 
tlie  land.    It  is  often  observable  that  while  the  females  are 
lauding-  in  great  numbers  they  come  in  heat  faster  thai:  the  males 
ou  the  rookeries  can  cover  them.    In  such  cases  some  of  the 
lemales  break  away  and  escape  into  the  water  to  meet  fresher 
and  more  vigorous  mates.    It  is  in  this  way  that  the  class  of  | ; 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 25  1 


it 


|i!  i 


i  5 


illi 


II 


** 


>44tO«t)HH«l)T.; 


V  i^  •.-VI)  thi  H'it  mf^nrsi  !$i 


386  CALL0RHINU8  URSINUS NORTHERN  FUR  SEAL. 

youug  males  of  four  and  five  years  of  age  perform  a  most  im- 
portant service.  While  sufficiently  developed  to  be  fully  able 
to  serve  the  females,  they  lack  the  physical  strength  to  success- 
fully contend  for  a  place  on  the  rookery.  They  haul  up  wiUi 
the  bachelors  at  night,  but  during  the  day  are  in  the  water 
swimming  along  the  shore  of  the  rookery,  always  on  the  alert 
for  the  females  that  seek  the  water  as  above  stated.  On  meet- 
ing them  they  immediately  accompany  them  to  a  little  distance 
from  the  shore  and  then  perform  the  act  of  coition.  The  fe 
males,  after  remaining  for  a  short  time  in  the  water,  agaiu 
return  to  the  shore  to  their  former  places.  The  old  males  find 
ing  they  have  been  served  express  their  disgust  in  a  most  evi 
dent  manner.  TTie  JealStis  watchfulness  of  the  male^over  the 
female  ceases  wIlCELSllBBWSBWf^af^^ 
to  go  at  will  about  the  rooKe^rjfWBWlBlffBBCTB^ie^iiiier 
^Ifife^m'g  near  jifir^oungTy^pSBCTTTr*'"'™*^ 

wTmewi^v ^ItJillL  JSinwlffiiffinffl^ __,^  ,..., ,^.^ 

pup^  The  male,  meanwhile^^watches  over  the  young,  and  makes 
uddilluubl  f(!>  his'liaTem  as  lon^  as'tTTc  laiju-lg  a^^on  continiics. 
The  females,' UTOFgivlQgbu'iii  to  their  young,  temporarily  re 
pair  again  to  the  wat  ;r,  and  are  thus  never  all  on  shore  at  once, 
so  that  by  the  end  of  the  season  there  will  be  twice  as  many 
young  S.als  on  shore  as  there  are  females.  As  the  season  ad- 
vances, or  by  the  15th  of  July,  the  earliest-born  young  Seals 
gather  in  large  groups  of  from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred 
in  number  on  the  upper  edge  of  the  breeding-places,  thus  sep- 
arating themselves  in  a  measure  from  the  beachmasters.  They 
spend  their  time  in  play  until  tired,  when  they  fall  asleep,  often 
sleeping  so  soundly  that  one  can  almost  lift  them  from  the 
ground  by  the  flipper  without  awaking  them. 

"By  the  25th  of  July  the  females  have  all  arrived  and  given 
birth  to  their  young.  At  this  time  the  beachmasters,  after  hav- 
ing been  confined  to  the  same  rock  for  an  average  period  of 
ninety  days,  without  eating  or  drinking,  fighting  and  struggling: 
•with  each  other  for  their  places,  have  become  so  lean  and  ex- 
hausted as  to  present  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the  fat  and  sleek 
condition  in  which  they  arrived  at  the  island.  They  are  now  mere 
skeletons,  almost  too  weak  to  drag  themselves  into  the  water; 
they  now  crawl  away,  and  are  seen  only  in  small  numbers  hanging 
about  the  shores  away  from  the  breeding-places.  As  these  leave. 
the  reserves  and  younger  Seals  come  in  to  take  their  places. 
covering  any  straggling  female  that  may  have  arrived  late  or 


i,ilj 


CONDITION    IN   1869. 


387 


missed  impregnation  earlier.  The  withdrawal  of  the  beach- 
inastors  leaves  the  breeding-grounds  in  possession  of  the  younger 
males,  with  the  pups  gathered  in  masses  on  the  upper  side. 

"As  already  stated,  the  females  now  mostly  spend  their  time 
iu  the  water,  returning  on  shore  only  to  suckle  their  young  as 
they  require  food.  On  landing,  the  mother  calls  out  to  her 
youiifj  with  a  i)laintive  bleat  like  that  of  a  sheep  calling  to  her 
hunb.  As  she  approaches  the  mass  several  of  the  young  ones 
answer  and  start  to  meet  her,  responding  to  her  call  as  a  young 
himb  answers  its  parent.  As  she  meets  them  she  looks  at  them, 
touches  them  with  her  nose  as  if  smelling  them,  and  passes 
hurriedly  on  until  she  meets  her  own,  which  she  at  once  recog- 
nizes. After  caressing  him  she  lies  down  and  allows  him  to 
suck,  and  often  falls  into  a  soun<l  sleep  very  quickly  after. 

"By  the  20th  of  August  the  young,  then  forty  or  forty -five 
days  old,  move  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  where  they  begin 
to  learn  to  swim.    The  greater  part  of  the  young  seem  to  resort 
to  the  water  from  a  natural  instinct,  but  some  require  to  be  urged 
in  by  the  older  ones,  and  I  have  in  a  few  instances  observed  the 
parents  take  them  by  the  neck  and  carry  them  into  the  water, 
and  when  they  have  become  tired  return  with  them  to  the  shore 
again.    When  once  in  the  water  the  young  Seals  soon  appear  j 
to  delight  in  it,  spending  most  of  their  time  there  in  play,  turn 
bliug  over  each  other  like  shoals  of  fish.    It  seems  strange  that 
uu  aniiual  like  this,  born  to  live  in  the  water  for  the  greater  por- 
tion of  its  life,  should  be  at  first  helpless  in  what  seems  to  be 
its  natural  element ;  yet  these  young  Seals,  if  put  into  it  before 
they  are  five  or  six  weeks  old,  will  drown  as  quickly  as  a  young 
chicken.    They  are  somewhat  slow,  too,  iu  learning  to  swim, 
usin}>'  at  first  only  the  fore  flippers,  carrying  tlu  hind  ones 
rigidly  extended  anc     i:  "tially  above  water.    As  soon  as  they 
are  well  able  to  swii,      sually  about  the  last  week  of  August) 
they  move  from  the  breeding-places  on  the  exposed  points 
and  headlands  to  the  coves  and  bays,  where  they  are  sheltered 
horn  the  heavy  surf,  and  where  there  are  low  sand-beaches. 
Here  tliey  occupy  a  belt  of  shore  near  the  water  entirely  sepa- 
rated lioni  their  parents,  where  they  play  until  weary,  and  then 
luml  up  on  to  the  beach  to  rest  and  sleep,  often  covering  an  area 
"t  several  acres  in  extent  iu  one  compact  body.    The  mothers 
lie  apart  (when  not  in  the  water)  at  a  convenient  distance, 
lor  the  young  to  find  them  to  luirse.    Thus  tliey  remain  until 
October,  when  the  oldest  and  strongest  begin  to  leave  for  the 


/ 


\ 


•1 


i^ 


.^^ 


388      CALLOHIIIXUS    UKiSINUS — NOUTHEUN    FUR    SEAL. 

■winter,  and  others  soon  follow.  IJy  the  middle  of  December  all, 
both  younj;'  and  old,  are  |4'one,  and  are  seen  no  more  until  the  next 
season,  when  they  retnrn  to  repeat  the  cycle  above  described. 

"  Ilavinj;'  now  carried  the  breeding  Seals  through  their  annual 
round,  we  will  return  to  the  young  males,  or  hoUuschucke  tliiit 
were  left  in  June  s])rea«l  out  in  the  rear  of  the  breeding  Seals. 
This  class  is  made  up  of  a  very  small  number  of  yearlings  (the 
greater  part  of  these  coming  later,  as  before  stated),  and  those 
of  all  ages  between  two  and  six  years  old,  with  a  few  superannu- 
ated males,  which,  being  unable  to  hold  their  place  on  the  rook- 
eries, retire  here  with  the  younger  Seals  for  quiet  and  rest.  All 
;  of  thi^  Seals  between  four  and  six  years  of  age  pass  a  large  por- 
i  tion  of  tlieir  time  during  the  day  in  the  water,  returning  to  the 
shore  at  night.  While  in  the  water  they  swarm  along  the  shore 
',of  the  breeding-places,  watching  for  opportunities  of  mating 
with  any  females  that  may  chance  to  be  in  the  water.  To  this 
class  I  shall  have  to  return  later,  when  I  come  to  refer  to  the 
changes  in  the  movements  of  the  Seals  growing  out  of  the  effect 
of  the  present  mode  of  taking  them  for  their  skins. 

"  It  is  from  the  hoUuschucke  class  that  the  animals  are  selected 
and  killed  for  their  skins.  As  the  process  of  driving  has  beeu 
60  often  described  in  detail,  1  shall  refer  to  it  only  so  far  as  is 
necessary  to  explain  its  effects  under  the  present  uuinagemeut. 
In  the  foregoing  description  I  have  followed  the  observations 
made  during  the  first  year  of  my  residence  on  the  island  (1809), 
as  the  normal  conditions  then  existed  in  a  greater  degree  than 
afterwards,  when  other  influences  came  into  operation. 

"Eecent  changes  in  the  Habits  and  re.^ative  Num- 

,  BEBS  OF   THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SEALS. — lu  order  tO  he 

able  to  understand  fully  what  the  changes  are  that  have  occurred, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  go  back  to  a  date  still  earlier.  Accord- 
'  ing  to  information  derived  from  the  natives,  and  hence  some- 
what meagre  and  \ague,  it  appears  that  in  the  year  184L'  large 
quantities  of  ice  and  snow  accumulated  on  the  island  and  re- 
nuiined  on  the  breeding-places  when  the  Seals  arrived.  They 
landed  and  brought  forth  their  young  on  it,  but  a  large  portion 
of  them  were  lost  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice,  the  young  be 
ing  drowned,  while  thousands  of  females  were  crushed  by  tbe 
sliding  of  the  masses  of  snow  from  the  higher  grounds.  The 
number  of  Seals  became  thus  so  reduced  that  the  natives  for 
two  years  were  not  allowed  to  kill  them  for  food.    From  that 


>- 


n 


Vi 


RECENT  CHANGES  TN  IIAIIITS  AND  NUMBERS,   ETC.    389 

time  up  to  the  transicr  of  tlio  islands  to  tlio  United  States  great 
care  was  given  to  their  increase,  at  wliieh  time  were  established 
the  mctluxls  in  practice  when  I  arrived  on  the  ishmd  in  1809, 
iiiid  \\iii<'li  still  continue  with  little  modification.  The  islands 
wcic  then  in  charjic  of  Kazean  Shiscnekolf,  a  ereole  born  on 
tlic  island  and  educated  in  the  school  at  Sitka,  lie  ap]Hnirs  to 
have  been  a  man  of  great  natural  ability,  lie  left  a  family  o? 
sous.  i)art  of  whom  inherit  their  father's  talent,  the  oldest  oufc 
[mu<i  pontenori  or  arch-j)riest  for  the  dio»'ese  of  the  Territory. 
This  Jvazean  governed  the  islands  twenty-seven  years,  and  bis 
memory  is  revered  by  the  people  like  that  of  a  saint.  He  kept 
a  record  in  mannscript  of  his  observations  and  left  it  on  the 
island  at  his  death,  but  before  my  arrival  there  it  had  been 
used  to  paste  over  the  cracks  in  the  ceiling  of  the  hut  of  one 
of  the  natives  and  so  was  lost.  During  the  administration  of 
this  able  governor  these  nurseries  of  the  Seals  had  been  de- 
veloped from  almost  nothing  to  the  condition  in  which  they 
were  at  the  transfer  of  the  islands  to  the  United  States.  For 
many  years  they  were  able  to  kill  only  a  small  number,  but  the 
Seals  gradually  increased  so  that  they  killed  as  many  as  40,000 
in  one  year.  The  result  of  this  judicious  system  was  seen  in 
the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  spring  of  1S07,  when,  knowing 
tlie  islands  were  to  be  suri'endered  to  the  Unit'^d  States,  the 
Piissiiins  took  all  the  Seals  they  could,  amounting  to  75,000. 
During  the  season  of  1808,  when  there  was  no  legal  protection  *■ 
for  the  Seals,  250,000  were  taken. 
''  This  l)rings  us  to  the  year  of  1809,  the  date  of  my  first  visit;    ^ 


Mi 


■^ 


and  on  that  year's  observation  is  based  the  foregoing  descrip-^^  v. 
tiou  of  the  habits  of  the  Seals.  One  of  the  first  objects  to  be  (\ 
attained  was  an  approximate  determination,  at  least,  of  the 
number  of  Seals  frequenting  the  islands;  but  to  count  them 
\vas  iini)ossiblc.  After  the  rookeries  were  filled  I  discovered 
that  on  the  breeding-grounds  there  were  no  open  spaces;  that, 
as  a  vide,  they  began  to  fill  at  the  watei'-line  and  extended  no 
further  back  than  they  could  occupy  in  a  compact  body.  Mak- 
inj;  us  careful  a,  calculation  as  possible  of  the  space  occupied, 
and  ascertaining  the  average  number  to  the  square  rod,  I  found 
that  this  gave  the  astonishing  ninnber  of  1,130,0(M)  for  the  breed- 
ing Seals  alone.  The  other  or  non-breeding  Seals — that  is,  the 
males  not  on  the  breeding-grounds — were  at  that  time  occupying 
tlie  upland  in  the  rear  of  the  females  in  gron])s  of  from  five  or 
six  hundred  to  as  manv  thousands.    These  being  more  restless 


'\''' 


ii  -i- 


r 


+ 


■i     in 


v<;"' 


i;     } 


(V' 


390      CALLORIIINUS   URSINUS NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 

ill  their  hiibits,  it  was  not  so  easy  to  calculate  their  numbers  j 
but  after  eoinpariug  tliese  };toui)s  with  the  masses  of  breediiifj 
Seals  ill  their  vicinity,  and  estdiiiatiiif''  their  i)roportional  num- 
bers, 1  found  that  they  were  nearly  as  numerous  as  the  brcod 
iufjf  Seals,  numberiii};'  at  least  one  million.  Addinj*-  to  these  the 
youiiy  of  the  year,  nearly  e<iual  in  number  to  the  females,  it 
became  evident  that  there  were  on  the  island  at  that  time  not 
less  than  3,230,000  Seals. 

"Under  the  Eussian  trgime  the  work  was  all  done  by  the  hand 
labor  of  the  natives,  tins  Seals  being  not  only  driven  in,  killed, 
and  skinned  by  them,  but  the  skins  w«'re  carried  <ui  their  backs 
to  the  salt-houses.  The  work  of  saltinj;'  and  lueparinji  for  ship- 
ment  was  necessarily  slow,  tedious,  mid  exhausting,  and  as 
skins  of  young  animals  were  smaller  to  take  off  and  lighter  to 
carry,  and  the  choice  of  animals  being  left  to  the  natives,  tliey 
seldom  killed  any  over  three  years  of  age,  and  only  a  small  \mx 
tioii  of  this  age.  As  a  natural  consequence,  the  killing  falling 
on  this  younger  and  more  numerous  class,  a  larger  number  ot 
males  than  were  really  necessary  for  breeding  purposes  escaped 
to  grow  up,  so  that  at  this  date  more  than  30  per  cent,  of  the 
male  non-breeding  Seals  were  of  procreative  age.    Owing  to 

'  tlie  large  number  of  young  males  constantly  in  the  water  about 
the  rookeries,  in  addition  to  the  beachmasters,  all  the  feniales 

j  I  were  impregnated  before  the  lOtli  of  August, 
i  "  The  number  of  full-grown  males  at  this  date  may  be  cousid 
ered  as  three  times  greater  than  the  number  re(piired,  or  equal 
to  one  full-grown  male  to  every  three  or  four  females.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  large  excess  of  males,  and  their  strong  desire 
to  possess  the  females,  they  crowded  the  rookeries  to  the  extent 
of  leaving  only  tighting  room,  and  kept  up  a  continuous  stnig 
gle  for  the  mastery,  regardless  of  both  mother  and  young,  and 
often  destroying  each  other.  There  being  always  a  large  re- 
serve on  the  alert,  the  contemling  forces  were  recruited  as  fast 
as  the  combatants  became  crippled  or  exhausted,  so  that  there 
was  no  cessation  in  the  strife,  day  nor  night,  while  the  noise  ot 
the  mingled  voices  could  be  heard  at  the  distance  of  five  milos 
from  the  rookeries. 

"  The  Eussians  contracted  with  dealers  in  I^urope  for  a  given 
number  of  skins  at  a  fixed  rate  per  skin,  and  then  ordered  them 
taken  at  the  islands.  The  killing  being  left  to  the  parties  there, 
they,  for  their  own  convenience  (as  before  stated),  killed  mostly 
from  the  younger  class.    The  killing  commenced  on  the  Ist  ot 


If 


f 


RECENT  CHANGES  IN  HABITS  AND  NUMBERS,  ETC.  391 

June,  O.  S.,  or  tbo  12th  of  our  style,  and  continued  throngh 
the  Piitirt  season,  or  until  the  number  ordered  was  obtained. 
Duriiiu  'Inn  ^  h\h\  July,  the  breeding  season,  the  greater  part 
of  tlic  iiiii  ■ ,  live-,  and  six-year-old  Seals  being  in  the  water,  the 
killing  naturally  fell  heaviest  on  the  two-  and  three-year-olds. 
Alter  the  aaival  of  the  yearlings,  they  being  a  more  numerous 
rliiss,  the  killing  fell  largely  on  them  for  the  remainder  of  the 
season.  This  system  i)revailed  not  only  during  18G8  and  18G9, 
wlicii  tlni  natives  Avtne  allowed  to  kill  for  food  and  to  sell  for 
Mipplic's,  but  the  same  practice  was  followed  during  the  season 
of  1870.  ^Vlthough  the  lease  bears  this  date,  it  was  not  put  in 
practical  o])('rati()n  until  1871,  when  all  this  became  changed. 

''  Until  this  year  (1871)  the  Fur  Seal  skins  that  had  been  sold 
ill  the  market  of  London  had  varied  greatly  in  i)rice,  ranging 
t'loin  one  dollar  to  sixteen  dollars  per  skin,  but  only  a  very 
small  percentage  brought  the  latter  price,  the  average  price 
lieiiig  i'.bout  four  and  a  half  dollars  each. 

•'Having  now  stated  the  condition  and  numerical  proportions 
of  the  different  classes  of  Seals  on  the  islands  at  the  time  the 
United  States  Cirovernment  leased  the  right  to  take  one  hun- 
dred thousand  skins  i)er  annum  to  the  ^Vlaska  Commercial 
Company,  a  brief  statement  of  the  effects  of  this  provision  will 
throw  further  light  on  the  habits  of  the  Seals.  Owing  to  the 
erroneous  information  prevailing  at  the  time  the  lease  was 
made,  respecting  the  proportionate  number  of  Seals  at  that  time 
visiting  the  islands  of  Saint  Paul  and  Saint  George,  75,000  of 
the  annual  quota  were  assigned  to  Saint  Paul's  and  25,000  to 
Saint  George's. 

"The  parties  having  the  lease  paying  a  tax  of  a  certain  sum 
per  skin,  and  as  it  cost  as  much  to  get  a  poor  skin  to  market  as 
a  good  one,  pains  were  taken  to  determine  at  what  age  the  skin 
wa.e  of  most  value.  It  proved  that  Seals  of  the  ages  of  three, 
four,  and  live  years  were  the  most  desirable,  and  the  lessees  hav- 
ing the  right  to  select  their  skins,  took  only  Seals  of  those  ages. 

''  This  matter,  however,  was  not  fully  understood  until  the  sea- 
son of  1873,  when  it  was  found  that  tlie  skins  of  highest  value 
wore  those  taken  from  animals  three  years  old,  those  older  yield- 
ing skins  of  less  value,  while  those  older  than  five  years  were 
not  worth  taking.  From  this  date  only  the  three-year-old  Seals 
have  been  taken.  The  selection  of  this  class  instead  of  the 
yonnger  animals  was  a  great  change,  the  effect  of  which  soon 
became  manifest,  as  I  shall  presently  show. 


-J  - 


s 


+  -f 


-»■  + 


392      CALLOIMIINUS    URSINUS XORTIIKKN    VVU    SKAL. 

"When  tliii  agent  and  employes  of  the  eonii)any  isuiie  to  tlio 
ishmcls  in  1871,  they  had  no  knowledge  of  the  business,  and  had 
to  learn  it  of  the  natives,  so  that  they  naturally  at  lirst  followed 
the  old  routine,  with  only  the  difference  that  instead  of  confin- 
ing the  killing  to  the  younger  claSvses,  as  before,  a  larger  pt  r- 
centage  of '  half-bulls,' or  four- and  live-year-olds,  wen^  killed. 
The  75,000  Seals  killed  by  the  Kussians  in  1807,  the  2r.0,(H)() 
killed  by  various  parties  in  1808,  an<l  the  85,000  taken  by  the 
natives  in  1809,  being  mostly  young  animals,  the  markets  lia<l 
become  so  overstocked  with  small  skins  as  to  render  them  lui 
salable,  and  the  manufacturers  in  London  notified  the  agent 
of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  that  only  large  skins  were 
desirable;  hence  the  agent  selected  for  killing  all  the  larger 
Seals  available.  Seventy  thousand  of  the  quota  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  were  taken  during  the  months  of  June  and  July, 
the  remainder  being  left  to  be  supplied  by  the  skins  of  animals 
required  for  food  by  the  natives  during  the  remainder  of  the 
season.  During  this  yeai  (1871)  no  material  changes  were  ob- 
served in  *he  movements  of  the  Seals  as  compared  Avith  fornu'i 
years. 

"  This  brings  the  history  of  the  subject  to  the  year  1 872.  Tlu' 
product  of  1871  had  been  sold  in  Europe,  and  the  <lemand  for 
larger  skins  had  become  more  imperative  than  before,  and  it 
being  in  the  interest  of  the  lessees  to  suit  their  customers,  they 
instructed  their  agent  residing  at  the  islands,  whose  duty  it  was 
to  select  the  animals  for  killing,  to  take  only  large  Hlcins.  Un- 
der these  instructions  their  agent,  as  far  as  possible,  continod 
the  killing  for  skins  to  Seals  of  from  four  to  six  years  old,  and 
often  a  seven-year-old  got  killed  by  straggling  into  the  younger 
groups  to  rest.  The  eftect  of  killing  the  class  that  formed  so 
important  an  element  in  the  reproduction  of  the  species  showed 
itself  in  the  diminished  number  doing  service  in  the  water  along 
the  shore.  The  reserves  also  showed  quite  a  perceptible  de 
crease  in  number,  in  comparison  with  their  number  in  1*^09. 
The  female  breeding  Seals  showed,  through  the  increased  sjuicc 
occupied  by  them,  an  increase  in  numbers  equivalent  t(»  ^5 
per  cent,  over  their  number  in  18G9,  or  an  increase  of  ")  per 
cent,  a  year,  while  the  selection  of  the  four-,  live-,  and  six-,M'ar- 
olds,  instead  of  the  younger  as  formerly,  had  spared  so  large  a 
number  under  four  years  of  age  that  Avhen  the  yearlings  came 
on  shore  the  two  classes  united  seemed  to  flood  the  island  with 
vheir  living  masses,  thronging  the  beaches  and  spreading  tip  the 


'\^^^\ 


IJKC'KNT  CHANGES  IN  HA  HITS  AND  NUMTJERS,  ETC.    393 


iiillsidt's,  tln'ir  inoviiij;'  trocps  lookiiij-"  like  aniiics.  This  yoar 
:i  part  of  the  rc.sorv<'s  hx-atod  on  v.w  places,  and  by  yathciinj; 
;i  lew  H'liiaU's  annuMl  them  appeai.-d  to  he  iorniinfi'  new  rook- 
I'lics.  At  tlu'  breakinj"'  up  of  the  rookeiies,  diiriiij''  the  last 
(lavs  of  July  and  (he  early  part  of  Aiij>iist,  all  the  teniales  with 
tlii'ii  younj^f  «lid  not  j;i'o  to  the  eoves  as  before,  l)ut  a  consider- 
able  number  remained,  herding'  with  the  youn;*-  bulls,  while  th»' 
pups  learned  to  swim  on  the  shore  of  the  breedinji-jironnd. 
Tlic  weather  proved  exceptionally  line  in  Novendier,  December, 
ami  .January,  and  a  part  of  the  females  remained  with  their 
youiiy  a  month  later  than  usual,  and  jjroups  of  two-,  three-,  and 
tour  year-ohls  were  seen  in  the  water  near  the  shore  as  lato  as 
F('l)ruary. 

"During  tin'  latter  i)art  (jf  the  winter  and  sprin};'  of  the  follow- 
ing; year  (IHT.'J),  great  masses  of  ice  from  the  north  passed  the 
island,  coming  from  the  northwest  and  drifting  toward  the  south - 
fast,  keeping  the  island  nearly  enclosed  until  the  23d  of  May, 
and  remaining  in  scattered  belts  for  seven  or  eight  days  later. 
The  earliest  arrival  ()f  the  Seals  that  lande<l  was  ^lay  15,  and 
all  that  arrived  in  May  showed  by  their  exhausted  condition 
tliat  they  had  enconntered  obstructions  in  coming.  At  the 
I'sual  time,  however,  June  15,  the  rookeries  were  occupied  by 
rlif  boach masters,  but  there  were  a  smaller  number  to  a  given 
iiica  than  formeiiy,  the  great  body  of  the  reserves  of  180?  hav- 
ing; become  redu(!ed  one-half.  The  females  showed  the  same 
average  increase  of  about  5  per  cent,  over  the  previous  year, 
but  none  of  the  attempts  to  form  new  rookeries  were  con- 
tinued. The  increased  number  of  females  found  room  by  fill- 
inj;  up  the  spaces  between  the  old  rookeries  through  which 
the  young  Seals  had  been  in  tlu;  habit  of  passing  to  the  up- 
lands to  the  rear  of  the  reser.ves,  and  where  such  spaces  were 
not  to  be  found  the  females  crowded  over  tlie  ridge  into  the 
inner  slopes,  in  some  ])laces  actually  locating  on  (rlear  sand- 
beai.'lies.  The  closing  of  the  passes  by  the  breeding  Seals  had 
the  eft'ectt  of  forcing  the  young  Seals  to  coast  along  the  shore 
'I't  ly  ])ast  the  rookery,  where  they  found  resting  ]daces  in 
The  beatdies  by  themselves,  thus  rendering  their  separation 
tioui  the  breeding'  Seals  more  complete  than  before,  so  that 
"lieu  wanted  for  driving  they  were  found  in  large  bodies  in- 
stead ol'  small  groups  as  foiinerly,  when  they  remained  in  the 
loar  of  tlH>  rooki'ries,  and  when  each  group  had  to  be  «lriven 
separately  before  they  conld  be  massed  for  the  general  drive. 


7*     ->■ 


I 


m  r 


!        i 


M 


7r 


m 


4-^ 


394      CALLORIIINL'S    TJRSINU8 — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 

This  change  lias  ever  huh'w  remained  permanent,  and  greatly 
/  facilitates  the  gathering  of  the  droves  for  slaughter.  It  was  also 
iipparent  that  the  killing  of  so  many  half-bulls  thc^  two  ]>revi(nis 
years  had  reduced  to  a  ininimum  the  number  tJiat  liovertd  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  breeding-rookeries,  keeping  the  beachmastcis 
ill  cotitiniial  alanii.  Thi^  etl'ect  of  this  <;hange  could  also  lir 
perceived  in  the  lessening  of  the  nois«'  resulting  Irom  the  liyiit 
iiig  on  the  breeding-grounds. 

"  When  the  season  for  the  breaking  iip  of  the  rookeries  arrived, 
only  a  small  i)art  of  the  feiiiah's  moved  to  the  coves  with  tlicii 
young,  the  remainder  lingering  on  the  breeding-i)laces  with 
tlieir  pups,  and  gathering  around  the  half-bulls  and  remnant  ol' 
the  reserves  that  had  not  left  the  sluire,  as  if  their  first  covci' 
iiig  had  failed  of  impregnation,  and  they  had  again  becoiii<>  in 
iieat  and  weie  seeking  the  males. 

"  The  introduction  of  mules  and  carts  for  the  purpose  of  haul 
ing  the  seal-skins  had  greatly  lessened  the  amornt  of  physical 
labor  for  the  natives,  and  the  full  (piota  of  7f',000  seal-skins 
were  ready  for  shipment  by  the  1st  of  August.  The  killing  then 
ceased,  except  for  fresh  food  for  the  natives,  amounitng  to  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  Seals  a  week.  For  this  i>urpose  care  was 
taken  to  kill,  as  far  as  possible,  only  animals  whose  skins  would 
be  accepted  by  the  company  as  a  part  of  the  quota  for  the  next 
season,  it  being  for  the  interest  of  all  concerned  to  obtain  the 
necessary  quota  of  75,000  skins  and  feed  the  natives  with  as 
little  waste  of  Seal  life  as  possible.  In  September  and  October 
a  few  females  were  seen  to  land  and  bear  their  young — females 
which  had  been  covered  out  of  season  the  previous  year.  Tiiis 
was  the  first  time  this  had  been  observed,  and  was  spoken  ot 
by  the  natives,  who  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  every  detail, 
as  exceptional. 

"  The  dissatisfaction  of  the  London  manufacturers  with  the 
quality  of  the  skins  sent  to  market  stUl  continuing,  the  com- 
pany, during  the  winter  of  1872  and  1873,  sent  their  agent  to 
London  to  find  out  under  what  conditions  the  skins  were  ot 
greatest  value.  This  investigation  established  the  fact  ]»revi 
ously  noted  that  the  best  skins  were  obtained  from  three-.veai 
olds.  At  four  the  value  has  already  depreciated,  Avhile  skins 
of  large-sized  two-year-olds  and  five-year-olds  are  of  still  poorer 
quality  th?n  those  of  the  four-year-olds.  On  this  basis  was  es 
tablished  the  rule  by  which  the  killing  has  since  been  regulated. 

"  During  the  fall  of  1873  the  weather  was  again  very  mihl,  "!:'' 


ma: 


•i 


m 


!'  ■:  ■» 


RECENT  CHANGES  IN  HABITS  AND  NUMBERS,  ETC.  396 


tlms  contiiuu'd  into  the  winter.  The  femaleH,  consequently, 
linj-i'icd  in  small  niunbors,  with  their  young,  till  intt)  January, 
while  some  of  tlio  .vounji;  bulls,  in  }4tou[)s  of  ten  or  twenty,  were 
seen  as  late  as  February  10. 

"The  rapid  tleerease  of  the  reserves,  with  the  attendant 
t'hiniges  in  the  movements  of  the  Seals,  caused  considerable 
iiuxiety.  The  wise  ones  amonj;"  the  natives  shook  their  heads 
ominously,  and  said  they  had  prcdii-ted  this  from  slaughterinj,' 
so  many  half-bulls  durinj^'  the  previous  tiiree  years.  I  felt  this, 
but  could  not  onler  dilVen'utly,  the  coini)any  liavinj;-  the  rij^ht 
to  select  their  own  animals ;  but  at  the  same  time  I  thought  that 
tills  might  not  be  the  whole  cause.  I  watched,  as  «lid  all  on 
tiio  island,  the  coming  of  the  Seals  in  1874,  with  intense  anx- 
iety. In  the  sjuing  of  that  year  the  shores  became,  at  the  usual 
time,  fairly  clear  of  ice  and  other  obstructions,  .and  on  April  13, 
the  usual  time  for  their  arrival,  the  chief  reiwuted  that,  tjeals 
had  been  seen  iu  the  water.  Soon  after  two  or  three,  beach- 
masters  landed,  an«l  these  were  followed,  on  succeeding  days, 
by  scattered  groups  of  three  to  Ave  at  a  time,  liy  the  23d  of 
May  enough  young  bulls  had  landed  on  the  point  to  make  a 
drive  for  the  purpose  of  obtaiinng  fresh  food  for  the  people. 

"The  changes  that  had  been  observed  iu  the  movements  of  the 
Seals  during  the  year  1873  were  noticeable  in  a  more  marked 
degree.  The  beachnmsters  took  their  positions  on  t]\e  breed- 
ing-grountls  farther  apart  than  formerly,  and  there  being  less 
cause  for  lighting  there  was  less  uoise  and  tumult.  The  reserves 
appeared  in  about  the  same  luimbers  as  in  1873,  but  there  was 
au  increase  iu  the  proportion  of  the  younger  over  the  older 
animals,  as  if  a  larger  luimber  of  the  former  were  coming  for- 
ward to  take  the  place  of  the  old  stock  of  the  period  before  the 
leasing  of  the  island.  There  was,  on  the  Avhole,  an  evident  gain 
over  the  i)revious  year,  wliich  gave  us  hope  that  the  crisis  of 
depletion  had  i)assed.  When  the  females  came  it  was  found 
that  their  numbers  had  not  materially  changed.  When  tho 
time  arrived  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  rookeries  they  all 
remained,  only  moving  up  farther  from  the  water,  where  tho 
reserves  and  half-bulls  met  them,  forming  families  in  the  same 
manner  as  on  their  first  landing  earlier  in  the  season ;  and  they 
remained  here  with  their  young  until  the  time  of  leaving  the 
island  for  the  winter,  going  from  here  instead  of  from  the  bays, 
as  formerly.  This  has  now  become  their  fixed  habit,  they 
remaining  on,  and  going  from,  the  breeding-places  direct. 


Si.  11 


IM 


n 


. 


m 


Ml 


1't 


'$ 


:UM!     cali.oi{|[ini:s  ukninus — nohtiikkx  fur  skal. 

"At  tlii.s  point  it  is  lU'ccssary  to  Uiln'  up  aiiotluT  tlirciid  of 
tliis  .subjoc't.  I  liiivc  iiln-.Kly  stnt(Ml  tliiit,  uiMlt'r  citoiu'ouh  iiil'or- 
Illation  as  to  tlu'  relative  jtntportioii  ol*  the  nuinl)ers  of  Seals 
breeding;' on  Saint  (leoij^e's  and  Saint  Paul's  ]slan<ls,  the  quota 
liad  been  lixed  at  7"),()(K)  lor  the  hitter  ami  L'i"),()()0  for  tlu  foiiiii'r 
ishunl.  Samuel  l''ah'oner,  my  assistant  in  cliar;;ti  of  Saint 
(loorj^e's  Ishiml,  Imd  repovt<Ml  a  rapid  diu'iease  in  the  iiumlH!i 
of  Seals  of  the  <iuality  desired  for  their  skins.  Assistant  Agent 
H.  W.  Elliott,  who  had  resided  with  me  on  Saint  Taul's  diniii}; 
the  season  of  187-,  I  now  assigned  to  assist  Mr.  Falcom-r  on 
Saint  George  during  the  sc^ason  of  187.'{.  Ho,  by  his  reaidenci! 
on  Saint  Paul's,  was  able  to  give  the  relative  difl'erence  in  the 
proportionate  number  of  Seals  on  the  two  islands.  After  Iiis 
exmninution  it  was  ftmnd  necessary  to  change  the  original  di- 
vision, and  assign  to  Saint  Paul's  00,000  and  to  Saint  Georgo's 
only  10,000.  This,  however,  disturbed  the  relative  compensa 
tion  allowed  the  natives  for  the  support  of  their  families,  and 
twelve  of  the  sealt^rs  were  removed  from  Saint  George's  to 
Saint  Paul's  to  assist  in  taking  the  skins  tni  that  island. 

'•  In  1875  the  dealing  began,  as  usual,  June  1,  and  with  tiiis 
additional  assistance  and  the  improved  facilities  for  doing  the 
work,  85,000  skins  were  taken  by  July  24,  leaving  the  balance 
to  be  supplied  from  Seals  killed  for  food.  The  agent  of  the 
compai  y,  whose  duty  it  was  to  select  the  skins,  having  bcconic 
convinced  that  it  was  detrimental  to  the  future  increase  of  tlic 
Seals  to  kill  the  lialf-bidls,  confined  the  killing  to  those  less 
than  five  years  old.  This  left  a  larger  number  to  mature  as 
breeding  males.  This  year  more  two-year-olds  were  taken 
than  previously  since  1870.  This  proved  to  bo  an  important 
ehange,  resulting  in  the  sparing  of  a  much  larger  pereentajje 
to  mature.  The  movements  of  the  females  were  the  same  as  in 
1873;  that  is,  tbey  occupied  the  breeding-grounds  with  their 
young  until  the  time  of  leaving  the  island,  and  when  departing' 
left  directly  from  the  breeding-ground.  But  ii  ajis  observable 
that  there  were  many  young  Seals  born  in  August,  or  later  in 
the  season  than  formerly,  showing  that  a  portion  of  the  females 
had  been  covered  out  of  season.  The  weather  i)roved  favorable, 
continuing  warm  till  into  January,  thus  affording  the  Seals 
born  in  August  time  to  learn  to  swin.  ind  get  strong  enough  to 
insure  their  safety  at  sea.  Many  of  the  bachelor  class  also 
remained  around  the  island  until  February,  when  the  ice  com- 
ing down  drove  them  away 


I.MXKNT  CHANGES  IN  IIARITS  AND  NUMBERS,   ETC.    397 


"Tlu!  season  of  1870  was  iiuukud  by  no  special  elianjje  in  the 
iiKivcincnts  of  tlu!  Seals  from  that  of  th((  pieeedinH"  year.  The 
St'iils  ciinie  at  their  usual  time,  bejfinninj;'  to  arrive  the  12th 
of  April,  and  tlie  same  conditions  of  location  obtained  as  iu 
|,S74  and  187r».  The"  beachmasters,  by  occupyiii};'  the  entire 
Iciiytliof  tlie  ohl  breedinyground,  compelled  the  younger  Seals 
to  i»iiss  completely  beyond  to  the  bays  and  sand-beaches,  while 
tlu*  increased  number  of  feuuiles,  through  lack  of  space  on  the 
(lid  grounds,  began  to  occupy  the  sand-beaches  nearest  the 
rookeries.* 

'*  The  average  time  of  landing  of  the  females  was  a  little  later, 
or,  rather,  a  portion  landed  after  the  20th  of  July  to  have  their 
voiuig,  showing  that  they  were  not  covered  in  their  first  heat 
the  previous  season. 

"  The  beachmasters  and  reserves  showed  an  increase  in  num- 
ber over  the  previous  year,  due  to  young  bulls  just  matured. 
The  old  stock  of  the  year  prior  to  the  lease  had  apparently 
nearly  died  out,  leaving  a  new  and  more  vigorous  stock  to 
supply  their  places. 

"  Iu  the  autumn  the  weather,  which  for  three  years  had  been 
so  mild,  proved  unusually  rough  ind  severe.  October  30th  there 
was  a  severe  gale,  accompanied  with  snow,  which  covered  the 
breeding-grounds  to  a  depth  of  ten  inches,  and  drove  all  the 
Seals,  both  young  and  ohl,  in'io  the  water,  and  only  a  compara- 
tively small  number  returned  again  to  the  shore.  Among 
these  were  large  numbers  of  females  which  had  lost  their  young, 
and  for  several  days  they  went  about  the  breeding-grounds 
plaintively  calling  for  their  pups.  In  Novembev,  when  the  time 
had  arrived  for  driving  the  young  Seals  to  kill  for  the  supply 
of  winter  food  for  the  natives,  it  was  found  that  only  half  the 
number  (live  thousand)  requisite  for  that  purpose  flould  be  ob- 
tained. Undoubtedly  great  numbers  of  the  young  Seals  which 
were  driven  to  the  water  by  the  storm  must  have  become  sep- 
arated from  their  parents  and  lost.  As  I  was  relieved  before 
the  time  for  their  return  the  next  season,  there  was  no  one  on 
the  island  experienced  enough  to  perceive  to  what  extent  the 

"  *  I  iiiiiy  bere  state  that  the  repugnance  the  females  have  to  occupying  the 
saudy  beaches  for  a  breeding-grouncl  appears  to  arise  from  the  evident  dis- 
Lomfort  they  experience  from  the  sand  getting  into  their  hair  and  fur  while 
obliged  to  remain  there,  especially  when  rains  occur.  The  young  Seals 
•ilso  appear  to  sutFer  in  health  if  rains  occur  before  they  are  old  enough  to 
tiiko  to  the  water,  they  becoming  scurfy  precisely  as  young  i)ig8  do  when 
winpollcd  to  live  in  muddy  places." 


1 

;    U 


I  . 


\\wmu 


398  CALL0RHINU8  URSINUS — NORTHERN  PUR  SEAL. 

iiyury  prevailed,  and  as  the  product  of  1877  will  not  arrive  at 
the  proper  age  for  killing  until  1880,  it  must  be  left  to  the 
future  to  determine  the  extent  of  the  loss. 


■p.' 


..    5 


A,- 


"^  Causes  of  the  Changes  in  the  HAbits  of  the  Seals, 
ETC. — It  will  now  be  well  to  try  and  trace  some  of  tbe  causes  that 
operated  to  produce  changes  in  what  had  been  the  usual  habits 
of  these  animals.  At  the  date  of  the  transfer  of  these  islands  to 
the  United  States  the  non-breeding  Seals  (and  by  this  class  I 
mean  the  males  of  all  ages  not  in  active  service  on  the  breed- 
ing-places) were,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  equal  to 
the  whole  number  of  both  beachmasters  and  females.  Thirty 
per  cent,  of  this  non-breeding  class  were  capable  of  pro- 
creation. During  the  years  1867,  18G8,  and  1869  there  were 
taken  410,000  Seals,  mostly  of  tne  product  of  1866,  1867,  and 
1868.  This  large  number  killed  in  so  short  a  time,  left  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  product  of  those  years  to  mature,  to  furnish 
the  half-bulls  in  1871, 1872,  and  1873.  During  these  years  (the 
first  years  under  the  lease),  the  demand,  for  reasons  before 
stated,  was  for  large  skins,  and  it  had  to  be  met  by  killing  four-, 
five-,  and  six-year-olds.  This  destruction  of  the  remnant  that 
escaped  from  the  excessive  killing  in  the  years  of  1868  and  1869 
had  the  effect  to  exterminate  the  product  of  those  years  and 
create  a  chasm  that  had  to  be  bridged  over  by  the  products 
of  years  prior  to  1865,  which  had  to  supply  the  males  neces- 
sary for  breeding,  until  the  products  of  later  years  could  ma- 
ture. Again,  during  the  season  of  1870  the  natives,  to  pur- 
chase supplies  and  for  their  own  food,  killed  85,000,  mostly  one- 
and  two-year-old  Seals.  This  operu  ;'xl  in  the  same  directiou, 
reducing  to  a  minimum  the  products  of  1868  and  1869,  and 
rendering  the  breach  still  wider.  There  was  consequently  only 
a  limited  number  to  fill  this  gap  until  those  spared  by  the  com 
pany  in  1871, 1872,  and  1873,  when  only  half-bulls  were  taken, 
had  matured.  Before  these  had  time  to  attain  maturity  the 
large  surplus  of  reserves  of  the  year  1869  became  so  reduced 
in  numbers  by  natural  causes  as  to  induce  the  changes  we  have 
noted  in  the  movements  of  the  female  breeding  Seals.  The  old 
males,  having  become  weakened  and  exhausted,  failed  to  im- 
pregnate the  females  in  their  first  heSt  and  forced  them  to  seek 
the  younger  males  in  their  second  heat  instead  of  going  to  the 
beaches  with  their  young  as  formerly.  This  caused  many  fe- 
males to  bear  their  young  later  in  the  season,  and  consequently, 


U  I 


CAUSES   OF   CHANGES   IN   HABITS,    ETC. 


399 


^  ,;f 


iJuring  this  and  tlio  following  years,  resulted  in  considerably 
delaying  the  time  of  their  impregnation.  Owing  to  the  mild 
Aveather  late  in  autumn,  the  mothers  of  these  late  pups  were 
able  to  stay  until  their  young  were  ohl  enough  and  strong 
eiiougli  to  insure  their  safety. 

•'  Tlie  decrease  in  the  number  of  breeding  males  may  be  con- 
sidered as  having  reached  its  minimum  in  187G.    In  1877,  the 
last  season  I  spent  at  the  islands,  there  was  an  evident  increase 
iu  the  immber  of  this  class.    A  review  of  the  different  classes 
will  now  assist  us  iu  drawing  our  conclusions.    The  reserves 
and  beachmasters  belong  to  a  single  class,  the  only  difference 
being  that  those  which  get  on  shore  first  and  hold  a  place  for 
a  I'ainily  are  denominated  beachmasters,  while  those  of  the  same 
<'las^s  that  arrive  too  late  for  this  purpose  are  termed  reserves. 
Ill  18G9  the  beachmasters  were  numerous  enough  to  occupy  the 
breediug-ground  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  the  square  rod, 
leaving  a  surplus  or  reserve  of  double  this  number,  or  three 
times  as  many  as  could  find  space  on  the  breeding- ground. 
There  being  so  large  an  excess  of  males  of  breeding  age,  they 
crowded  each  other  to  the  extent  of  leaving  only  fighting-room, 
averaging  one  beachmaster  to  seven  females.    The  beachmas- 
ters were  continually  fighting  for  the  possession  of  the  females, 
often  lining  each  other  in  their  struggles,  while  many  more  be- 
came so  crippled  as  to  have  to  retire  from  the  breeding-grounds, 
.so  that  during  the  season  the  injured  and  exhausted  amounted 
to  fully  30  per  cent.    This  condition  continued  until  the  ef- 
fect of  the  excessive  killing  in  18G5  became  apparent,  resulting 
ill  the  reduction  of  the  reserves  from  natural  causes.    Those 
aheady  old  died  out,  and  the  products  of  186G  and  18G7  being 
reduced  by  overkilling  in  18G8,  fewer  were  left  to  mature  to 
make  up  for  the  natural  loss.    Consequently,  in  1870,  or  be- 
fore the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  began  to  take  the  ani- 
mals for  their  skins,  this  class  had  perceptibly  decreased.    Dur- 
ing the  succeeding  three  years,  nearly  all  of  the  half-bulls  being 
killed,  there  was  no  new  stock  to  rei)lace  the  natural  decrease 
from  old  age  and  exhaustion,  nor  many  half-bulls  to  assist  iu  the 
duties  of  reproduction.    This  rendered  the  season  of  service  for 
the  old  Seals  more  protracted.    In  three  years,  or  by  187.'i,  the 
old  reserves  had  become  so  reduced  in  number  that  when  the 
lookeries  Avere  fully  occupied  there  were  only  half  as  many 
beachmasters  there  as  formerlj^,  or  only  one  to  two  square  rods 
<jf  area,  while  each  beachmaster  had  on  the  average  about  fifteen 


1 

V 


.gfisi 


•i 


mm>' 


,aHmriB,i 

"JHbW^ 

[' 

'  ^^^^^^^^^He^ 

'r 

'ViH|Hh 

"W0. 

! 

1 

• 

i 

1 

400      CALLOHIIIXUS    URSINUS NORTHERN    FUR    SEAL. 

Icuialos.  The  reserves  were  now  only  about  half  as  uumemus 
as  tlic  beachiiiasters.  As  a  result  of  these  eonditious,  the  I'e 
males  were  iini>erfectly  covered,  and  instead  of  ;;oinj;in  Auj;ust 
to  the  beaches  remained  on  the  breeding-firounds  until  tiicir 
second  heat,  herdinj^  with  the  younger  or  less  matured  males. 
while  the  young  Seals  learned  to  swim  from  the  sliores  of  the 
rookeries.  Another  marked  result  Mas  that  on  the  rookeries  the 
beachmasters  were  so  far  separated  and  had  each  so  many  more 
females  that  there  was  less  occasion  for  fighting,  and  con.sc 
4uently  less  uproar  and  destruction  from  wounds.  At  this  uato 
occurred  the  change  in  the  system  of  killing,  the  younger  malt's^ 
being  taken  instead  of  the  half-bulls.  Since  this  time  the  rel- 
ative number  of  breeding  males  has  been  steadily  increasiuff. 
It  is  still,  however,  below  the  proper  proportion,  and  under  the 
present  system  will  require  three  years  at  least  to  8ui>ply  the 
deficiency.  The  period  of  gestation  being  nearly  one  year,  it 
is  necessary  that  the  females  should  be  all  impregnated  in  their 
first  heat,  lest,  as  was  the  case  in  187G,  early  storms  occur  and 
force  the  late-born  young  to  enter  the  sea  before  they  have  ac- 
quired sufficient  strength  and  endurance  to  insure  their  safety. 
Similar  changes  in  their  movements  and  relative  numbers  were 
noticed  in  the  hoUuschucke  or  bachelor  class.  This  class  in- 
cludes all  under  six  years  old,  with  a  very  small  number  of 
superannuated  males,  and  also  the  h>>lf-bulls.  The  custom  of 
killing  the  younger  Seals  for  their  skins,  by  the  Russians,  had 
allowed  so  large  a  number  of  half-bulls  to  mature  every  year 
that  in  1809  the  proportion  of  half-bulls  to  the  whole  niiiiiber 
was  fully  20  per  cent.,  but  in  1871,  1872,  and  1873,  when  tbis 
class  were  taken  for  their  skins,  it  decreased  to  less  than  a  per 
cent.,  and  did  not  show  any  perceptible  increase  until  187(5. 

"  In  1861),  the  rookeries,  where  they  extended  along  the  show, 
were  not  continuous,  but  broken  into  sections  by  the  small  gul- 
lies formed  by  the  streams  from  the  melting  snows  in  spring. 
These  open  spaces  appeared  to  be  regarded  by  all  classes  as 
neutral  ground,  and  all  the  Seals  not  old  enough  to  maintain  a 
position  on  the  breeding-places  passed  through  them  to  the  up- 
lands in  the  rear  of  the  rookery,  going  and  returning  at  will. 
When  on  the  upland  these  younger  Seals  occupie<l  places  near 
the  reserves.  When  they  were  wanted  for  their  skins  the  men 
passed  rapidly  between  them  and  the  reserves,  cutting  thein  oil 
from  these  opeu  passages  and  turning  them  inland.  Here  the 
small  squads  collected  from  the  diflerent  divisions  were  gath- 


n 


CAUSES   OF   CHANGES   IN   HABITS,    ETC. 


401 


c'lotl  into  herds  of  from  six  liuiidrcd  to  cij^ht  hundred  each ; 
that  ninuber  beinj;'  jis  many  as  can  be  driven  t()  advanlajje  in 
one  tlock. 

"Tiie  decrease  of  the  reserves  from  1.S70  to  1872  gave  ample 
loom  on  the  ohl  breeding-places  without  forming  new  rookeries. 
Later  the  increase  of  the  females  niade  it  necessary  for  them  to 
occupy  th(!  open  places  which  had  before  aflbrded  passages  for 
the  y(nuig  males  from  the  water  to  the  uplands,  so  that  the 
yoiiiig  males  on  their  arrival,  after  trying  in  vain  to  find  land- 
ing places  as  before,  passed  the  rookeries  and  occupied  the 
beaches  of  the  coves  juid  hays  beyond.  This  began  in  1872, 
and  in  1875  had  become  general,  and  may  now  be  considered  as 
a  lived  habit.  As  it  saves  gathering  them  in  small  groups,  it 
liivatly  facilitates  the  process  of  obtaiuuig  the  drives  without 
(Ictriuiejital  efl'ect  to  the  rookeries.  , 

"  NVhen  1  made  my  estimate  of  the  number  of  the  Seals  in  1869, 
tlie  proportiona.te  number  these  groups  bore  to  the  breeding- 
rookery  near  which  they  were  located  suggested  the  inquiry 
whethei-  the  young  returned  to  the  exact  point  where  they  were 
born.  I  found  on  questioning  the  natives  that  they  believed 
they  did  thus  return.  To  test  this  matter  I  had,  in  Novembei', 
1870,  lifty  young  males  selected  from  one  rookery,  and  marked 
on  the  right  ear,  and  fifty  n^ore  selected  from  another  rookery, 
two  miles  distant  from  the  first,  were  marked  on  the  left  ear. 
The  result  was  that  in  1873,  when  they  were  of  the  i)roper  age 
to  bo  taken  for  their  skins,  four  of  them  were  killed  on  Saint 
Paul's  Island,  at  points  more  or  less  distant  from  the  place 
wliere  they  were  marked,  and  two  were  found  on  the  island  of 
Sahit  George. 

"Passing  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  females,  we  meet 
with  greater  difficulties  and  arrive  at  less  satisfactory  results, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  our  knowledge  of  them  during  the  first 
three  years  is  less  definite.  During  the  first  four  months  after 
birth  the  sexes  do  not  appreciably  difier.  When  the  Seals  are 
driven  to  the  uplands  in  November  for  the  j)urpose  of  selecting 
younix  males  for  the  winter  supply  of  food  for  the  natives,  the 
'^exes,  as  nearly  as  can  be  judged,  are  equal  in  numbers ;  but 
iit  this  time  the  females  average  at  least  one-tenth  smaller  than 
(lie  males. 

"At  this  stage  they  leave  the  island  for  the  winter,  and  very 
'<'\v  appear  to  return  to  tlu;  island  untd  they  are  three  years  ohl. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 20 


i 


..L      ^V 


if  i'.; 


m 


HiiW*!!!      ^ 


« 


""?! 


.M'Bjl 


■  . 

.,.;„.,  .... 

^::;.-4.  .      ■  1 

ii 

■■H^<-*-l  -.'  H 

ill 

•  M]l 

'! 

/ 


402     CALLORHINUS   URSINUS — NORTHERN   FUR   SEAL. 

at  which  age  they  seek  the  males  for  sexual  intercourse.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  males  return  the  following  year  with  the 
mature  females.  On  their  arrival  they  land  on  tl  e  island  and 
pass  some  distance  inland,  where  they  repose  in  large  herds 
during  the  breeding-season,  and  linger  about  the  island  until 
after  the  females  and  tneir  young  are  gone.  They  contiiuie  to 
return  each  year,  arriving  earlier  as  they  approach  to  maturity, 
until  old  enough  to  become  beachmasters.  But  the  youiij; 
females,  as  already  stated,  are  not  seen  in  numbers  until  they 
'.re  three  years  old,  when  they  arrive  about  the  height  of  tlic 
breeding-season.  Considerable  numbers  land  on  the  breediug 
places,  but  a  larger  portion  are  covered  by  the  males  before 
they  have  time  to  land.  In  the  females  there  are  no  definite 
external  indications  of  age  as  there  are  in  the  males,  and  iii  as 
signing  the  age  of  three  years  I  have  accepted  the  judgment  of 
the  natives,  who  are  familiar  with  every  phase  of  Seal  life,  and 
are  governed  mainly  in  their  opinion  by  the  appearance  of  the 
teeth.  In  the  few  I  have  had  killed  from  time  to  time  for  ex 
ami  nation  the  differences  have  been  pointed  out  to  me,  but  I  du 
not  consider  myself  competent  to  judge,  and  in  the  absence  oi 
more  detinito  evidence  I  accept  the  statements  of  the  natives. 
At  this  age  they  weigh  about  forty-five  pounds,  are  of  a  steel 
gray  color  on  the  back,  with  pearly  white  breast  and  belly,  the 
gray  of  the  back  gradually  shading  into  the  white  on  the  sides. 
and  their  coat  has  a  very  soft,  velvety  appearance.  When  tbey 
return  the  following  ye.ar  to  give  birth  to  their  first  young  they 
average  sixty  pounds,  and  the  color  of  the  back  is  of  a  deeper 
shade  and  extends  lower  down  on  the  sides.  They  still  cou 
tinue  to  grow  for  two  or  three  years,  and  attain  an  average 
weight  of  eighty  pounds.  At  six  or  seven  years  old  the  color 
of  the  back  has  become  brown  and  extends  to  the  belly,  wLicli 
is  then  only  a  few  shades  lighter  than  the  back.  When  the 
young  females  first  land  their  color  is  bright  and  soft,  but  iu 
two  or  three  days  the  white  tint  gradually  becomes  of  a  rusty 
shade,  so  that  when  visiting  the  rookeries  daily  it  is  easy  to  dis 
tinguish  the  Seals  that  have  just  landed.  After  they  have  beeu 
on  shore  ten  days  they  become  all  of  the  same  shade,  and  are 
individually  undistinguishable.  As  the  females  are  never  killed, 
but  are  left  to  die  from  old  age  or  natural  causes,  there  are  no 
means  of  ascertaining  their  length  of  life.  In  exceptional  cases 
they  become  barren  and  haul  up  with  the  young  males. 


VARIATION   IN   COLOR    WITH   AGE,    ETC. 


403 


"Albinos  and  sexually  abnormal  Individuals.— Three 
or  four  albinos  arc  found  every  year,  which  are  of  a  pinkisli 
wliite  color,  sometimes  mottled  with  liver-colored  spots,  an<l  the 
I'vcs  and  the  skin  coverinj>'  the  flippers  are  also  pinkish.  On 
one  (tr  two  occasions  I  iiave  seen  the  youny'  i)up  black,  except 
a  iiiurow  light  stripe  extending  from  the  (iorners  of  tlu;  mouth 
along  the  sides  to  the  ])osterior  extremities.  These  conditions 
are  very  unusual. 

"Among  the  nuilcs  we  find  sometimes  an  imperfect  develop- 
ment of  the  organs  of  generation.  Individuals  thus  defective 
arc  not  distingi  ishable  until  the  fourth  year,  when  instead  of 
the  ne(!k  thickening  and  the  hair  on  it  growing  curly  and  longer 
as  ill  the  perfect  male,  they  retain  the  slim  form  of  the  neck, 
cliariicteristic  of  the  female,  non-develoi)ment  of  the  testes  hav- 
ing' the  same  effect  upon  their  development  that  castration  has 
upon  th«;  domestic  bull. 

"Occasional  instances  of  hermaphroditism  also  occur,  in  which 
the  same  individual  h.as  a  nearly  perfect  development  of  the 
organs  of  both  sexes.  These  herd  with  the  males,  but  are 
icadily  distinguishable  from  them  by  their  having  the  posterior 
[nwi  of  the  body  fuller  and  thicker  as  in  the  full-grown  female. 


m 

yl'^f 

••  Pescription  op  the  Young;  Variation  in  Color  with 
ACrE,KTC. — The  young  Seals  are  all  born  with  a  coat  of  short, 
stitt"  black  hair  covering  the  whole  body.  When  sixty  days  old 
tills  is  replaced  by  a  very  soft  and  silky  covering  three-fourths  of 
an  iucli  in  length.  This  is  a  fine  steel-gray  on  the  back  and 
wliuo  on  the  throat,  breast,  and  abdomen.  This  coat  of  overhair 
is  shed  annually  in  August  and  September,  becoming  coarser 
.111(1  darker  with  ago  each  year.  At  seven  years  the  back  has 
attaiiied  a  dark  brown,  shading  gradually  to  two  or  three  shades 
lighter  on  the  belly.  At  the  fifth  year  the  hair  on  the  neck  and 
shoulders  grows  coarser,  curling  at  the  ends,  atul  on  many  of 
these  the  ciuly  tips  are  white,  giving  a  grizzled  or  silver-gray 
iiltpearance.  The  fur  commences  to  grow  with  the  first  coat  of 
'iverhair,  as  a  soft  light  down,  the  overhair  entirely  covering 
iiiul  eoiicealing  it.  On  the  male  this  continnes  to  grow  to  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  length,  increasing  evenly  in  thickness  .and 
lineuess  all  over  the  body  until  the  third  year,  when  it  is  in  its 
greatest  perfection.  After  this,  as  the  nude  develops  the  char- 
aeteristi(!s  of  his  sex,  as  the  thickening  of  the  neck  and  shoul- 
'Iw's,  tlie  fur  also  becomes  longer  and  tliicker,  while,  as  the 


m 


^M 


d-i 


,ft 


Y- 


■A 

I      ■ 


404      CALLOKillNU.S    UUSINUS — NOUTIIKKN    FUIt    SKAL. 

aiiittial  jii'ows  older,  tlic  I'lir  on  tin'  i)ost('iioi'  )iortioii  of  the  Imck 
j;ots  tliimicr.  TIh'  skin  tlins  «l«'t('riaratt's  in  valno;  llic  I'lir  Ucinj; 
nn(M|nall.v  «U'V('lo[>('(l  on  dillcmit  parts  of  the  botly,  prevents  the 
use  of  the  whole  skin  in  tlie  same  garment.  The  color  of  ilic 
fur  is  uot  indicated  by  the  overhair,  and  as  a  rule  shows  ^^rciitci 
variation  in  shade  than  the  latter,  varyinj;'  fromasnuitty  wliitc 
to  a  rich  maroon,  the  latttu'  shade  bein;,'  the  inost  rare. 

"Moulting. — A  diversity  of  opinion  exists  on  the  island  as  to 
whether  or  uot  the  fur  is  shed  with  the  overhair.  I  have  juiviii 
close  atteutiou  to  the  subject  and  tiud  that  all  the  eviiUnco  is 
against  the  opinion  that  the  fur  is  shed.  The  great  quantity 
of  overhair  aunually  shed  by  this  iuunense  uumber  of  animals 
covers  the  ground  like  dead  leaves  in  a  forest.  It  is  blown  by 
the  wiuds  around  the  rocks,  aud  becomes  trodden  iuto  the  soil. 
so  that  when  the  earth  is  dry  if  a  piece  be  takeu  aud  brokiii 
the  whole  mass  is  found  to  be  permeated  with  it  like  the  Itaii 
in  dried  plaster.  The  difft ''euce  between  the  libers  of  the  ovw 
hair  aud  the  fur  is  plaiul.y  apparent  to  the  eye.  I  have,  how 
ever,  gathered  ])arcel8  of  it  at  all  times  during  the  sheddiiij; 
season  and  subjected  it  to  microscopic  examinatiou,  but  liavi' 
always  failed  to  detect  the  presence  of  far  i>i  sufficient  quantity 
to  warrant  the  belief  that  any  of  it  is  shed  naturally.  Tlic 
shedding  of  the  overhair  begins  about  the  middle  of  August. 
and  the  Seals  are  not  fully  clothed  with  the  new  coat  until  the 
end  of  September,  and  it  does  not  attain  its  full  length  before 
the  end  of  October.  The  first  indications  of  shedding  are 
noticed  around  the  eyes  and  fore  flippers  and  in  the  wrinkles 
or  folds  of  the  skins.  The  waw  overhair  appears  in  the  fur  as 
short  black  points,  and  as  it  grows  out  the  old  coat  is  gradually 
east.  The  Avhole  process  covers  a  period  of  ibrty  days,  duriu^' 
which  time  the  skins  are  in  a  condition  denominated  by  fiu 
dealers  as  '  stagey,'  and  are  of  inferior  value.  This,  however, 
is  not  due  to  any  defect  in  the  fur,  but  to  the  condition  of  tlit 
overhair,  which  is  so  short  as  to  render  the  process  of  ])hu;kiiij: 
too  slow  aud  lal)orious  by  tlni  usual  methods  to  be  i-emuiioin 
five.  In  the  first  .slii[»nu'nts  of  skins  under  the  lease  conipliiints 
were  made  of  the  number  of  'stagey'  skins  that  were  sent. 
As  this  was  a  term  that  conveyed  no  exi»lanation  of  the  (lt'i'e<  t. 
it  was  necessary  to  scud  ro  London  for  a  package  of  stagey 
skins.  This  was  done  during  the  third  year,  and  on  their  ic 
ception  at  the  i.slaud  the  cau.se  was  at  once  underistood  an«l  ii" 


SEXI'AL    OKGANS    AND   COPULATION. 


405 


iiiorc  stiigcy  skins  wcn^  shipped,  Two  years  alter,  inquiries 
were  w.ulo,  by  parties  in  liondon  for  stagey  skins,  («•  rather  why 
tlicrc  were  no  more  to  be  had  in  the  market.  It  was  ascer- 
iMJiicd  that  jiarties  then*  had  lieen  making  it  a  special  business  to 
iiiiiimfiictin'e  stagey  skins.  The  low  price  at  which  they  were 
s(»l(l  ill  tlie  raw  static  enabled  them  to  b«>stow  the  extra  labor 
mwssary  to  pluck  tln'in  and  realize  a  large  protit  thereby,  the 
sidus  af^  'r  plucking  being  of  prime  value.  This  gives  further 
proof  that  the  animals  were  not  shedding  their  fur.  When- 
ever Seals  are  wounded  befon^  the  shedding  season  the  wound 
lieals  very  quickly  and  the  scar  is  covered  with  a  coat  of  fur 
iiiimediately  after,  but  no  overhair  grows  on  the  wound  until 
tlie  shedding  season  arrives,  when  nature  wholly  repairs  the  in- 
jury. 1  have  had  such  animals  killed  in  the  shedding  season  and 
found  the  new  overhair  showing  in  the  fur  of  the  wound  just 
us  on  the  rest  of  the  body.  In  the  spring  of  1873  a  fine  three- 
yoar-old  Landed  with  a  wound  on  its  body  as  large  as  two 
imnds,  apparently  caused  by  the  animal  getting  pinched  in  the 
ieo.  The  wound,  though  fresh,  soon  healed  and  became  cov- 
ered with  fur.  This  Seal  was  several  times  driven  to  the  kill- 
ing {,'round  and  allowed  to  go  back,  on  account  of  the  blemish 
on  its  skin.  In  Angust,  when  taking  Seals  for  food,  this  Seal 
was  killed  and  unmistakable  evidences  of  the  new  overhair 
toveriiig  the  wound  were  found. 

'Sexual  Groans  and  Copulation. — As  before  stated,  the 
male  is  born  with  the  testes  enclosed  in  the  body.  These  descend 
in  the  second  year  but  do  not  become  fully  developed  until  the 
fourth.  In  the  fifth  year  the  scrotum  becomes  distended  and 
the  testes  show  like  those  of  the  dog.  The  vaginal  orifice  of 
the  feiaale  being  within  the  anus  there  is  but  one  external  open- 
ing; lufuce  the  difficulty  of  distinguishing  the  sexes  at  birth.  The 
female  !'!-.s  four  teats,  two  on  each  side  of  the  middle  line  of  the 
belly,  ecjuidistant  from  the  fore  and  hind  flippers.  During 
lactation  they  are  half  an  inch  in  length,  but  do  not  protrude 
beyond  the  overhair.  The  mode  of  copulation  on  land  has 
already  been  described.  When  there  was  a  full  supply  of 
breeding  males  copulation  occurred  mainly  on  the  breeding- 
grounds,  the  half-bulls  participating  to  only  a  limited  extent, 
and  was  larely  seen  to  occur  in  the  water.  Since  1874,  owing 
t"  tlic  decrease  in  the  luimber  of  breeding  males,  a  much 
larger  proportion  of  the  females  receive  the  males  in  the  water, 
•^0  tliaton  any  still  day  after  the  20th  of  July,  by  taking  a  Amoo 


h 


htv 


,^ 


^I^^ 


Jt 

■  iJ^^ 

lt 

ilt 

!  .,y' 

) :', 

*.ll 

1 

t 


400      C'ALLOKHINUS    URSINIJS — NORTHERN   FUIl   SEAL. 


* 


jiikI  jjoiiiff  ii  little  off-shore,  coiisiAerablo  miinbers  msiy  1)0  seen 
paiiiii;;,  aiid  readily  ai>]»roaelie(l  so  near  as  to  be  luUy  obseivod. 
Tliey  are  then  fomid  in  siii;>le  i)airs,  swiiimiiiij;  in  eireles,  some 
times  the  cue  sometimes  the  other  leadinj,'.  They  come  toyetlici 
in  a])in'oa''hinji'  the  snrfaee  from  below,  the  male  shootinj;' onto 
the  back  of  the  I'emale  and  lirmly  elasi>inju'  her  between  his  lore 
tlil>I)ers,  The  time  ol"  contact  is  shorter  than  on  hmd,  not 
exceedinj;-  live  miiuites,  bnt  the  operation  is  lepeated  two  or 
three  times,  at  intervals  of  liiteen  uv  twenty  minntes.  Tlicv 
then  separate,  each  {i'(nnji'  in  a  different  direction. 

''Powpn?  ov  susr];NDiN(i  LM:si'1KAT1on. — As  these  ereatnns 
spend  so  yreat  a  portion  of  their  life  at  sea,  it  is  interesting:'  to 
hi'.ow  how  lony  they  an^  <;apabl(i  of  remaining,'  beh)w  the  snrracc. 
When  full-{;rown  nudes,  sleepinj;-  on  the  edge  of  the  beadi,  nro 
frightened  into  the  water  so  suddenly  that  they  do  not  rcco;:- 
nize  the  nature  of  the  disturbaiice,  they  invariably  phinj^c  nnil 
swim  beneath  the  surface  till  obliged  to  rise  to  breathe.  In  sntli 
cases  they  remain  from  tuo  to  two  and  a  half  minutes  under 
the  surface  and  come  up  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred yards  distant.  If  a  boat  i)a8ses  among  them  they  will 
follow  it  at  a  distance  of  ten  or  fifteen  yards.  On  coming  to  tlif 
surface  they  will  stand  erect  with  the  whole  of  the  body  ante 
rior  to  the  fore  limbs  above  the  water,  and  in  this  position 
remain  perfectly  still  for  several  seconds,  then  with  a  summer- 
sault  and  a  splash,  disappear  for  a  minute  or  so  to  reappear 
again  in  some  other  direction,  apparently  enjoying  the  fun ;  iu 
no  case  have  I  timed  them  when  they  remained  over  two  and  u 
half  minutes  under  water.  I  do  not  think  their  power  of  remain 
ing  below  the  surface  equal  to  that  of  an  experienced  and  well 
trained  pearl-oyster  diver.  This  seems  to  indicate  that  tbey 
must  feed  on  fishes  living  near  the  surface ;  at  least  not  on  bot- 
tom-fish in  deep  Avaters. 

"Natural.  Enemies. — From  the  birth  of  the  young  Seals 
until  they  leave  the  island  at  four  and  a  half  months  old,  tbe 
loss  of  life  from  natural  causes  is  very  slight,  not  exceeding 
one-half  of  1  per  cent.  At  the  time  of  their  departure  tbey 
are  excessively  fat  and  clumsy,  and  easily  fall  a  prey  to  tbe 
small  Whale  known  as  the  Killer,  their  only  positively-known 
enemy.  These  grow  to  a  length  of  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet,  and 
go  in  schools  of  from  five  to  a  dozen  or  more,  frequently  attack 
ing  'and  killing  fall-grown  liight  Whales  by  eating  out  tbeir 


EFFECT   OF   CLIMATIC   INFLUENCES. 


407 


xoii{,'nes;  liencc  the  name  Killer,  applied  to  them  bj'  whalemen. 
Wlu'u  the  season  arrives  for  the  young  Seals  to  enter  the  water 
tlicst'  animals  are  scon  near  the  island,  creatin;^  great  conster- 
nation among  the  Seals  both  young  and  old.  They  rarely  ven- 
ture near  shore,  but  in  tlu-ee  cases  wliere  rney  have  been  caught 
\(iMMj;  Seals  have  been  Ibuiul  in  their  stomachs,  leaving  no 
ili»iil)t  of  their  object  in  approaching  the  island.  I  have  also 
Ik'cii  informed  by  the  luitives  of  llristol  liay  that  these  same 
aiiiiiiiils  arc  formidable  enemies  to  the  young  Walruses  and 
Hair  Seals.  The  Killers  doubtless  follow  the  Seals  to  their 
winter  feeding-grounds  and  prey  upon  them.  During  the  time 
tlie  young  Seals  are  absent  from  the  island  fully  GO  jM-r  cent, 
of  their  niunber  are  destroyed  l>y  their  enemies  before  they 
arrive?  at  the  age  of  oiu;  year,  and  during  the  secon<l  year  about 
1.")  p(>r  cent,  ujore  are  lost.  Later  they  appear  to  be  better 
able  to  protect  themselves,  but  before  they  arrive  at  maturity 
at  least  10  per  cent,  more  are  destroyed;  so  that  if  left  entirely 
to  themselves  only  10  or  15  per  cent,  of  the  annual  product 
would  mature  or  reach  the  age  of  seven  years.  To  what  age 
the  males  attain,  there  is  no  means  of  defluitely  ascertaining. 
In  the  records  of  Shisenekoft",  to  which  I  have  before  alluded, 
it  is  stated  that  he  observed  one  male  occupy  the  same  rock  for 
fourteen  successive  years.  Only  in  live  instances  liave  I  been 
able  to  identify  the  same  Sejil  as  occupying  the  same  place. 
Four  of  these  returned  four  years  in  succession,  and  the  other, 
five  years.  They  were  probably  eight  years  old  when  first  ob- 
served, so  that  they  attained  at  least  to  twelve  years,  which  I 
think  may  be  considered  as  their  average  length  of  life.\L\.s  I 
liave  before  stated,  the  large  surplus  of  full-grown  males  «"xist- 
ing  in  18G9  nearly  all  disappeared  in  about  six  years ;  and  when 
we  consider  the  fact  of  their  severe  labors  during  the  breeding 
season,  when  they  pass  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
(lays  without  food,  engaged  in  a  constant  struggle  for  their 
positions,  and  performing  the  most  exhaustive  function  of  phys- 
ical life,  six  or  seven  years  would  seem  to  be  the  limit  of  the 
active  period  of  their  lives.  NQ 

"Effect  of  climatic  Influences. — It  remains  now  to 
notice  the  effect  of  the  climate  on  these  animals.  The  climate  is 
very  uniform  at  the  islands  during  the  period  the  Seals  remain 
here.  The  months  of  April,  M«ay,  June,  .and  July  are  the  most 
iiuportant  portions  of  the  year,  as  in  August  the  Seals  are  all 
in  a  condition  to  go  in  the  water  and  avoid  the  intiuences  most 


u 


408      CALhOUIIINUS   UKSINUS NOUTHKRN   FUR   8KAL. 

injurious  to  thoiii,  nainely,  snnsliino  and  rain.    T  licro  lurni.sii 
an  abstract  from  the  meteorological  tables  of  C  I'.  Fi.sli,  signal 
otlicer  resident  on  the  island  in  1874,  this  being  the  ^varnle,s| 
year  and  the  one  most  unfavorable  to  the  Sejila  during  n>y 
eight  years'  residence  at  the  islands. 


Hrnn  averaee  for  the 

•s 

uber. 

1 

6 

monili. 

^ 

i^ 

1 

1^ 

1 
0 

340 
80.4 

380 
77.4 

440 
80.6 

480 

87.4 

50O 

83.  R 

470 

70.2 

400 

Kf'lative  humidity 

70.2 

Proportion  of  cloudinesa 

83.6 

76.1 

88.0 

07.0 

82.2 

75.5 

78.0 

Amount  of  rainfall 

0.84 

0.58 

2.01 

3.81 

2.02 

3.01 

4.82 

Number    of   days    on 

Tvhich    precipitation 

occurred 

20 

21 

23 

27 

29 

'Hi 

31 

Proportion  of  foggy  days 

2.8 

0.12 

0.05 

01.7 

22.2 

2.6 

1.0 

s 


37' 


80.8 

■ 

73.2 

■ 

9.28 

1 

28 

1 

1.3 

1 

\ 


"During  the  months  of  May,  June,  and  July  the  sun's  rays  an- 
generally  obscured,  the  sky  has  a  leaden  appearance,  but  theiv 
is  very  little  fog  until  about  the  end  of  July,  at  which  time  also 
there  are  usually  two  or  three  days  of  heavy  rain.  In  June  and 
July  there  are  occasionally  days  when  the  sun  shines  clearly  for 
two  or  three  hours,  but  rarely  longer.  These  days  are  dreaded  by 
the  sealers.  At  a  temperature  of  40°,  with  obscuration  of  the 
sun,  the  Seals  lie  quietly ;  at  42°  they  manifest  signs  of  discom- 
fort from  heat,  and  lie  on  their  sides,  fanning  themselves  with 
their  hind  flippers,  occasionally  changing  sides.  At  45°  they 
are  decidedly  uncomfortable,  and  all  that  can  go  into  the  water 
to  bathe  and  cool  themselves,  remaining  there  an  hour  or  two. 

"The  beachmasters,  and  the  little  Seals  that  have  not  yet 
learned  to  swim,  remain  on  the  land.  When  the  sun  shines  for 
two  or  three  hours,  and  the  rocks  become  heated,  there  are  oc- 
casional deaths  among  the  beachmasters  and  very  young  i)ups 
from  sunstroke,  the  symptoms  being  a  nervous  jerking  of  the 
limbs,  followed  by  convulsions  and  death.  Fortunately  these 
occurrences  are  rare,  and  it  was  only  in  1874  that  any  appre- 
ciable number  were  lost  from  this  cause.  That  year  many  yoiiiig 
Seals  diec^  about  the  first  of  August.  With  light  rain  or  thick 
fog  they  endure  a  temperature  of  50°  without  inconveiiiencc. 
The  same  fatal  results  occur  from  overheating  when  driviiig, 
in  which  case  if  the  animals  are  not  skinned  immediat<'lv  the 


I 


mh 


XUMUKU    UKQUIRED    IJV    THE    NATIVKH   FOR  FOOD.    409 

lur  is  loosciiwl  and  tlie  .skin  hoconics  valiu'loss.  It  occasionally 
liiiplMiis  tliat  when  a  h»n'<l  lias  been  driven  in  dnrinji;  the  nij^ht 
Iniiii  a  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  they  do  not  gvt  snfliciently 
cool  Itefore  seven  o'clock.  If  the  snn  shines,  in  half  an  honr 
tiif  whole  lii'i'd  show  synij)tonisof  dis<'onifort,  an<l  soon  become 
entirely  unmanajji'able,  breakinj;  away  from  the  watchers  and 
nisliiny  in  all  directions,  heedless  of  obstacles,  rnnnin};  into  the 
village,  enterin};*  open  d«>ors,  and  attempting:  to  climb  np  the 
sides  of  the  houses,  piles  of  lumber,  or  any  other  object  in  their 
way,  keeping  on  until  convulsions  and  death  result.  At  such 
tiiiu's  every  available  han<l  is  required  with  club  and  knife  to 
follow,  knock  down,  and  skin  before  the  pelt  is  damaged  by  the 
boat.  The  only  remedy  is  to  get  them  into  the  nearest  water 
as  fast  as  possible,  as  all  thus  treated  are  saved.  After  a  bath 
of  half  an  hour  they  can  be  driven  again,  and  if  allowed  to  lie 
<iuietly  no  further  trouble  is  experienced. 

''They  are  also  greatly  disturbed  by  rain.  They  paj'  little  at- 
tention to  a  slight  drizzle,  but  when  copious  showers  occur  they 
all  resort  to  the  water  until  the  rain  is  over,  preferring  this  to 
the  shore. 

"It  thus  appears  that  for  the  successful  breeding  of  these 
animals  certain  meteorological  conditions  are  indispensable,  and 
that  they  require  a  pla<'e  where  they  can  land  and  remain  un- 
<listuibed  for  half  the  year.  The  geographical  situation  of  these 
islands  affords  not  only  the  isolation  they  require,  but  the  requi- 
site humidity  and  exemption  from  extremes  of  heat  and  cold. 
If  th»!  islands  had  been  especially  created  tov  the  Seals  they 
seemingly  could  •  i  have  been  better  adapted  to  their  require- 
ments. Hence,  if  not  rudely  disturbed  by  man,  there  need  be 
no  fear  of  their  changing  their  place  of  breeding. 

"Nr^mER  OF  Seals  required  for  the  Sursistence  of 
THE  Natives. — The  principal  subsisten(;e  of  the  native  popula- 
tion is  Seal-flesh.  When  the  Seals  arrive  in  spring,  if  the  winter 
i^upply  is  not  exhausted,  it  has  become  so  stale  as  to  render  it 
necessary  to  commence  killing  fresh  food  as  soon  as  enough 
jonng  males  i'or  the  ])urpose  have  landetl,  which  usually  occurs 
by  the  L'Otli  of  May.  The  skins  of  these  animals  are  salted,  and 
"II  the  1st  of  June  (the  legal  tinie  for  taking  Seals  for  their 
^kins)  all  the  skins  of  animals  that  have  been  taken  fo'  food 
iiie  turned  over  by  the  Treasury  agent  to  the  agent  i  i  the 
'wnpaiiy  as  a  part  of  the  quota  for  that  y<'ar.     While  the  com- 


11 


m 


in'i'pffi' 


!il 


ill  '~ 


410      CALLORIIINUa   URSINUS — NORTHERN    FUR   SEAL. 

paiiy  aro  taking  thcso  uuiinal.s  for  their  skins,  the  natives  sub 
sist  on  the  llesh  of  the  animals  so  kiik'd.  When  tlie  conipauy 
iiave  obtained  tlieir  full  (in«)ta  their  control  of  the  killing  (H'ascs. 
tlie  Treasury  agent  dirocting  the  killing  lor  food.  From  ahoiit 
tiu'  end  of  .Inly  until  tlu;  Seals  Icavi'  tin'  island,  there  are  re- 
(piircd  for  th«'  suUsistcnec  of  the  natives  tluv«'  hundred  iuii 
iiials  per  \v«'ek.  ('are  is  taken  in  k'Miiig  I'or  this  pui-pose  lo 
take  such  animals  as  will  yield  skins  acceptable  by  the  comi>aii,v 
lis  a  i)art  of  the  next  year's  (|uota,  but  during  the  sheddinu 
season  the  skins  arc^  vabudess.  .\s  this  period  hists  trom  tlic 
middle  of  August   to  October,  the  lunuber  of  skins  so  lost  is 

-f  -T  iilfout  two  thoiisanil.  I5es,.les  this  loss,  in  Novend»«'r,  belore 
the  young  Seals  leave  the  islands  for  the  winter,  about  S,(MI(> 
rbur-and-a-half  months-old  young  nudes  are  taken  for  a  .supjdv 
(»f  blubber  and  Seal-tlesh  for  use  in  winter  while  the  Wt'ids  are 
absent  from  the  islands.  This  is  necessary,  because  at  this  sea 
son  the  older  Seals  tnat  have  been  so  long  ashore  as  to  have 
l>ecome  quite  thin  and  poor,  yield  little  blubber,  while  their 
tiesh  is  tough  and  stringy.  The  blubber  of  the  nursing  Seals 
is  quite  different  from  that  of  the  older  Seals,  being  liner  in 
texture  and  firmer,  with  less  proportion  of  oil,  and  is  far  i)refer- 
able  for  food-puri)oses.  The  carcasses  of  these  young  Seals  iuc 
dressed  and  suspended  on  poles  in  the  open  air,  and  are  kept 
fresh  nearly  all  winter  by  being  frozen.  It  will  be  seen  by  this 
that  the  total  number  of  animals  killed  annually  for  all  purjtoses 
is  110,000.  This,  in  the  six  years  that  ha\'e  elapsed  since  the 
beginning  of  the  Idase,  amounts  to  a  total  of  060,000  male  Seals. 
Allowing  the  sexes  to  be  produced  in  equal  numbers  (and  so 
far  as  can  be  judged  this  appears  to  be  the  fact),  there  have 
been  added  to  the  original  stock  of  breeding  females  (500,000 
~*  over  the  number  existing  at  the  beginning  of  the  lease ;  aiul 
this  agrees  very  nearly  with  the  increased  area  now  occupied 
by  them,  which  shows  a  total  of  not  much  less  than  1,8()0,0(M} 

'  ''      breeding  females. 

"  Winter  Resorts  and  Habits  while  absent  from  the 
Islands.— Of  thr  life  of  these  animals  while  absent  from  the 
islands  but  littk  »wn,  nor  is  it  known  where  their  princi- 

pal feeding-"  ^re.    We  know  that  the  greater  part  pas') 

through  C  .  and  Aukootan  Straits,  going  east  in  autuiuu 

and  west         taring;  and  that  in  December,  about  six  weeks 
after  they  leave  the  islands,  fishing  parties  of  Indians  at  Sitk;i 


WINTER    RESORTS,    ETC. 


411 


1, ,"()()  iiiihis  oust  of  the  Seal  Lshuuls,  occasioually  nhoot  ami 
briiifi  ill  tlieyoiiiiH:  Seal  imps  (they  probably  shoot  the  mothers, 
but  tlicy  liavinj;-  too  little  blubber  to  tloat  thcui  they  lose  them). 
Diiiiiiy  the  winter  nionths  considerable  numbers  of  Seal-skins 
are  taken  by  the  natives  of  liritish  (Joliimbia;  some  years  as 
iiiiiny  as  two  thousand.  These  lind  their  way  to  the  San  Fran- 
cisco niarki't.  On  examining''  parcels  of  them  I  have  found  them 
to  Itc  mostly  very  younj;  Seals,  with  no  male  skins  anions;  them 
old  enough  to  show  the  sex.  When  at  Victoria  I  made  special 
iii(|iiiries  about  the  sealing,  and  found  that  most  of  the  skins 
olttaiiied  there  were  taken  in  the  water,  but  a  half-breed  hunter 
told  me  he  had  tbund  in  summer,  on  Queen  Charlotte  Island, 
j;Tonps  of  these  animals  consisting  of  two  or  more  beachmasters, 
with  a  doz(Mi  or  more  females  and  pups,  but  no  half-grown  males. 
''Xor  is  it  known  whether  the  diflferent  sexes  associate  during 
tilt'  jieriod  of  their  absence  from  the  islands.  The  mjiles  inva- 
riably come  to  the  island  first,  take  up  their  positions  and  wait 
tlio  arrival  of  the  females,  which  come  after  the  males  have  all 
arrived.  They  not  only  come  by  themselves,  but  they  all  re- 
main till  after  the  males  have  gone.  I  have  matle  constant 
inquiries  of  all  masters  of  vessels  cniisiug  for  trade  or  whales 
in  Behring's  Sea  with  reference  to  the  occurrence  of  these  ani- 
mals in  those  waters,  but  in  only  one  instance  can  I  learn  that 
they  have  been  observed.  In  1870  a  vessel,  becalmed  for  nearly 
a  week  one  hundred  miles  north  of  the  islands,  in  the  month  of 
August,  reported  seeing  many  Seals,  nearly  all  old  bulls.  As 
at  that  time  this  class  was  largely  in  excess,  it  is  possible  that 
these  males  were  off  to  feed.  The  Alaska  Commercial  Company 
have  a  general  depot  of  supplies  at  Onalaska,  whence  the  mer- 
chandise for  their  trade  is  distributed  in  schooners  to  the  differ- 
ent points  on  the  main  coast  and  the  islands.  The  masters  and 
officers  of  these  schooners,  who  are  familiar  with  the  Seals,  say 
they  see  small  groups  of  small  (apparently  one-  and  two-year-old) 
Seals  at  {ill  times  diu-ing  July  and  August.  These,  I  think,  may 
be  young  females,  which,  as  already  stated,  do  not  visit  the 
island  till  they  are  three  years  old." 


■A 


't  ■  ■ 


f  ;t 


.■^ 


m 


412  FAMILY   PHOCIDiE. 


FAMILY  PHOCID^. 

EAKLESS  SEALS. 

t(W  rhoquea  miis  oreillvs  ou  Phoqiiea  proprement  dita,  BUFFON',  Hist.  Nat. 

Siippl.,  vi,  1782,  30(). 
I'hocacea  inauriculata,  Pliuox,  Voy.  mix  Terr.  Austr.,  ii,  181(i,  ;57,  foot-'<ote. 
Phocidw,  Gray,  Ann.  of  Phil.,  xxvi,  1825,  :J40,  in  part,  and  also  (in  part  only) 

of  nnmoroiia  writers  prior  to  abont  1870, 
Phocidw,   "Brookes,  Cat.   Miis.,  1828,  3(5 '*;   Gill,  "roc.  Essex  Inst.,  v, 

18G6,  T).— Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  soi.,  iv,  1869,  21)?,. 


342.  344.— Allkn,  Bull.  Mns.  Coinp. 
authors  since  1870. 


Zool.,  ii,  1870, — Also  of  most 


Fore  liinbs  pla^eit  well  forward;  neck  rather  sUort;  liinti  limbs 
not  susceptible  of  being  turned  forward,  and  not  capablf.  of  use 
in  terrestrial  locomotion.  Manns  and  pes  entirely  hairy ;  nails 
of  all  the  digits  usually  well  developed  (rudimentary  in  *SYe- 
norhynchinw).  Digits  of  the  manus  subequal,  usually  decreas- 
ing slightly  in  size  from  the  first  to  the  fifth ;  of  the  pes  the  first 
and  fifth  stouter  than  the  three  middle  ones.  Scapula  small, 
the  superior  posterior  angle  rounded,  the  crests  small,  and  the 
acromion  process  slightly  developed.  Femur  with  the  trochan- 
ter minor  undeveloped.  Pubic  bones  approximated  in  the  fe 
males,  and  in  the  males  appressed  posteriorly  for  about  one- 
third  of  their  length.  Ilia  short  and  broad,  abruptly  turned 
outward  and  recurved  anteriorly.  Acetabula  opposite  first 
.sacral  vertebra.  Skull  with  the  postorbital  process  generally 
wholly  undeveloped  or  rudimentary ;  mast«ul  process  swoUer., 
continuous  with  the  auditory  bullie ;  no  alisphent  id  canal.  An- 
d'^^o,  bulljB  greatly  inflated.  Incisors  conical,  variable  in 
i...inber  (jE:%  IS^  ^^  i^i)*  I^^ntal  formula:  Milk  dentition,  1. 
(  ."'able,  as  in  the  adult,  and  probably  of  the  same  number), 
€.  \~\,  M.  1=^1',  Permanent  dentition,  I.  —-g,  ~^l,  or  ^J,  C.  \^\, 

M.  t~t    No  external  ear.    Testes  enclosed  within  the  body. 


:Jt-l     |. 
PI 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY, 

Higher  GROurs, — As  noticed  in  the  h'story  of  the  preced- 
ing families,  the  group  formerly  termed  rhocUlw  was  coexten- 
sive with  the  suborder  Pinnipcdia.  Although  Peron  in  1810 
divided  the  Pinnipeds  into  Fhocacsa  aitricidatw  and  Fkoeacea 
inaurienlatw,  and  although  F.  Cuvier  in  182-1:  separated  them 


An 


M 


tt*i 


TECHNICAL   HISTOUY — HIGHER   GROUPS. 


413 


into  two  primary  unnamed  gi'owps  in  accordanco  with  whether 
tlic  molar  teeth  were  single-rooted  or  had  several  roots,  and 
hitor  into  three,  based  on  the  same  eharaetevs  coui)led  with  the 
iiuinber  of  incisoi's,  in  his  later  classification  his  first  division 
is  equivalent  to  the  Phocinw  and  StenorJn/nchhuc  of  recent 
iintiiors,  his  second,  to  the  Cystoi)horinw  of  late  authors,  and 
Ills  third  <!()mprises  the  Otaries.  Nilsson,  in  1837,  nuwle  t'«  ^o 
l)iiiiiary  divisions  of  the  Pinnipedia,  the  first  comprising  th^. 
j>onera  IStenorhynchus,  Pelagiu^,  and  Phoca,  and  the  other  the 
genera  Ualichoerm,  Trichechns,  Cystophora,  and  Otarki,  or  the 
(iray  Seal,  the  Walruses,  and  the  Otaries.  Brookes,  iu  1828, 
was  tiie  fijst  to  accord  to  the  Earless  Seals  the  rank  of  a  fam- 
ily, (till,  in  1860,  however,  was  the  first  to  eft'ectually  make 
clear  their  true  position  and  relations  to  the  other  Pinnipeds, 
since  which  date  their  family  rank  has  been  very  generally  con- 
ceded, and  the  term  PlMoidce  has  been  restricted  to  the  Earless 
Seals.  Turner,  in  1848,  presented  the  same  scheme  of  primary 
grouping  of  the  Pinnipeds  as  that  adopted  by  Gill,  and  pointed 
out  at  the  same  time  the  leading  distinctions  of  the  three 
groups,  but  he  allowed  to  them  merely  the  rank  of  subfamilies, 
the  term  Phoddw  still  covering  the  whole  of  the  Pinnipeds. 

The  eauly  classifications  of  Pinnipeds  having  been  already  pre- 
sented somewhat  in  detail  (see  anteiH,  pp.  9-12),  it  is  unnecessary 
to  rep:.at  them  at  leujfth  iu  the  present  connection.  It  may 
suffice  to  state  that  the  classifications  of  the  Phooidce,  with  the 
exceptions  already  named,  prior  to  1866,  generally  embraced 
both  Eared  Seals  and  Earless  Seals  in  the  same  primary  divis- 
ion. This  was  the  case  in  Gray's  schemes  of  1821  and  1825,  iu 
F.  Cuvier's  in  1824,  in  Nilsson's  in  1837,  in  Wagner's  in  1846, 
and  iu  Giebel's  in  1855,  the  two  authors  last  named  separating 
the  Walruses  as  one  family,  and  combiniiig  all  the  rest  of  the 
Pinnipeds  as  another,  called  by  them  Phocina,  with  no  subdi- 
visions higher  than  genera.  Gray,  in  1825,  divided  the  Phn- 
ckkc  {=Pinnipedia,  exclusive  of  the  Walruses  and  with  the  addi- 
tion of  Enhydris)  into  two  primary  groups  and  five  secondary 
groups,  of  whicli  latter  the  Earless  Seals  formed  four  and  the 
Otaries  a  fifth.  In  1837  he  replaced  the  Walruses  in  Phocid/v 
(but  excluded  Enhydrin),  and  adopted  the  classification  em- 
ployed by  him  till  1866.  This  includes  two  primary  divisions 
termed  "  Sections,"  and  five  secondary  divisions  termed  "Sub- 
foniilies,"  as  follows :  Section  I.  Subfamily  1.  Stenorhynchina, 
^fitli,  originally,  the  genera  Leptonyx,  Pelagius,  and  Steno- 
fhynchus,  to  which  were  added  later  Lohodon  and  Ommatophooa. 


*    H 


'4' 


I   * 


) 
\    It 

i:' 


I  m  ^  1 


414 


FAMILY    PHOCIDJE. 


Subfamily  2.  Phocina,  witli,ori};inally,  the  genera  Phoca  and  Cai- 
locephalun,  to  which  were  added  hiter  Puf/omys,  Pagophilns,  and 
Hniicyon.  Subfamily  3.  Trichmna  (or  Trichechina,  as  spelled 
later),  with  the  genera  HalichceniH  and  Trichccm  (or  Trichfchus, 
as  spelled  later)*.  Subfanuly  4.  Cystnphnrino.  with  the  geiiorn 
Cystophora  and  Mortinga.  Subfamily  5.  Arvfo<rpliiilin<i  (includ- 
ing all  the  Eared  Seals). 

In  180G  Gill  restricted  the  fauiily  Phoeidiv  to  the  Earless 
Seals — a  group  equivalent  to  Turner's  subfamily  Plincina — and 
divided  it  into  three  subfamilies,  as  follows :  1.  Phocincv,  includ- 
ing the  genera  Phoca,  Ptuiomys,  Payophilus,  Urignathm,  Halt- 
chcerus,  and  Monachus ;  2.  ^^yHtopliorincc,  including  the  genera 
Cystonhora  and  Macrorhimis ;  .'5.  Stenorhynchincc,  with  the  gen 
era  Lohodon,  Stenorhynchtis,  Leptonyx,  and  Ommatophoea.  Gill's 
Phocinw  is  the  equivalent  of  Gray's  Phoeina  and  Trichcchim. 
with  the  addition  to  the  former  of  Monachus  and  the  exclusion 
from  the  latter  of  Trichcchns,  while  Gill's  Cystophorinw  and  t^tena- 
rhynchimc  are  the  exact  equivalents  of  Gray's  groups  of  siniihn 
name,  except  that  Monachus  is  excluded  from  the  latter. 

In  1869  Gray  separated  from  the  Phoctdce  the  Walruses  and 
the  Otaries  as  distinct  families,  thereby  restricting  the  Phocido 
to  the  Earless  Seals,  as  Gill  had  previously  done,  but  divided 
the  Phocidw  into  five  "  tribes."  His  classification  of  the  group 
as  i)resented  by  him  in  1871  is  as  follows:  Family  Phodda\ 
Tribe  I.  Phoeina ^  with  the  genera  Callocephalus,  Pagomys,  Pago- 
pMbis,  Jfalicyon,  Phoca.  Tribe  II.  Balicha;rina,  =  genus  Halt- 
chscrus.  Tribe  III.  Monachina,  =  genus  Monachus.  Trib*'  IV. 
Stenorhynchina,  with  the  genera  Sfenorhynchus,  Lohodon,  lA'p- 
tonyx,  Ommatophoea.  Tribe  V.  Cystophorina,  with  the  genera 
Morunga  and  Cystophora.  The  difference  between  the  two 
schemes  consists  (1)  in  the  equivalency  of  Gill's  Phoeina  with 
Gray's  first  three  "  tribes,"  and  (2)  in  ihe  designations  ••  sut) 
families"  and  "tribes."  Gill's  scheme  of  division  of  the  fainily 
into  thiee  subfamilies  has  been  adopted  by  most  subs(M|uent 
writers,  even  Gray  himself  adopting  it  in  1874.  The  three 
"subfamilies"  now  so  currently  accepted  seem  to  be  well- 
raaiked  natural  groups,  but  whether  entitled  to  the  rank  tlins 
accorded  may  perhaps  be  oi)en  to  question. 

Genera. — The  first  dismemberment  of  the  Linua;aii  ^^enus 
Phoca,  after  the  removal  of  the  Eared  Seals  by  P6ron  in  ISHJ,* 


*F()r  u  discussion  of /'((««,  Scopoli,  1777,  see  j)08/t<i  luidor  tlif  genus  Halt- 
clicerus.  Tho  term  was  gcnciically  api)lieil  to  what  sceius  to  liiiv(  Ijcen 
Phoca  fcetida,  l>iit  fortunately  slimibered  for  a  centnry,  when  it  was  uiiiiap- 
pily  revived. 


TECHNICAL    IIISTOKY — OKNERA. 


415 


-was  ma<l«'  by  Nilsson  in  1820,*  who  separated  from  the  other 
EiuU'ss  Seals  the  (Iray  Seal  aiul  the  Crested  Seal,  which  formed 
tlic  types  and  sole  representatives,  respectively,  of  his  genera 
UitUcharm  (type,  Ilulichwrux  gr incus,  Nils.,  =  Phoca  grifpus. 
I'iilu'.),  and  Ci/stophora  (type,  Ci/fitophora  borealis,  Nils.  =  Plioca 
cristiit<i,  Erxl.).  These  genera  became  soon  widely  recognized, 
;iii(l  have  been  (with  the  exceptions  soon  to  bo  noticed)  since 
ciiiicntly  adoj)ted.  The  next  dismemberment  was  virtnally 
ctlccted  by  J^'h'mingt  in  iSL'ii  by  suggesting  that  the  ^ronk  or 
^Icditerraneaii  Seal  might  recinire,  with  jiossibly  others,  to  be 
]iliic('(l  in  a  genus  Mo)iachits,  with  the  Pltora  monavhus  of  ITer- 
iiiiinii  as  th*!  typi'.f 

!•'.  ('nvier§  in  1SU4,  either  ignorant  of,  or  ignoring,  the  generic 
sc|)arations  made  by  Nilsson  and  Fleming  (as  he  makes  no  ref- 
I'leiice  to  them),  divid«'d  the  geinis  I'ltoca  of  i)receding  authors 
into  live  genera,  namely:  1.  CiiUoci'plmJm  (type,  Vhnca  ritulina, 
Linn.);  2.  ntcnnrhynchits  {ty\»\  Pliovaleptony.);  lihiinv.);  .*?.  Pela- 
f/(((.s' (type,  lV<om  mouacltns,  Hermann);  4.  Stcmmatnpus  (type, 
Pliocd  vrlntata,  Erxleben);  5.  Mncrorhini(H\\  (type,  Phoca  pro- 

•••Skand.  Fanna,  i,  lSiiO,pi).;{7<),;{H2." 

♦  I'liilDsopliy  of  Zoology,  vol.  ii,  lg"i"i,  p.  187,  loot-note. 

t  l'!ciiiiiii^  niigfifHlcd  ratlwr  than  roiisHlutid  the  jrtnins  Moiiarhitx,  for  ho 
sinildy say.s  of  it  in  ii  l'oot-not(!  nntlei'  the  jj;enn.s  Phoca:  '".Some  seals,  as  Ph. 
imniiuhnH,  aio  said  to  h.ave  finir  incinors  in  each  jaw.  SiH;h  will  ho  prob- 
alily  cDiistitnted  into  a  new  K<'i"i'<.  nnder  the  title,  Monachns."  This  is  thti 
wlidlc  hasis  of  l'''leinin;^"s  ;fenus  Miniacliiis,  whieh  is  allowed  preoedenen  over 
r.  ('ii\  ier's  jjenns  I'l'laii'ms,  based  on  ii  detailed  account  of  the  distinctive 
•  raiiiiil  characters  of  I'lioca  mnnarhiis,  tojjether  with  a  ligure  of  the  skull. 
Other  Seals  than  I'hov.a  moiiacliiin  are  not  only  "said  to  liave,"  but  art;  well 
known  to  have  "four  incisors  ineachjaw",  and  mention  of /Viocrt  motuichus 
is  all  that  saves  Fleniinf^'s  genus,  for  it  cannot  bo  said  to  be,  characterized, 
and  oii;riit  n(,f,  <„  !,('  recognized  to  the  pr<;jndice  of  Pchujiux.  Upon  Dr.  Gray 
(Cat.  Seals,  TJrit.  Mus.,  IH"/))  ajjpears  to  fall  the  responsibility  of  reviving 
the  ;;ciieric  name  Monuvhux,  and  renaming  the  species  J/ohwc/iks  a/fciwuto' 
(ix  lio(ldai'rt), although  Nilsson  appears  to  have  itrevionsly  emjiloyed  it  in 
l'?:!7,  but  s]i(!edily  abandoned  it  for  I'diujUiH,  F.  Cuvier.  Says  Nils.son,  "  Ich 
liattf  ill  der  Vet.  Aeademiens  Handl.  fiir  18IJ7,  p.  'i'.\^y,  die  hierher  gehorige 
.\it  MiiiKichnx  meailcrramm  genannt,  aber  seitdeni  ich  erfahren,  class  Fr. 
Cuvier  dieselbe  schou  im  Diet,  d'hist.  nat.  nnter  dein  Nainem  Prlitffiiismonu- 
c/iK.f  lp('.-,i'hrieben,  scheint  niir  dieser  Name  wegen  seiner  Prioritiit  beibthalten 
"<nliii  zu  miissen." — JViqimanH's  Anh.fiir  Xattufi.,  1841,  i.  ]*.  'Mi*,  foot-i-ote. 

i^ Ann.  (In  Mus.  d'llisl.  Nat.,  vol.  xi,  1824,  pp.  174-200,  pll.  xii-xiv. 

I  !'"•  (  iivicr's  names  app«'ared  here  only  under  the  gallieized  forms  respect- 
ively ef  ('(lUoa'pliah;  Sli'itorluiiqiu;  Vvhxjv,  SIcmmttlope,  an<l  Macrorliiiw.  They 
^viic  fust  Latinized  as  iib  s  by  the  same  author  in  1821!  (Diet,  des  Scien. 
^iit.,  vol.  xxix,  182G,  pp.  r)4i-5.'j2),  but  naturalists  generally  loncnr  in  assign- 
ing li*-H  as  the  date  of  the  introduction  of  these  genera  into  .systennitie 
Jii'Tature. 


,  Ilii 


t 


I 


ft  I 


I'     • 


41G 


FAMILY    rilOCIDiE. 


I     i 


H 


boscidea,  I'eioii  =  I'hoca  Iconinu,  Liiiiu',  1758).  Of  these  geueia 
two  are  synonyms,  Stcin)nato2)Hs  being  antedated  four  years 
by  Cystophom  of  Nilsson,  and  rdiujlm*  two  years  by  Monu- 
chiis  of  Fleming,  in  eaeli  ease  the  two  hiter  names  being  the 
exact  e(iuivalents  of  the  earlier  ones.  Yet  Stemmatopim  and 
Pelayins  had  for  a  time  considerable  earrency,  particularly  witli 
French  and  English  Avriters.  The  name  Stenorhynchus  was 
doubly  preoccupied  for  genera  of  Articulates,  and  was  thus  un- 
tenable in  its  present  connection.  CallocephahiSj  as  originally 
used  by  its  author,  and  later  for  some  years  by  him  and  others, 
embraced  not  only  Pltoca  vituUna,  but  also  fcctida,  yrcenlandica, 
and  harbata,  as  well  as  numerous  nominal  species  referable  to 
these.  In  this  connection  it  should  be  noted  that  nothing  was 
now  left  to  represent  the  old  Linnteau  genus  Phoca,  which  thus 
became  wholly  set  aside.  In  1827  Grayt  proposed  the  genus 
Mirounga  (later  changed  by  him  to  MorungaX),  including  under 
it  Phoca  cristata,  Erxl.,  and  Phoc^  -oboscidea,  Peron,  besides 
three  nominal  species  referable  in  part  or  wholly  to  the  latter. 
In  1830  Wagler§  renamed  this  genus  Rhinophora  (type,  ^^Pfiom 
proboscidea,  Peron").  Dr.  Gray,  in  1837,  ||  proposed  the  genus 
Leptonyx  for  Lesson's  ^^Otaria  iceddellV\  which  has  been  since 
generally  current  for  that  species,  but  with  which,  however,  some 
authors  (as  Wagner,  184G,  Giebel,  1855)  have  associated  the 
Monk  Seal  of  the  Mediterranean  and  all  the  Antarctic  Phocids, 
except  the  Sea-Elephant.  The  name,  however,  is  antedated  l)y 
Leptonyx,  Swainson,  1832,  apjdied  to  a  genus  of  birds,  and  is 
hence  untenable  as  used  by  Gray  and  others  for  a  genus  of  Seals. 
In  1844  Dr.  Gray  introduced  four  additional  genera  among 
the  Phocidce,  which  have  since  been  more  or  less  comniouly 
adopted,  either  in  a  generic  or  subgeneric  sense.  These  are 
Pagophilus  (introduced  originally  as  "a  subgenus  of  CaUoccph 
alus^)  for  the  Harp  Sail  {Phoca  grcenlandica)',  io&of7o»  (type, 
Phoca  carcinophaga,  Ilomb.  and  Jacq.)  for  the  Antarctic  Crab 
eating  Seal,  and  Ommatophoca  (type,  0.  rossi,  n.  sp.),  based  on 
a  species  from  the  Antarctic  seas  here  lirst  described.  He  at 
the  same  time  revived  the  Linnoean  name  Phoca,  separating  the 

*  Thia  namo  is  viiriously  written  by  diflfercnt  anthorSjYis  Velagias,  I'elafjios, 
aucl  Pelagius. 

t  Griffith's  Auiiii.  Kiugd,,  vol.  v,  y.  179. 

iList  Osteolog.  Spec,  in  Brit.  Mns.,  1847,  p.  33  (species,  " MoriDKja  de- 
pnantinu"). 

^Natur.  Sysl.  Anipli.,  1830,  p.  27. 

1! Chuvles\v(.r(li'a  JIag.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  i,  1837,  p.  582. 


ip  Hi 


\q 


1  ;, 


TECHXirAL    HISTORY — (iKXKRA. 


417 


IJcaidcd  S,.:,I   iVom   (Uniocephdux  to  l.oar  tl.is  iiinnc.     Tr,.„ce 
(Cray's  -cnns  /Vu/m  (type  aiMl  solo  ,si,«.ci(.s  /V;wv^  /y^/Vyr,/.,)  l.ad 
lu.tlmi-  III  coiiiiiion   with  tli(>   Liiiiia-an   -onus  „r  that  name 
1.C1IIU  assi-ii,.,l  (oa  sp,>r,Vs  uiikiiowii  to  T.inn,'..  so  that  ZV/om' 
(.liiy.  as  here  (h'liiicMl,  was  virdially  a  new  ^(miiis.  ' 

III  is:.t  th..  sail...  author*  proposal  tla-  o^.m.s  JTclmphoen  for 
;i  nominal  species  which  ho  hiins.'lf  ton  years  later  relorrod  to 
Mn„arhu.  olhhrutn:  Fn  ISdtf  he  added  Halia/on  and  Pac/o. 
"'//^.  tlie  first  based  <,n  what  ho  described  as  a  now  species  from 
tlH'  west  coast  of  Xorth  America,  but  which  is  merely  the  Phoca 
ninhn,i  Iron,  the  Pacific,  and  the  other  on  the  ]?ingod  Seal 
(/•//.(■.  faruh,),  which  is  here  made  the  type  of  a  new  genus 
1  y»n,.s,  as  will  be  shown  later,  is  antedated  by  Pusa  of  Scopoli 

I"  1S<»0  Dr.  (Jill,  in  his  ^'Prodrome  of  a  Monograph  of  the 

iimilxMles,"!  instituted  the  genus  Engnathm  for  the  Phoca 
Mat,  of  auhors  (=  Phoca,  Gray),  and  insisted  on  the  rostom- 
ti..n  ot  Ihoca  lor  the  group  represented  by  Phoca  rituUna,  and 
111  .Iffciise  of  his  position  otiered  the  following:  '^n  the  Syst 
N;it.  l(.th  ed.,  n.-KS,  the  first  in  which  the  binomial  system  w^s 
n;  HMlnce.!,  our  species  were  included  by  Linnaeus  in  the  genus 
ilxm:  1  P.  m-sinus,  =  Arctocephalm  ursinus;  2.  P.  Iconina, 
=  Mnn-ornnm  Iconinm ;  3.  P.  romnarm,  =  Rosmarm  obesus; 
••  /.  nf„l,na.  The  name  Phoca  must  be  retained  for  one  of 
tlM'so.  and  as  tlu.  third,  socoml,  and  first  species  were  succes- 
s>v..Iy  .-Knated  to  the  rank  of  generic  types,  and  the  genus  was 
t  lus  by  olnmnation  restricted  to  the  fourth  species,  for  that  and 
n>  allies  the  generic  name  must  necessarily  be  reserved  " 

111  iv^ard  to  the  above  it  may  bo  added  that  Linne,  in  17CG 
'3st.Nat,  iL'th  ed.)  removed  his  Phoca  rosmarus  to  Trlchechus, 

.1  "  .•.•OM,  as  early  as  181G,  and  Desmarest  in  1817  as  well  as 
m  ls_o^  ,,.ierre<l  the  Phoca  nnina  to  Ofaria,  thus  leaving  under 
loco,  as  tn.rly  as  1810,  only  Phocn  leohuia  and  Phoca  vituUna. 

i  o!';u '''"'; '•"\/^-^''"^^'  respectively  the  types  of  his 
.•>ua.-Macrorli,no''(J/«cror/miw«),and ''Callocephale"  (CaZ^o- 
,rn!n  M'f'"'  '"'  l>"I>*'^^-«»^itle^l"l)e  quolques  especes  de 
I  luis  et  des  groupos  genoriques  entre  losquels  clles  se  parta- 
'"•^"t,  II  i,ut  Calhc'phalus  is  the  first  genus  mentioned,  and  Phoca 
•i>,.,„.  V..".  oT  '  "■,:  '~''.  "7-:r\ ^ I 


tlbid.,  18G4,  pp.  t8,  cl  seq. 


'''i"c.Zoo!.  Soc.  Loud.,  1854,  p.  43. 
:l'rn,..  I.:s,s,.x  in.sj.,  vol.  v,  18C6,  i>p.  4-13. 
,;  ;^'^;;'  -'1  ^"-"••>;  Voy.  .u  Torres  Aust.,  ii,  181,;,  p.  41 ;  Xouv.  Diet. 
I        f'  ^"..  V..1.  XXX-.  1817,  ,,.  .TO:  Miiiiun.,  1820,  .,.  219. 

''^''■"'-  '1"  Mils.  .rrrist.Nai.  xi,  1824,  pp.  174-214. 
-^IiM'.  Pub.  Xo.  12 -27 


''■'  4 

'):.i 


m 


>  V 


fin 


418 


FAMILY   PHOCIDiE. 


'11 


vitulina  is  especially  designated  as  the  type.  As  both  geueia 
were  published  siimiltaiieously,  i»iefereiic<'  should  be  clainuMl  for 
Callocephcdm,  as  it  oceurs  rifjfhteeii  pa^es  earlier  in  the  paper 
than  Mncrorhiniis.  Thus  the  process  of  eliininatiou  necessitat^.N 
on  the  principle  above  iini)lied,  and  in  accordance  with  a  com- 
monly  recognized  rule  in  such  cases,  the  restriction  of  Phoaitu 
Linne's  Fhoca  leonina.  This,  however,  seems  so  contrary'  to  the 
traditions  of  Phoca,  wliich  from  1735  to  the  present  day  Inis 
been  generally  associated  by  the  majority'  of  writers  with  ritn- 
Una  and  its  nearest  allies,  that  it  seems  an  act  of  violence  tti 
transfer  it  to  what  is  logi<;ally  its  legitimate  connection  with 
leonina,  thereby  making  i)/r/cror7</»w.s'  a  synonym  of  the  restricted 
genus  PItocit,  notwithstanding  that  it  has  been  universally  ac 
cepted  for  half  a  century  for  the  Sea-Elephants,  wliileP//om lias 
not  for  an  equal  length  of  time  been  looked  upon  ashavuig  any 
intimate  relationship  with  that  group.  In  view  of  the  Tradition 
and  usage  of  the  case  it  seems  best  to  waive  the  technicality 
here  involved  and  suffer  Phoca  to  retain  its  time-honored  assn 
ciations.* 

As  regards  further  subdivision  of  the  PJiocidcv,  Dr.  Gray, 
in  18G0,t  proposed  TZii?//?/*//***^  as  a  generic  name  for  Peale's//!!- 
Uchcerus  aniarcUcxis  (=  Phoca  pedlei,  Gill),  while  Dr.  Gill,  in 
1872,1  substituted  Leptonyckotes  for  Leptonyx,  Gray,  (183(5,  wc 


*  In  this  connection  referenco  may  be  very  properly  iiiado  to  Prof.  Alfi'd 
Newton's  Paper  "On  tlio  Assignation  of  a  Type  to  Linnajan  Genera,  witl; 
especial  reference  to  the  Genns  SIrix"  (Ibis,  3(1  sor..  vi,  187G,  pp.  94-10.")),  in 
Avhich  ho  very  reasonably  maintains  that,  as  Linnd  liatl  no  notion  of  a  type 
species  as  commonly  nsed  by  modern  systematists,  we  shonld  make  him 
"the  interpreter  of  his  own  intentions"  by  imagining  him  "  pnt  in  our  place 
and  called  on  to  show  which  ho  would  consider  his  type  sjiccics  according 
to  modern  ideas."    This  ho  claims  can  bo  accomplished  by  giving  some 
degree  of  attention  to  the  works  of  Linnd's  predecessors,  which  will  enable  j 
one  to  hnnt  down  almost  every  name  nsed  by  him,  since  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  Linnd's  generic  names  were  adopted  by  him  from  preceding autiiori. 
"by  whom  the  majority  were  nsed  .ibsolntely  and  in  a  specitic  sense.    When 
this  was  the  case,"  coutinnes  Professor  Newton,  "thert^  can  scarcely  he  a 
reasonable  donbt  that  Liniuens,  had  he  known  onr  modern  practice,  would  | 
have  designated  as  the  typo  of  his  genus  that  species  to  which  the  name  be  j 
adopted  as  generic  hadfonnerly  been  specifically  applied."    As  regards  tbel 
present  case,  there  can  bo  no  doubt  that  under  this  rule  tho  proper  type  of  I 
the  Linna'an  genns  Phoca  is  the  common  small  Seal  of  the  European  shores. I 
the  Fhoca  viinUna  of  Linnd,  and  th.at  CallocephaJm  is  strictly  a  synouyuioij 
Phoca, 

tAnn.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  xvii,  18Gti,  p.  446. 

t  Families  of  Mannnals,  p.  70. 


TKCIINICAL    iriSTOliY— GENERA. 


419 


Svvauis„u  l8L'l),and  in  J.S7;5*  in,sHtute.l  the  gcumJIistnophoca 
tor  the  7  lioca  Jawiata  of  Sliaw  (=  i».  equcsfrh,  Pjillas) 

IN'tHs,  m  LS7.-,,t  fin.lino-  ti.^t  Mr.  ohl  -(Micric,  .uunc  AVe^o/V^vu- 
r/-'^v  ..I  ]- .  (,  uvuT,  which  had  lu-on  cnnvntly  ivccivcd  since  1S24 
as  flu.  ^vncn,.dcsio,„tion  of  th,.  Sca-Lcopaid  «.f  tho  Antarctic 
Sens,  was  preoccn,,!,.!  foia-cnnsof  Crustaceans  fwhich  it  was 
;.l»i  -y..  l.v  Lan.ark  in  isi!,,  .s  well  as  for  a  «vnus  of  insects 
'■;  ^-N  l.roj,ose,l  M.  its  place  the  name  (hjmorhlnm.  Finally 
0.11  I.as  lecentl.v  revive.l  tla-  name  rnsa  (8eo,)oIi,  J 777)  for  the 
<Tay  Seal  n.  place  <,f  JlaUrluvrxs,  .Mlsson,  J820,  Imt,  as  will  bo 
^liowM  later,  7'/w,  i,s  j,„t  tenabh-  in  this  connection 

At  tins  point  the  following  meowc'of  the  subject  n.ay  be  pre- 
sent.. ,  synonyn.s  and  untenable  names  beinj,^  designated  by 

^^'~'''Z:  !:''':"\"'^*'^"'^  '•""•  '^l-^i-.  l-'lonKing  to  three  foinilies  and 
limr  (lishnut  genera. 

I"7-/'«.w,  Se(),,„]i,  =.  VhomfwIUlu,  Fal.ririus. 
,,.,^,j  IlHJUharnx,  r^Wsson,  =  J'hoca  ;jn,p„s,  Fal.ricius. 
(  CiMophom,  Nil8fson,  =  /'/(o™  vrktot,i,  Erxleb.-u 
m-Momwhi.,  F],.,.m,-.^/'/,om  mo««c7,».v,  Ilrnnann 

'  "?W,7>A«/«,s,-  F.  Cnvi,.r,  tyi.o,  /./,oc«  ,•//./,„«,  Liund. 
Senorhynchus    F.  Cuvier,  =  iV,om  Wpton,,,.  Blah^viUe.     Preoccu- 
K.,4       l>ie«l  111  eareiiiolo^vy  and  entomolotry. 

j  Pelagius,  F.  Cnvier,^iV(ora  motnichm,  llertnaun 
Stemmatopus,  F.  Cuvicr,  =  /V,„m  ,r/.s/«/rt,  Erxlcbun 
M/mr,„7u-»».s.»F.  Cuvier,  =  i'/(o,.«  k'OHiH«,  LinuiS. 
'  r^IIT'T'  <■'■'■:•' 7 ^->'«i''">'-".  ^^iI.sso^,  and  Macrorhinns,  F.  Cuvier. 

SS:^"-''^"'''""''''"""  '"'''""''  ^-  ^"^^^^-    P-occupicdiu 
r/%o/>/u7»,5,  Oray,:=.P7,om  ijrwnhnuUca,  Fabricius. 
^^^y,  Luhoilon,  Gmy,=  Phoca  mrcinophaga,  Ilomb.  and  Jacn 
I  Ommatophoca,  Gvay,  =  0.  rossi,  n.  sp.,,  Gray. 
iPhoca,  Gray,  nee  Lvm6,  =  Phoca.  barhata,  Fabricius. 

(  Pagomys,  Gray,  ^  /'Aom  fatida,  Fabricius. 
i  '•■n;i„athHH,  (im,  =  Pltoca  barhata,  Fabricius 
'  <     Su''^""'  ^"''^'-^"^''^""•"'  <^ntarcHcnB,  V^^\e,^Phoca  vitulina, 

^r^Vhu,„-l,oU,,  G\\\,=.L,ptomjx,  Gray,  noc  Swaiuson. 
I  '^<']~n>Htvtophoca,  Gi]],==  PhocafascMta,  Shaw. 
'-'■>~0,n,,,,,u,n>s,  roU'rH,=Ste„orh!,nchus,  F.  Cuvier,  nee  Lamark. 

'AiD.r.  \af..  vol.  vii,  1S7:?,  p.  ]7i).  ■ 

tM"i.atsl,.  Kr.ngl.  l>nMi«s.  Alvad.  d  Wissens.  zu  Berlin,  1875,  p.  393. 


mi: 


n  1 


■^m 


K  :    i 


ft  M: 


r  " 


I 


: 
» 


n; 


iiP 


It 


420 


I'AMILY    rHOCID/K 


{Stcii  <>rhiiitrlii(.s  iiiid  /.r/>/f>»//,r)  m'tc  iircoci'iipUMl  in  other  dc- 
]);iitint'iits  ul'  /.(Miloiiv,  and  cniisccnu'iitl.v  uiitciiiiltlc ;  ten  wciv 
«'\<'liisiv»'l,v  l»as»'(l  (III  lour  si>(-ci('s,  so  lliaf  six  ot'tiicsc  Ion  iimy 
be  set  down  as  jmuv  synoiiyniis.  TJic  icniaininf^'  Ihiitccn  liuvc 
at  times  been  more  or  less  enrrent,  eitlier  in  a  j^eneric  or  Mih 
p'uerie  sense.  liul  leading'  writers  have  eniidoyed  se\er;il  di 
them  witii  \vi(h'ly  difVerin;;  scopes.  Calloccitliahis,  as  al  lirst 
used,  wassynonynions  with  /V<o(vf,aseoninioidy  interpreted,  ('al- 
locephalm  beinj;' einpU)yed  I'or  all  of  the  smaller  species  of  the 
family  (ritidiHa,  /wtida,  (ir<vnl<tn(nc(t,J'tinciafa,  caspica,  &c,  '.vitli 
all  their  numerous  synonyms,  as  well  as  for  harbata).  in  the 
subjoined  history  of  the  species  of  the  family,  the  varying  .si<(- 
nifi(Muce  attache*!  by  difterent  writers  to  the  more  prominent 
generic  names  will  become  sutlicieutly  apparent,  but  in  the  i»ros- 
ent  connection  ii  few  examples  may  be  cited. 

In  1820,  Desmarest  placed  all  the  riiiiiipeds,  except  tlic 
AValruses,  under  Phoca,  which  he  divided  into  tAVO  snbf^eiicia 
("sous-genre") — Phoca  (including  all  the  Pliociihv  of  recent  au 
thors)  and  Otaria  {  =  OtarlUliv  of  late  writers),  in  this  followiiif; 
Peron's  classification  of  1810.  F.  Cuvier,  in  1824,  divided  tiic 
Earless  Seals  into  tive  genera,  w  hich  classification  was  followed 
by  the  same  writer  in  1821),  and  by  TjCssou  in  1827,  when  lio 
adopted  strictly  the  generic  nomenclature  of  F.  Cuvic;,  but 
abandoned  it  in  1828.  Gray,  at  about  the  sanuj  date,  employed 
only  two  genera,  Phoca  and  Miroiinya,  while  Fischer,  in  1829, 
placed  all  the  species  once  more  in  Phoca. 

Nilsson,  in  1837,  recognized  live  genera, — Stcnorhynchiis,  Feh- 
gins,  Phoca,  HaUchcenis,  and  Cystophora.  Gray,  in  1844  and  in 
18.>0,  adopted  ten, — Lohodoii,  Leptonyx,  Oinmatophoca,  Stem- 
rhynchus,  Pelagius,  CaUocephaJuH,  Pafjophiius,  Phoca  (with  one 
species),  HaUchairus,  Moriinga,  and  Cystophora.  Wagner,  in 
1840,  adopted  four, — Halicharus,  Phoca  (with  six  species),  Lep- 
tonyx  (with  five  species),  and  Cystophora.  Turner,  in  1840,  ad 
mitted  eight, — Monmga,  Cystophora,  llaliclmrm,  Ommutophun 
(ty]»ographi('al  error  for  Ommatophoca),  Lohodon,  Lcptonyx,  Stm- 
rhyiichits,  and  Phoca.  (liebel,  in  18")"),  adopted  the  same  genera 
as  Wagner  in  1840.  Gray,  in  1800  and  in  1871,  admitted  tliii 
teen, — Lohodon,  Leptonyx,  Ommatophoca,  Stenorhynchns,  ^foll(l■ 
chus,  Calh,ccphalvs,  Pagomys,  Pagophihts,  Ualicyoii,  Phoca,  //«'< 
chants,  Moninga,:\\n\  Cystophora;  Gill, in  I80()and  1872,  twelve,— 
Phocit,  Pagoiiiys,  Pagophilas,  Erlgnaihus,  llalichwrns,  Monnchnx. 
Cystophora,  Macrorhiniis,  Lohodon,  IStcnorhynchiis,  Le2>tonyr,iiw\ 
Ommatophoca  ;  in  1877,  twelve, — Phoca,  Pagophilvs,  ErUjnaikn, 


TECIIXIL'AL    IIISTOKY SPECIES. 


421 


ill 


IlLslriophoca,  Pu.s((,  Moiiaclni.s,  Ci/shtpliora,  MtwrorhinmyLohodon, 
(himorliinuN,  Leptuni/rhofrs,  and  Ommutophoca.  While  Dr.  (Jill 
urof'iiizod  the  .siiiiie  intmhcr  of  jioiu'ia  in  1S77  as  in  18(JG,  the 
iKimciKlatiirc  is  (luitc  (liircrciit ;  l)iif  tins  is  due  niaiiily  to  simply 
cliiiiiucs  ol"  naiiios,  as  the  snhstitiitioii  of  J'ii.s<i  iov  JIalicha'rm, 
[)['  Oljiiiorhijiiis  for  Striiorliijitrliiis,  and  ol"  Lrptinii/cliotcs  Wh'  Lcj)- 
t(ii)>i.v;  l>ut  in  the  later  enumeration  r<i(jnm}is  is  omitted  and  ///«- 
triophorti  is  added. 

S()  far  as  the  number  of  j^'enera  is  eoiu'erned,  the  j;reatest  difter- 
ciicc  (if  opinion  has  always  ol)tain(>d  in  respeet  to  the  I'hocina; 
all  tlie  nuMubers  of  which  f^ronp  are  eontined  to  the  Xortherii 
llt'iuisphere.  Gray,  after  18(»4  ( 1804-1.S7 1),  uniforndy  recog- 
nized seven;  Gill,  180(5-1877,  six,  «)nly  two  of  whien  {llnViehai- 
r;/.vaiid  Mondchua,  about  whii-h  autlun's  •;enerally  have  for  many 
years  been  in  unison)  were  the  exact  e«piivalents  of  Gray's 
;;viR'ra;  but  the  chief  disagreement  consisted  in  Gill's  use  of 
Vhmx  for  what  Gray  termed  CaUoeephaJus,  and  of  ErUjnathm  for 
what  Gray  termed  IVioca.  Lilljeborg*,  in  1874,  referred  all  of 
the  s])ecies  of  the  Phocincv,  except  HalkhvcruH  (jrypnn  (and  Mo- 
iHwhus  ({Unrcnter,  which  latter  is  not  there  treated),  to  the  geuus 
I'hocH,  and  von  Ileuglin  the  same  year  did  the  same,  except  that 
I'luitnni/s,  Fagophilus,  and  CaUocepIialus  (the  latter  being  applied 
til  (\  harhnta)  were  recogni/ed  as  subgenera  under  Phoca.  The 
ilassilication  and  nomendatui'e  of  Gicbel  (1855),  Bhisius  (1857), 
Malnisren  (18G3),  and  Holmgren  (18G5)  are,  generically,  the 
same  as  Lilljeborg's  in  1874.  The  tendency  has,  in  short,  been 
to  refer  all  the  species  of  Phoeiiuv,  with  the  two  exceptions  al- 
ready si)ecified,  to  the  Linurean  genus  Phoca. 

Spkcies. — Although  Seals  have  iigured  in  works  on  natural 
history  since  the  time  of  liondelet,  Olaus  Magnus,  and  Gesuer 
(1551-ir)55),  it  is  unnecessary  in  the  present  connection  to  refer 
in  detail  to  those  earlier  Morks,  since  dov  u  to  the  time  of  Steller 
(ITol),  all  the  Phocids  or  Earless  Seals  known  to  systematic 
writers  were  referred  to  the  common  Seal  (ZVtom  vitiUina,  auct.) 
tit' tile  shores  of  Middle  and  Northern  Europe.  This  indeed  was 
tlie  (iiily  si)ecies  recognized  by  Linue,  from  the  Ncn-thern  llem- 
isiiliere,  even  in  the  last  (17(iG)  edition  of  his  "Systema  Naturic." 
But  other  species  had  been  incideiitally  and  vaguely  described 
'jy  tlie  early  Gri^enland  missiojiaries,  and  by  explorers  and  trav- 
ellers in  both  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  regions,  to  which  refer- 


I'liMiiM  Svcrigca  dcIi  Norgcs  Ilyggradsdjur,  i,  Diiggdjinrn,  pp.  ()()7-729. 


!& 


hmi 


li 


l 

|.:  1;, 

f! 

li  !■    a  '. 

i     '■   ■; 

M 

■   i 

422 


rAMll.Y    I'HOClDi*:. 


once  is  iH'CJ'ssary,  since  llicscdcsciiptioiis  lu'cainc  liitcrtlie  bnsjs, 
ill  part  or  wholly,  of  various  systciiiatic  iiaiiu's. 

As  early  as  1711  tlie  llaip  Seal  ami  the  ^'rested  Seal  wen 
li;{iire<l  (or  caricatured)  l»y  Mji'ede*  under  the  names  respect ivch 
of  Snn'f.siide  and  Kltipm'iHs.  \\v  says  in  theaccompanyiuy  text 
tiial  Seals  are  of  dilVerent  soils  and  sizes,  l»ut  have  all  the  same 
shipe,  e\<'ept  tiie  h'hiinniits,  whicii  is  the  oidy  s|)ecies  he  ex- 
pressly dislin.nnishes  in  the  text.  l']llis,t  in  17IS,  ay;ain  rudely 
li;;ured  these  two  species  undei'  tlie  luiuies  "  IMackside  Seal" 
and  "Seal  witii  a  ("awl".  .Uthouj^h  lie  jiivcsof  them  nodeseriit- 
tions,  sidtse(|ueut  systematic  writers  ha\'e  seen  lit  to  cite  the 
nauH's  and  lit;nres  j^iven  by  hotli  tliese  writers,  but  tlieir  interesi 
is  purely  historic. 

The  same  year  (174S)  was  also  published  in  Anson's  ••Von- 
aj;<'"T:  tlie  lirst  specially  impiutant  a<'count  of  the  Southern  Soii 
Mleiihant  ("Sea  laon"  of  Anson),  since  it  became^  later  the  basis 
of  Liniie's  Plami  iconina,  and,  besides,  is  one  of  the  fullest  ami 
most  exi»licit  descrii)tions  of  the  habits  of  the  spe(!ies  extant. 

Stollor,  in  his  meimur  entitled  '"  J^e  llestiis  ^Nlarinis",  i»ublislie(l 
ill  17rvl,§  distinjiuished  three  spiicies  of  Seals  as  follows :  "nis 
tiiiji'uo  autem  plioeas  ratiouo  inajiiiitudinis  in  tres  sjiecies.  in 
iiiaximam,  (luae  maH'nitiidine  Tanrum  sni)erat,ae  soliimmodoiii 
oceano  Orientali  a  {jfradii  latitudinis  ."iO.  ad .")!).  o(!currit,  nv.  in  <'(ilis 
'■  Kamtschatieis  Lachtak  vocatur.  Mediae  maj:;nitiidinis, (piae oiii 
nes  Tipidum  instar,  nuiltis  exijufuis  nuu'ulis  variac  sunt,  ;>.  in 
flmae  magnitiulinis,  ut  Oceaniea,  (luae  tarn  in  mari  r.idthico, 
quam  eirea  portum  Sti  Avchaiiseli,  in  iSuecia,  >iorwegia,  Anier 
lea  et  Kamtscliatkaca])itur,  etlacustris  duhnum  aquarnm  iiioiid 
cbroa  sen  uuicolor,  lit  Baikali  ea  coloiis  argoutei."  Tlu^  first 
two  of  the  species  here  thii.s  briefly  meutuuied,  have  been  (luotcil 
by  Sclireber,  Krxlebeu,  Giueliii,  and  by  some  later  writciis.  as 
i'es])ectively,  "P/tom  maxium,  Steller"  (also  ^'' Lachtalc,  Stelltn"), 
and  '■'■rhoca  oceaniea,  Steller,"  the  lirst  being  referred  to  Phocn 
barhata,  and  the  other  sometimes  to  Phoea  vituUna  and  soinetiincs 
to  Phoca  grcenlatuliea. 

Ill  1741:  Parsons  ])ublislied  a  paper  eutitled  "  Some  Account 

*Det  gamlo  Gr^ulaiuls  iiyo  Perlystratioii,  oiler  Natural-Historic,  o;^  Resk- 
rivol.se  over  (let  j^aniloGrpiilands  Situation,  Lul't,  Temperament  ogDeslialTcii 
lied,  ete.    1711.    Plate  faeiu}?  p.  4(if  He  also  figures  the  common  Seal  uiuler 
the  name  Sprafilef. 

t  A  Voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay,  etc;.,  174H,  plato  facing  p.  131. 

t  A  Voyage  around  the  World  in  1740-1744,  p.  172. 

$  Nov.  Comm.  Aead.  Petrop.,  toni.  ii,  p.  290. 


^>f' 


■'  •  J 


Ti:( ' 1 1 N  1( ■  A r.    U ISTORY — SPF.CIES. 


423 


of  tlic  r/imii,  \'itnliis  nuiiiiius,  or  Sca-Ciilf,  slicwod  at  Charin^- 
Cross,  ill  Kcliniary,  17 1--' IT',*  coiitaiiiin};  a  plato  illiistrativcof 
tlic  iiiiiinal.  l-'ifi'iiri'  mw,  it  Is  said  by  the  author,  ''  IJoprosoiits 
tlic  IMioca  I.viii;;' upon  the  ri^-ht  sich',  that  t ho  belly  and  Parts 
()|'(!('ii('iiitioii  may  be  tlu^  bettor  observed."  lie  says  the  animal 
\viis\eiy  yoiiiiji',  "thouji'li  Seven  Foot  and  half  in  Leiifith,  haviiij; 
scarce  any  Tooth,  and  haviii,irl"'onr  Holes  re.i;iilaily  placed  about 
the  naval,  as  appears  by  tli(>  l'M,t;iire,  which  in  lime  become  hi- 
pilltv."  This  aec(tunt,  as  will  bo  noticed  later,  has  lin'iifod  very 
pioiiiinently  in  relation  to  the  history  of  the  IJoarded  Seal  (I'lioea 
hdrhofd,  auet.),  esi)ecially  in  reference  to  its  rij;lit  to  a  jilace  in 
the  r.iitish  I'^inna, 

III  IT.").'*  the  same  author,  in  a  paper  entitled '' A  Dissertation 
ii|inii  the  Class  of  the  IMiix^ao  ;Mariiiae,''t  formally  described 
live  "speeios"  under  the  ti'rm  riiora,  of  which  three  were  eari- 
catiired  in  tij>ur<'s.  in  the  way  of  eritieisni  of  his  ])apor,  it  is 
]iciliaps  eiiouyh  to  say  that  one  of  his  specaos  is  a  compound  of 
the  Maiiate(>  and  the  Soa->ilepliant  {i.e.,  "  !\ranati.  Do  Laot" 
ami  "Sea-lion,  Lord  Anson").  Another,  based  (ni  (Jrew's 
''Loiij'-nocked  Seal",  from  sin  unknown  locality,  is  evidently 
some  kind  of  Otary.  His  "Common  Seal",  his  "Tortoise-headed 
Seal",  and  his  "Lonj;-bodied  Seal",  are  evidently  Phocids,  but 
till!  .short  diajiuosos  give  no  distinctive  characters,  and  the  spe- 
cies, as  here  described,  are  consequently  unrecoj^nizable.  The 
last  named,  which  was  orij;inally  described,  as  already  noticed,  iu 
1744,  has  been  usually  referred,  but  {generally  with  doubt,  to  the 
PhocK  bnrhaia,  mainly  on  account  of  its  large  size,  but  his  figure 
uives  other  characters  that  render  it  pretty  certain  that  this  is  a 
coiToct  allo(;ation.  His  "  Common  SeaP'  has  been  ])resumed  to  be 
the  Vhoca  ritulino.  Two  of  these  were  introduced  iuto  techni- 
cal iioiiieiiclaturo  by  Kerr  in  1792,  on  which  Shaw  imposed  addi- 
tional names  in  1800. 

In  l7oS  liinne,  in  the  tenth  edition  of  the  "  Syhtenui  Xaturoe", 
yavc  four  species  under  the  genus  Phoca,  namely;  1,  Phoca 
)irsin<(  (based  exclusively  on  Steller's  ^'UrsiiH  marinus^^)',  2, 
Phova  lennina  (based  ex(!lusively  on  Anson's  "Sea  Lion");  3, 
Phoca  rosmarus  (the  Walrus) ;  and  4,  Phoca  vittiUna,  with  its  hab- 
itat (lelinod  as  "IMari  Europajo".  In  the  twelfth  edition  of  the 
■same  work  (17GG)  the  third  species  above  named  was  removed  to 
the  genus  Trichcehits,  and  Ellis's  figure  of  the  "Seal  with  a 


'Pliil.  Trans.,  vol.  xlii,  for  the  years  1742  and  1743  (1744),  p.  383,  pi.  i. 
tlltid.,  vol.  xlvii,  17r.l-17.'->-2  (17.53),  pp.  109-12-2,  pi.  vi. 


V^ 


'  mm 

■  ( 

1 

1 

1 

I 

If   il 


:ivi| 


:lf; 


hirl---'  J^'^^ir 


424 


FAMILY    I'lKK'Il)^. 


I'iiwl''  is  cUcd  iiiulcr  Pltixv  leonina,  thereby  incept  in;;'  the  eon- 
i'lision  ol'tlie  Ciest'd  Seal  of  tlie  Arotie  Sens  with  the  Sea-l-^Ie- 
phuiil  of  the  Soiithei'u  Ilemisithere  which  prevailed  more  or  les.s 
j;-eiierally  for  the  next  (luaiter  of  a  century,  riioca  ritiilino  wax 
thus  the  only  northern  IMiocid  here  <listinctively  reci>;,'iii/e(l. 

A  second  notice  of  Seals  on  th(>  basis  of  Steller's  observations, 
and  one  that  has  lij;ured  i>roniinenMy  in  the  history  of  the  suit- 
ject,  is  contained  in  Ivraschinenikow's  ''History  of  Kanit- 
schatka",  publishetl  in  17(54,* — a  work  avowe<lly  l)ased  largely 
on  Steller's  MSS.  (Iricve's  translation  of  tiie  ]>assas't;  relating 
to  the  Seals  is  as  follows:  ''There  arereconed  to  be  four  sorts 
of  this  aninuil ;  the  very  laryest  of  which  iscatched  from  o(P  to 
04°  of  north  latitude.  This  sort  ditfers  from  the  others  in  its 
bulk,  which  exceeds  that  of  a  larye  ox.  The  second  species  is 
about  the  size  of  a  yearliu};  bullock.  Their  skin  is  of  ditlercnt 
colours,  something  like  the  skin  of  a  tygcr,  liavinj;'  several  si>ots 
of  equal  larjjeness  on  the  back,  with  a  white  and  yellowish  belly. 
Their  joun^'  ones  are  as  white  as  snow.  The  third  is  yet  less 
than  the  former.  Its  skin  is  yellowish,  with  large  cherry-col 
oured  circles,  which  take  up  uear  the  half  of  its  surfac*'.  The 
fourth  kind  is  seen  in  the  large  lakes  of  Baikaal  and  Oroniu:  Its 
size  is  like  those  tliat  are  found  uear  Archangel;  and  their  colour 
is  whitish."  These  iudicatious,  though  so  vague,  have  served, 
either  in  part  or  solely,  as  the  basis  of  several  of  the  species  of 
the  later  systematic  writers,  they  being  referred  to  lUMuerioally 
as  the  "  First  sort  of  Seal",  the  '<  Fourth  sort  of  Seal",  etc. 

The  first  really  important  account  of  the  Seals  of  the  !Xoith- 
eru  Seas  is  that  given  by  Cranz  in  17G5,  in  his  "Ilistorie  von 
Gronlaud,"  in  which  he  enumerates  and  brietly  (characterizes 
all  of  the  five  species  of  Seals  hunted  or  commouly  met  with  in 
Greenland.  Although  his  descriptions  are  in  most  eases  meagre, 
and  relate  more  to  the  habits  of  the  species  and  to  their 
useAil  products  than  to  their  external  characters,  his  species 
are,  from  one  circumstance  or  another,  so  easily  recognized 
that  there  has  never  been  much  uncertainty  in  regard  to  them. 

*  I  t'ito  Grievo's  (English)  translation  (1  vol.,  4to)  from  the  original  Kus- 
sian,  published  in  I7()4,  wherein  the  matte  r  relating  to  the  Seals  appears  at 
jioge  lie.  There  is  also  a  Freueh  translation  (2  vols.  12mo)  publisliod  iu 
1767,  which  is  often  quoted  hy  French  authors.  Thi>  work  (pioted  by  Ger- 
man writers  as  Steller's  "  Bcschreibung  von  den  Landc  Kamtscliatka" 
(1  vol.  8vo,  1774 — which  I  have  not  been  able  to  see),  seems  to  be,  so  far  as 
the  matter  relating  to  the  Seals  is  concerned,  merely  a  German  vcrsiou  of 
the  same  work. 


tkciinica:  history — spkciiv<!. 


425 


':):  fi. 


Tlit'v  arc,  1.  Tht;  Kastiujiak  {  —  IVioca  vitiiUiKt);  l;.  Alhn-malc 
{^  riioia  (/rccnkmdica);  .'5.  NeitseJc  {=rho<afa:ti(l<t)',  4.  Neitcr- 
sotih; ri\\h'd  also  Chpmutz  (  -  Cijutophora  ohluin)]  iiiul  5.  (//.v»/i 
[— Et'UjnuihuH  hiirhutuH).  Tlio  Neitsulc  or  IMiifjecl  Soal  {Vhoca 
I'ltlidd)  ai>iu'ar.s  to  be  here  ibr  tlte  (Irst  time  iiidieuted. 

I'rnniiiit,  in  1771,  ibriujilly  ijitroduccd  three  speeiea  into  liis 
"t5yiM)i)siH  of  QuadruiK'ds"  mtdor  Enylisli  iianios,  the  Neitsck 
apiit'iirin^'  under  tlie  naiiKs  •' Kougli  Seal."  His  (h'seription  of 
this  speeieH  is  based  wholly  on  Cnin/,  and  tliose,  of  the  "Harp" 
and  "  Ibunled"  Seals  on  J'^^^ede  and  Cran/.  In  177G  these  spe- 
cies all  received  systematic!  names  at  the  hands  of  Fabricius,  in 
an  iiiedited  MS.  in  ^liiller's  "Zooloyiie  Danicie  I'rodronnis"  (x). 
vili  of  the  Introduction,  received  after  the  nu  in  body  of  the 
Avork  Mas  printed),  except  the  long  previously  nained  Kassigiak 
(Vhoca  rifuUna).  Fabrieius's  names,  however,  were  unaccompa- 
nii'd  by  descriptions,  but  carried  with  them  the  common  Ice- 
landic and  (Jreenlandic  names  of  the  species  indicated,  by 
means  of  which  they  are  susceptible  of  strict  identitication, 
aside  from  their  being  identilied  later  by  Fabrieius's  own  dc- 
wriptions  and  references  to  tliem.  The  following  is  a  bteral 
transcript  of  Fabrieius's  inedited  list : 

"PIIOCA  leonina  capite  antico  cristato.,  I.  Blandruseh.    Gr. 
yeiherxoal: 
'^Vh.fcctida,  I.  VUth\    Gr.  Neitsek.  Neitsilek, 
"Ph.  f/rcenlcnuliea,  I.  Vadcsclr.    Gr.  Atdk. 
''Ph.  harhaiit,  I.  Oramsclr,    Gr.  Urksiilc.^^  * 
Here  is  the  origin  of  the  names  still  in  current  use  for  three 
ot  the  four  species  here  named  by  Fabricius.  t 

Sinudtancously  with  the  publication  of  Midler's  "Prodromus" 
must  have  appeared  the  lirst  fasciculus  of  the  third  part  of 
Schrcbor's  "Siiugthiere"  (as  appears  by  contemiioraneous  evi- 
dence, although  the  completed  part  bears  date  1778),  in  which 
all  these  and  two  other  species  of  Seals  are  described,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  common  Phoca  vitulina.  In  the  text  they  are 
mentioned  only  under  vernacuhir  names,  but  the  plate  of  the 

*  Ic  is  worthy  of  note  in  this  couuection  that  Miiller  liimsolf,  on  page  1  of 
ibo  "PrndidiiiuH."  under  Phoca  viiulhia,  cites  llio  names  of  "Klapmiits" 
•luil  '■Sviiitsido."  He  then  yivos  a  list  of  Icelandic,  Grcenlandic,  and  other 
vemaenlar  names  of  Seals,  respecting  which  ho  says  information  is  desira- 
Ijlf,  iir.il  uMh  "variotates  an  si)eciesr'  Yet  Miiller  is  ((uite  commonly 
Tiotcdiis  the  authority  for  these  Fabriciau  names. 

^The  liisr.  species  of  the  list  bears  the  name  previously  given  by  Liund  to 
tlie  .Soa-Llon  of  the  Antarctic  Seas. 


I 


426 


FAMILY    PIIOCID.^. 


I  ■■  I  ■ 


"Neitsek"  bears  the  iianio  PAom  hispida,  between  which  and 
Pabricins's  Phocu  Jwiiihi  llicre  is  consequently  a  troublesome 
•luestiou  of  j)riorit.v.*  In  Schrebei's  work  are  iirst  forinally 
introilueed  into  a  general  systematic  treatise,  the  Siberian  Seal 
and  tlie  (Caspian  Seal  (based  wholly  respectively  on  previouN 
descriptions  of  the  same  by  Steller  and  fJmelint),  and  '-Dei 
,i;rane  Seeliund,"  ,commonly  referred  to  ILdichwruN  fjri/piis. 
Schreber  also  destvibed,  under  the  head  of  riioca,  two  specios 
of  l)taiy.  His  species  are  the  following':  1.  Der  Seebiir,  PIiock 
ursina  (=  Fi-Niis  iiKd'iiiKN);  L'.  Der  j;latte  Seeh'hve,  7'//ow //on/'/id 
(  =  primarily  Anson's  Sea  Lion);  .">.  Der  zotti^^ii  Seelowe,  Plitwtt 
jiil)<(t(i  (  =  i)rimarily  Stellei''s  Leo  inoriin(,Sj  bnt  including-  also  the 
Southern  Sea-Lion);  4.  Fhoca  vitulina  ;  5.  Der  <:;Taue  Seelunid 
[— Er'ujnaihuH  barbnfxs);  (».  Der  sibirische  Seeliund  (^./'/(om 
sihin'ca);  7.  Der  caspische  Seehnnd  (=  P/zorvf  ('as2)in();  S.  Der 
Schwarzside  {=  Plioca  {/raiihoidica)',  0.  Der  rauln^  Seelniiid 
(named  Phoca  hispuhi  on  the  plate);  10.  Der  Klapi)iiiiize 
(=  Cyfitophora  crititata)',  11,  Der  <>Tosse  Seehund  {=  Phom 
barbata  +  JL  grypus)-,  12.  Der  kleine  geohrte  Seehund,  iV/ocrt 
otisilla.  These  twelve  species,  excepting  the  last,  all  represent 
valid  species,  nine  of  which  belong  to  the  present  family. 
Ho  mentions,  however,  Olafsen's  Gramm-Selur  as  still  aiiotlici 
<'  grosse  Seehundsart,"  but  does  not  formally  noMce  it  as  a  spo 
cies.  His  Der  grosse  Seehund,  it  should  be  further  noticed,  is 
based  on  the  Utsuk  of  Cranz  and  the  L^tSelur  of  Olafsen,  com 
bining  an  account  of  the  habits  of  the  latter  with  a  description 
of  the  external  characters  of  the  other. 

Olavsen  (or  Olafsen,  as  more  conunonly  written),  in  his  account 
of  his  travels  in  Iceland,  i)ublished  in  1772,  |  repeatedly  alludes 
to  the  various  species  of  Seals  nu't  with  in  Iceland.  .Vs  already 
noticed,  Olafsen  is  quoted  by  Schreber,  and  quite  fre(iuently  b,v 
lacer  writers.  AVhile  he  describes  quite  fully  their  habits,  dis- 
tribution, and  i)roducts,  he  has  ve.y  little  to  say  of  their  external 

*  For  ii  (liscnssioii  of  this  point  ho.o  posted  nndcr  I'lioci  J'mtiiia. 

t  Sclirobor'H  "Dor  caspisclii'  St'ohuiul"  is  based  on  tlic  aci-ount  of  tbo 
Caspian  Seal  j;ivcn  by  (Jinelin  in  177(1,  in  Ihc  (bird  vobnne  (]>.  '2M'>)  of  lii'* 
Reisc  durch  Knsslund  znr.  Untcu-suclmnf?  dor  drey  Xafurreiche. 

ticito  hero  the  Geruiau  edition  entitUid  "Des  Bicc-Liivniands  K,i;Kirt 
Olafseiis  nnd  des  Landpliysi;M  IJiarne  Povelscns  Reiso  dnrch  Ishmd.  vci'ini- 
stalt<!t  von  der  Konij^lichen  Societiit  <h-r  Wisseiisebaftoii  in  Kopenliiiyi'i' 
nnd  beschrieben  von  benieldteni  Kn'gt'''f  Olafsen.  Aus  dem  Diinisehen  iilnT- 
setzt.  Mit  S:.j  Kni»fertafeln  nnd  einer  nenen  Charte  iiber  I.sbmd  versclu'i' 
Kopeuhaj^en  inid  Leii)/.i<r  bey  Ileinecke  nnd  Ful)er,  1774."    Zwei  Tlii'ileii.  I  ■ 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


427 


clianH'ters.  Yet  in  the  light  of  present  knowledge  it  is  not 
(lillicult  todeterinine  with  considerable  certainty  the  species  he 
mentioned. 

His  '•  Laiid-vSehir,''  called  also  "  Wor-Selur"  or  Spring  Seal,l»e- 
oaiise  it  brings  forth  its  yonng  in  the  spring  (1.  c.  §§  83,  329, 
521,  G51-Gori,)  is  evidently  the  Phoca  riiulina,  at  least  in  greater 
part,  but  may  be  a  general  term  for  the  smaller  Seals  found 
ill  Iceland,  and  hence  refer  in  i)art  to  Plioca  fcctula.  ITIs'TIt- 
Selur,'' called  also  "Wetrar-Selur,"  or  Winter  Seal,  because  it 
biings  forth  its  young  at  the  beginning  of  wiut<'r  (1.  c.  §§ 
;>20,  (!r)l-0.j."))  i,s  without  doubt  the  Ilalicluvnis  (jrypuH.  He  says 
it  is  nuich  larger  than  the  Land-Selur,  but  resembles  it  in 
appearance,  and  brings  forth  its  young  on  the  island  at  the 
time  of  the  withering  of  the  grass  in  the  month  of  Xovember 
(1.  c.  §  329).  He  also  nientions  not  only  the  Walrus  as  of  rare 
occurrence  in  Iceland,  but  enumerates  three  other  species  of 
Seals,  two  of  which  are  identifiable.  One  of  these  is  the  "  Vade- 
Siil"  or  "Hav-Siil,"  said  to  be  as  large  as  the  TJt-Seliu',  or 
four  elles  long,  but  thicker  and  fatter,  vrith  a  very  strong  skin. 
It  is  deticribed  as  being  black  in  color,  with  large  round  spots, 
which  are  smaller  on  the  back  than  on  the  sides.  It  swims  iu 
a  straight  line,  in  great  troops,  and  close  together,  in  a  certain 
order,  whence  it  derives  its  name  ''Vada,"  signifying  f^  swim- 
ming herd.  One  of  them,  commonly  the  largest,  takes  the 
lead,  and  is  called  "Stile  Kongo"  (King  of  the  Seals).  This 
species  is  never  seen  on  the  land,  but  only  on  the  drift-ice, 
where  it  is  hunted  with  harpoons,  i)articularly  on  the  Northern 
Coast.  It  has  its  young  in  April,  on  the  remote  outlying  rocks 
and  islands,  for  it  goes  away  in  March,  and  when  it  comes  back 
in  ^lay  it  has  its  young  with  it.  This  account,  in  almost  every 
particiilar,  points  to  the  Bearded  Seal  {Phoca  barbata,  auct.) 
as  the  species  indicated,  with  which  the  size,  coloration,  and 
habits  sufficiently  agree. 

Another  is  the  "Blaudru-Selur"  or  "Blase-Seehund,"  which 
is  here  rarelj'  met  with  and  killed.  It  has  a  protuberance  re- 
sembling a  bladder  on  the  head  over  the  nose,  where  the  skin 
is  loose,  so  that  the  animal  can  suddenly  draw  it  with  the  fat 
down  upon  the  nose.  He  says  it  is  uncertain  whether  this  is 
the  Phoca  h'onina  of  Linne,  for  the  character  cnpHe  antice  cris- 
tato  does  not  agree.  He  also  raises  the  question  whether  it  can 
be  the  Sea  Bear,  and  decides  it  in  the  negative,  and  gently  crit- 
icises the  above-named  author  for  referring  all  the  Seals  to  one^ 


i4w 


m 


m 


M '  I 


42  S 


FAMILY    PIlOCIUiE. 


m 

1 
1 

■11., 

W\ 

i: 

W:  :l 


•spetties,  iiiitU'r  thi'  Uiiiue  Pkoca  vituUna.  In  the  cbaractcrs  liorcj 
yiveu  \v«'  have  certainly  indicated  the  Hooded  or  Crested  Seal 
{(.'yr.tophora  cr'Mtata). 

The  third  additional  .species  lie  gives  is  called  "(Iraiiiiii- 
.Sehir,"  whiclj  he  says  is  also  kno\vn  in  Iceland,  and  refers  to  its 
being  nientione<l  in  the  "  Speculo  llegali,  ]>.  177,"  and  in  "Olaf 
Tryggesen's  Saga,  p.  2(5.")."  lie  says  it  is  called  coniiuoiily 
"(lraui-Selur,"and  is  connted  as  large  as  some  kinds  of  whales. 
"Gram"  signilies  in  the  old  poets  a  king;  the  Gram-Sehir  may 
lie  twelve  or  tifteen  Icehmdie  elles  long,  and  is  rare  in  Iceland; 
.s  "11  they  sometimes  lind  it  in  Westland  where  examples  have 
beeii  killed  on  the  outermost  rocks  of  Breedetiord.  They  lind  it 
idso  thrown  up  on  the  shore  dead,  but  then  no  further  inforiiiu- 
tion  oi  description  of  it  can  be  obtained  tliau  is  tbund  in  Olaf 
Tryggesen's  Saga,  namely,  that  it  has  long  hair  on  the  head, 
particidarly  around  the  mouth,  therefore  it  is  perhaps  a  Sea 
Lion,  or  the  great  sjjceies  which  lives  in  the  American  ^Vntillos 
(.see,  he  says,  "Joh.  Sam.  llallens  Xatur-Geschichte  der  Thiero, 
1).  .5().'5  uud  581"),  which  is  also  credible.  It  thus  appears  that 
Olafseu,  like  the  other  early  writers  who  refer  to  the  "Graiii- 
Selur,"  had  no  personal  knowledge  of  it  and  spoke  of  it  only 
from  report.  It  may  doubtless  therefore  be  safely  treated  a.s  a 
myth. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  two  species  known  to  frequent  Iceland 
are  not  here  mentioned,  namely,  the  Harp  Seal  and  the  Hough 
Seal.  The  latter  may  have  been  confounded  with  the  Land  Seal, 
but  the  former  can  hardly  be  thus  accounted  for,  especially  as 
<  )lafsen  on  one  occasion  distinctly  refers  to  its  occurrence  in 
Greenland.  Only  four  species  are  thus  a))parently  referred  to 
by  Olafseu  as  inhabitants  of  Iceland.  He  alludes  further  to  thft 
manner  of  capturing  the  ditterent  kinds  of  seals  in  Icelan<l  and 
the  value  and  uses  of  their  products,  and  recounts  the  fables  cur- 
rent among  the  Icelanders  resi)ecting  tlie  Seal-tribe,  and  the 
estimation  in  which  the  animals  are  held  anuuig  them. 

In  Erxleben's  admirable  compilation,  enttth'<l "  Systema  Ilcgui 
Animalis,"  published  in  1777,  the  Earless  Seals  recognized  ami 
brietlydia[jnased,  are  the  following:  1.  Phoca  r  if  ul  i  no  ,v>'ith  thvQO 
unnanu'd  varieties  (of  whi(!h  latter  more  will  be  .said  later);  2. 
Fhova  (/t'ocnlaiidicit  ;  :>.  J'hocd  hispida ;  4.  Phoca  cri.stdtd  (the 
Klai)miitz  of  Egede  and  the  Xeitser.soak  of  Cranz  =  Phuca 
Iconina,  capite  antice  cri.stato,  l^'abricius,  1780,  but  not  of  Linue, 
1758);  5,  Phoca  harbato.  The  Hooded  Seal  {Cyntophora  oris- 
tata)  here  receives  its  first  tenable  specific  name. 


m 


TKCIIXICAL    H/STOUY — .SPECIES. 


429 


III  1778  Lopc'rhiu*  described  two  species  of  Seals  under  the 
iiiiiiies  Plioca  occaniea  siiid  Phoca  Icnoriiia.  Tlie  lirst  is  xiiiques- 
tioiiiibly  tlic  J*liont  f/ra'uldudica  of  i-'abriciiis  and  i"]rxlcl)en,  wliile 
the  other  is  nstiidly  rejiarded  as  haviiij;'  l)een  based  on  the 
voiiiij;'  of  tlie  I'liocii  harhatii  of  tht^  saiiu^  authors,  althonj^h  in 
hotii  eases  the  incisors  are  <lescribed  as  four  in  eacli  Jaw. 

Tiie  foHowinj;'  year  (1 77i>)  appeared  Hermann's  ehd)orate  me- 
moir t  (of  iifty  ]»aj>es  and  two  plates)  on  1  he  .Monlv  Seal  ("Miinchs- 
](obb«', — Phom  monachuN^^)  of  the  ^lediterranean  Sea — the 
lirst  exi)lieit  account  of  the  species,  and  a  very  admirable  mon- 
ojiiiipli  for  this  early  date. 

Tiie  next  year  (1780)  Fabricius  published  his  "Fauna  Grceu- 
liiiulica,"  in  which  all  the  Seals  named  in  ]\liiller's  "Prodromus" 
arc  (piite  satistjuttorily  described,  under  the  names  there  first 
l)ioi)osed.  He,  however,  erroneously  includes  among  the  Seals 
of  Greenland  Steller's  Sea  Bear,  under  the  name  Phoca  nrsina, 
and  concludes  his  account  of  the  Greenland  Seals  by  mention- 
ing four  other  marine  animals  he  had  heard  of  from  the  Green- 
landers,  but  of  which  he  had  never  seen  either  skins  or  skulls,, 
and  of  which  he  knew  nothing  with  certainty,  namely  Singuktop, 
TmabnlaUia,  Atarpial;  and  Kongeseterial-.X 

In  1780,  in  his  "Synopsis  der  Quadrupeden"  (Geographische 
Gcschichte,  etc.,  Theil  ii,  pp.  419-423),  Zimmermann  gave  the 
same  species  that  Erxleben  did  in  1777,  and  under  the  same 
names.  In  1782,  however,  in  an  appendix  to  the  "Synopsis" 
(ibid.,  Theil  iii,  1782,  pp.  27G-278),  he  added  three  species  under 
"P/(«m,"  two  of  them  based  on  Pennant's  "History  of  Quad- 
rupeds," published  in  1781,  as  follows:  1.  '■'■Phoca  aiistralis. 
Falkland  Seal  Pennant  ii,  521";  2.  '■'■Phoca  faseiata.  Kubbon 
Seal  Pennant  ii,  p.  523";  3.  Phoca  leporina,  Lepech.  The  first 
two  are  for  the  first  time  named;  the  first,  however,  is  an 
Otary.  Zimmermann  also  says,  "Le  i)hoque  ii  Ventre  blanc, 
Biiftbu  Suppl.  vi,  pi.  44,  p.  310,  ist  wohl  Phoca  monachus^^;  yet 
subsequent  writers  of  less  discrimination  held  it  for  a  distinct 
species. 

Buftbn,  in  1782,  in  the  sixth  volume  of  the  "  Supplement"  of  his 
"Ilistoiro  naturelle,"  recognized  eight  species  of  "  lies  Phoques 
sans  oreilles  on  Phoques  proprement  dits"  (some  of  which, 


•Act.  Acad.  Sci.  Iinp.  Totrop.,  i,  1777  (1778),  pp.  259,264,  pU.  vi-ix. 
t  IJcrscliaf r.  d.  Bcrliniscbo  Gessolschal't  iiatnrf.  Frcuiide,  Band  iv,  V77\f, 
l>p.  45C-509,  pU.  xii,  xiii  (external  characters). 
{Respecting  these  acepostch,  pp.  432,4:53.  , 


"[  ,  I  IF 


'  ii 


Up: 

1 

1  -'id 

j«^l    w 

!i 

^ :. 

1 

Uh 

111 

■-;')■;  -     1    -■ 

iMlkg.'^ 

430 


FAMILY   PlIOCIDiE. 


however,  really  (jovered  several  distinct  species),  as  follows :  1. 
Le  graiid  L*hoque  a  muscau  ride  {=Maerorh}mis  leoninm);  2. 
Le  Plioque  a  ventre  l>lanc  (=i)riinarily  MonachuN  tilbi cento; 
with  an  orijj;inal  description  and  a  good,  tignre,  from  a  si)e('iinen 
taken  October  L*8, 1777,  in  the  ^Vdriatie  Sea,  l>ul  to  w  hich  lie  er- 
roneonsly  referred  Parsons's  Long-bodied  .Seal,  he  gi\  ing  a  trans 
Jatiou  of  Tarsois's  description  and  a  copy  of  liis  figure,  and  also 
the  Utsuk  of  Cranz,  and  a  large  Seal  mentioned  by  Cliarlevoix 
as  found  on  "les  cotes  do  I'Aeadie");  ;».  Le  Flio(iue  a  capu- 
chou  ( =  CjfKtopliora  cyisfiita) ;  4.  Le  Phoipic  a i  roissant  {—Flwra 
fl roculandi CO,  i\i  least  maiidy) ;  5.  Le  Phoque  Xuit-soak  [Fhoca 
fatida)',  0.  Lt'  Piiocpu^  Laktak  de  Kamtschatka  [=Erujnath\ix 
burhatuH);  7.  Le  Phoque  Gassigiak  (=  the  .Seal  "appelee  hm- 
,s/r/m/i;  l>ar  les  Groenlandois*';  consequently  Fhoca  vituUnu)]  8. 
Lo  Phoque  commuu  (  =  primarily  Fhoca  ritidiita,  but  with  alln 
sions  to  other  species).  (3f  these  eight  species  two  are  composite, 
and  one  is  jmrely  nominal.* 

lu  the  same  year  (1782)  also  ap])eared  Molina's  work  on  the 
natural  history  of  Chili,  t  in  which,  under  the  head  of  Fhoca,  arc 
described  four  'species,  all  claimed  by  the  author  to  be  new. 
These  are :  1.  "  L'Uri(pie,  Fhoca  Jupina "'  (a  Fur-Seal,  or  at  least 
au  Otary);  L*.  "'Il  Poreo  marina,  Fhoca  porchui'^  (probably  the 
young  of  the  next);  3.  "II  Lame,  Fhoca  dcphantina'^  {=Fhocv 
hmina,  Liuue,  1758  and  17(5(i) ;  4.  ''II  Leon  niarin,  Fhoca  ko- 
«;««."  {  =  Otariaji(hata,  auct.). 

lu  1784  Boddaert  appears  to  have  atlded  (1  have  not  the  worki 
lit  hand)  four  synonyms,  as  follows:  1.  Fhoca  albiventcr  (=P. 
monachus,  Herm.);  2.  Fhoca  semilunaris  {--F.  grccnlandica)]  3. 

"This  enumeration,  however,  is  a  ^re.if  improvement  upon  that  given  by 
the  same  author  in  ITOfJ,  in  the  thirteenth  vohnue  of  his  "  Histoire  naturrllc", 
where  all  the  Seals  then  known  are  referred  to  four  species.  ''....  le 
premier  {pi.  xlv)  est  le  i)hoque  ilc  notre  ocean,  <lont  il  y  a  plusieurs  vavic- 
t^s";  called  .also  "le  Vean  raarin  on  Phoque  de  nos  mers".  The  second,  sup- 
posed to  lie  "lej)/(oca  des  anciens",  and  which  is  figured  in  pi.  liii.  is  a  yonng 
Eared  Seal,  the  Phoca  jnmlla  of  later  writers,  of  which  ho  says,  "'on  iioiis  .a 
assure  que  I'iudividu  que  nous  vu  vcnoit  des  Indes",  etc.  I^atcr  it  is 
called  "le  petit  phoque  noir  des  Indes  Sc  du  Levant".  (See  further,  itiiku, 
p.  104.)  The  third  is  the  Seal  described  by  Parsons  in  1743— the  Long-bodied 
Seal  of  this  and  many  sul).sequent  authors — liere  called  ''le  grand  phoque 
des  mers  du  Nord".  The  fourth  is  Anson's  "Sea  Lion",  but  which  here 
covers  also  '•  les  grands  phoques  des  mers  du  Canada,  dont  parle  Dcui-^.  sous 
lo  uom  do  loups  marius".  to  which  he  is  also  inclined  lo  refer  the  larger  Seal 
described  by  Parsons  I 

tSaggio  Sulla  Storia  X.ituraic  del  Chili,  i)p.  'J7r>-til)0,:i41. 

tElenchus  Animaliiun,  vol.  i,  1784,  pp.  170,  171. 


TKCIIMCAL    IIISTOIIY SPKCIES. 


431 


I'!i<irit  ciicnlldtK  (  =  !'.  vristaf((,  Krxl.) ;  4.  Phoca  maeulnta  (?  = 
/'.  ritiiliiKi). 

Tlic  iK'xt  work  ol'  iin|»ort:tiH;('  in  this  coinu'ctioii  is  (Jiiu'liii's 
"Systi'iiiii  Xiiliiiii'",  whidi  apitoired  in  ITSS.  llviv  Erxlclu'u's 
li\('  species  ni>i)e;ir  witlioiil  elian;;!'  of  iiiiiiie,  and  in  addition  to 
tlii'iii  tlie  .Monk  Seal  (I'hova  moitachuN)  ot"  the  ^Mediterranean.* 
Iiidcr  I'liovct  I'itiiliiia  are  lliree  named  vaiieties,  to  wit,  botnica, 
sihiricd  ("colore  arji'enteo.  Ilnh'ttat  in  hicnhns  Uaikal  c/Oroin") 
■A\id  cii.siticd  ("colore  vario"),  which  are  respectively  Erxleben's 
v;iiicties  '/,  ,3,  and  /-,  and  Schreher's  "{^raue  Sei'lnuul'',  "sibi 
risdie  Seehnnde",  and  •'■cas])ische  Seehnnd". 

1 1  1700  and  171U  l-'abricins  published  his  celebrated  memoir 
111!  ilie  Seals  of  <'iieenland,+  in  which  all  the  (Ji'eenland  s[)ecies 
arc  described  in  ;;reat  d<'tail,  and  the  skulls  of  Phom  firanlund- 
iai.  Ciistophoni  cristnta,  I'jf'ujnailnis  horbdtiiN,  and  lldliclia'nts 
(jriiiiKs  iiiv  for  the  first  time  li^iured,  while  the  last-mentioned 
s]ifcies  is  for  the  liisi  time  nauicd.  In  this  si'ries  of  j>ai)ers  the 
uciK  ral  subject  is  exhaustively  treated  in  all  its  bearings,  nearly 
liulity  payes  beinji'  devoted  to  the  "Svartside"  (Harp  Seal, 
I'liiint  uranlaiidicd)  ii]omr,  twenty-four  to  the  Fiordsad  (Kinged 
Seal,  Pliocd  J'a'fUUi) ;  twenty-two  (includin.u,'  nearly  four  paj^es  of 
l»ihli();^iaphical  references)  to  the  -'Sprajilede  Sad"  (Ilarboi-Seal, 
Vliira  ritiilind);  about  the  same  number  ea<di  to  iJie  "Klai)- 
luvdsen"  (Hooded  Seal,  ('i/.si(>i>h<>r(i  rri.slata);  and  the  -'Ikcm- 
iiiclsud"  (IJearded  Seal,  Eritjiuifhitu h<irh((tits).  In  the  bibliogra- 
pliy  of  these  species  arc,  liowever,  yiven  various  references  that 
arc  not  pertinent,  i)articularly  nmlvv  Plioca  crisdita,  under  which 
name  are  confounded  the  Sea-lOlephant  of  the  Southern  Ilenu- 
splicrc  with  the  Crested  Seal  of  the  Northern.  The  llaVwhirrus 
firjipits  is  mentioned  (but  not  fully  described),  and  the  skidl 
ti;4Ui'c(l,  under  the  names  "Knunsnudede  Stel  (Phoca  (frypm)-\ 
A.s  regards  changes  in  nomentdature,  he  abandons  the  names 
fiilhla  and  l((>iiin<(  ivspcidively  for  hispida  and  cristata.  His 
iiifiioir  is  '••reatly  marred  by  the  introduction  into  its  (dosing 
ixution  of  various  species  'already  referred  to  in  his  "Fauna 
rincnlandiea'")  that  are  ciu»«.;r  mythical  or  have  no  relation  to 
t  lie  (ircenlaiul  fauna,  as  the  Sea-Bear("Sytebiyirne,7V/«m  i(r.sinaf\ 
llu'-'Sviinsici  [Vhoca  poreina)^,  the  "  S^ehare  {Phoca  Icporinn)''', 

*Ex  ■'lltriniiiiii,  Act.  Nat.  Scrutnt.  Binol.  iv,  p.  '24(i,  r.  xii,  xiii." 
t"U<lt'0rlif,'  l$c,skiivtd8c  ovor  dc  Gi^nliuid.skf  Sielu",  Skriv.  at"  Naturh. 

iSclsk.,  Islo  Bind,  Isto  Ilofto,  1790,  jip.  79-ir)7,  2dot  Hcftc,  1791,  pp.  7:5-170, 

Tall,  xii,  xiii. 


:      .-I 


i  ! 


fll! 


i* 


m 


1 


432 


FAMILY    rilOCIDiE 


ainl  tln'  "Atfirpiiik",  niiikinji'  iii?i('  siiccies  fr>riually  int induced 
(bcsiiU's  ^' P/i(>((i  firiijntN'\  wliicli  is  treated  iiieideiitully  at  the 
close  of  tlie  account  of  the  "Sviiiisa'!"').  Tlie  Vhoni  IqmrUui  of 
Lc'i)e<'liiii  is  ii  syiion.vni  of  his  I'hoca  harlxtta,  but  the  Vhoca  Ivjh 
or'nut  of  I-'iihiiciiis  has  (h)iil>th'ss  ii(>  fonii(hitioii  except  in  tlio 
iina;^iiiatioii  of  th(^  (Ireeiihindeis.  These  (h)nI»tfMl  oi-  mvtliiciii 
species  have  been  especially  iiivestiji'ated  by  .All'.  lN)l»eit  ISrowii. 
The  Pltoi'd  iirsina  was  based  on  a  i)art  of  a  craninni  which  Wiis 
"full  (»f  holes",  but  so  much  uncertainty  prevailed  in  Fabriciu.s's 
mind  respectinjj-  the  nature  of  the  creature  it  represented  that 
he  makes  the  same  fragment  the  basis  for  the  introduction  into 
the  (Ireenland  fauna  ("Fauna  (ira-nlandica'",  j).  0)  of  two  spe- 
cies,— Steller's  Sea-Cow  ("  Trichechm  mana1m''\  =  KhytiH(t  (jUjan^ 
aiict.)  as  Avell  as  StoUer's  Seal>ear.  Says  Mr.  Brown,  "What 
ever  it  is,  there  can,  I  think,  be  scarcely  a  doubt  as  to  the  ex 
elusion  of  Tricheclius  manatus  und  Phoca  ursiua  from  the  Green 
land  fauna ;  nor  can  llioir  jdace  as  yet  be  supplied  by  any  other 
species.  Prof.  Steenstrnp  thinks  that  it  was  a  portion  of  the 
skull  of  a  Sea-wolf  {Anarrhichati).  The  situation  of  the  teeth 
and  the  nature  of  this  lisli's  cellular  skull  well  agree  with  his 

description  of  the  skull  as  'full  of  holes' IJr.  Bolbroe, 

who  I  erstands  the  Eskimo  language  intimately,  tells  me  that 
the  Wwid  [Auvekajal]  means  a  'little  walrus',  and  that  in  all 
probability  it  was  only  the  skull  of  a  young  walrus,  an  animal 
not  at  all  familiar  to  Fabricius,  as  they  are  chiefly  confined  to 
one  spot,  and  the  natives  fear  to  go  near  that  locality.  Fabri- 
cius may  have  only  writt<Mi  the  description  from  recollection; 
and  memory,  assisted  by  i)reconceived  notions,  may  have  led 
him  into  error  in  the  description  of  the  long  teeth,  which  after 
all  might,  without  great  trouble,  be  made  to  refer  to  the  denti 

tion  of  the  young  walrus This  opinion  is  strengthened  by 

a  passage  in  Fabricius's  account  of  the  walrus,  where  he  again 
is  in  doubt  whether  a  certain  animal  is  the  young  of  the  walrus 

or  the  dugong So  that,  after  all,  perhaps  the  A ?»"cAYr/flA' 

was  only  the  young  of  the  walrus;  and  this  opinion  I  am  on 
the  whole  inclined  to  acquiesce  in".* 

The  other  species  of  Fabricius's  supposed  Phocn'  are  thus  re- 
ferred to  by  Mr.  Brown :  "  Fabricius  has  notified  in  his  fauna 
[and  noticed  them  more  at  length  in  his  later  memou-  on  the 
Greenland  Seals  already  cited]  many  species  of  supposed  Seals, 


*rroc.  Zool.  Soc.  London,  18G8,  p.  X^S;  Man.  Nat.  Hist.,  etc.,  Greenland, 
Mam.,  p.  2a. 


TKCHMCAL    1 1 ISTOUV SPECIES. 


433 


i\.f..  iiii(U'r  various  KskiiiKi  iiiiiiics,  but  wliicli  lie  was  imsiblo  to 
(Icciitlicr.  III'.  I'Mcisclici',  Coloiiihcstyrcr  of  Jacohsliavii,  lias 
iiiili'd  me  in  ivsolviiif^  these: 

••I.  sii/ithtoL:  liaviii;^'  a  lonjn'  snout  and  a  body  siiuilar  to 
I'lioni  iiraiilaiKl!c(t,  ju'iliaps  /'.  Kr.sina.  This  is  apparently  some 
KskiiiKt  perversi(ui,  if  interpreted  ])roperly;  for  [  am  assured 
tliat  it  is  oidy  the  name  of  the  ICider  Duek  {SouKttvrin  mollis- 
siiiKi).  [In  his  memoir  in  the  '  Skrivter  af  Naturhistorie- 
St'lsk;iltet'  (vol.  i,  part  ii,  p.  1(».'})  it  is  called  '  Sviinsjelen  [Phoea 
jiiirriii(i)\  and  he  refers  to  it  sueh  diverse  creatures  as  Jlolina's 
'I'liiiai  iKitrhia''  and  Pennant's  '  Uotth'-nosed  Seal,'  ami  devotes 
nearly  four  i)af;es  to  its  consideration.] 

-L'.  [iiiabnl-nllia,  a  Seal  with  a  snoAV- white  coat,  'theeyepre- 
sfiitiiij:  a  red  iris,  ])robably  /'.  leporina'',  is  a  rare  albino  of  the 
Sitsili  ( I'afjomjiH  f(eU(lm).  The  meaning  of  the  word  is  the  Sea- 
hiiiv.  I  In  the  'Skrivter'  (1.  c.  p.  KKS)  this  is  called  'Sjieharen 
[Vhmv  leporina)\  of  which  Lepechiu's  ^ Phoea  leporina''  and 
Sclirelter's  'sibirische  Seehund'  are  cited  as  synonyms.] 

".1.  Atarpialc  or  atarpclc,  'the  smallest  species  of  Seal,  not  ex- 
(ii'dinji-  the  size  of  the  hand,  of  a  whitish  color,  and  a  blackish 
siiot  of  tlu!  form  of  a  half-moon  on  each  side  of  the  body.'  This 
(lt'scii|ifion  does  not  correspond  to  the  meaning  of  the  word, 
which  is  '  the  Brown  Seal'.  [This  in  the  <■  Skrivter'  (1.  c.  p.  109) 
aiipcius  as  the  'Xiende  Art,  Atarpiak',  without  a  Latin  name  or 
>,\  noiiynis.J  Hr.  Fleischer  thinks  that  it  is  only  a  myth,  as  is — 
••t.  Konf/cstcriak  [not  mentioned  in  the  'Skrivter'],  which 
liiis, ' according  to  the  desorii>lion  given  by  the  natives,  some 
its('ir1)lance  to  the  Sea-ape  des<n'ibed  by  Mr.  Ileller'.  This  is 
"lie  (if  the  noilher".  myths."* 

Ill  17!)L'  api)caied  Kerr's  "Animal  Kingdom",  the  title-page 
111  wliicli  states  it  to  be  "A  translation  of  that  part  of  the  Sys- 
ttiiia  XatnrsE,  as  lately  ]>ublished  by  Professor  Gmelin  of  Gcet- 
tiiijrt'ii.  together  with  numerous  additions  from  more  recent 
'i«»l(»jii(  id  writers  and  illustrated  Avith  copper  plates."  In  this 
^^'•ilc  (pp.  121-128)  nineteen  species  appear  under  the  generic 
'lii!!!!'  I'lioca,  with  iive  additional  varieties,  among  which  we  find 
tlie  roiil  origin  of  quite  a  nund)er  of  names  currentlj'  attributed 
!'•  miich  hder  authors.  The  species  and  varieties  here  enuraer- 
iit<'<l  are  the  following,  the  new  names  being  distinguished  by 
'licu.si^  of  thick  type:  1.  Phoca  nrsina;  2.  P.  leonina  (=Bot- 
'I'rop.  Zool,  ,Soc.  London,  1H|J8,  n.  .360:  Man.  Nat.  Hist.,  etc.,  Grcpniand, 


mi 


Misc.  Pub.  No.  12- 


-28 


434 


FAMILY   PHOCIDiE. 


rr 


tled-uosed  Seal  of  PcniiJint) ;  3.  P.  jubata  ;  4.  P.  vitulina  (with 
\iiin.  hotnica,  sibir lea,  cmpica);  a.  1'.  monavhns ;  G.  F.  (/rccnlan- 
(Ilea  (with  viir.  nigra);  7.  P.  kifipida  (with  var.  quadrata  = 
"Square  Pliipper,  Aict.  Zool.  i,  KH");  8.  /'.  cristata;  9.  P. 
harhata;  10.  P. puaUla  {iui  Eared  Seal);  11.  Z*.  chilensis  (  =  P. 
porcina,  ^Moluia);  12.  P.  mutica  ( =  Lonji-necked  Seal  of  I'm 
sons — iiii  Eared  Seal);  l.'J.  /',  austral i,s  (  =  "Falkland  Seal, 
Teun.  lliist,  Quad.,  n.  ."578");  11.  P.  testudo  (  =  Tortoisr-lioml 
Seal,  Pennant);  15.  P.  J'asciata  ("Ilarnassed  Seal"  =  Kubboii 
Seal,  Pennant);  10.  P.  \&mgev  {=  Plioca  Uporiiut,  Lepeeliiii): 
17.  P.  punctata  ("  Is  speckled  idl  over  the  body,  head,  and 
lind)s.  I'enii.  Hist.  Quad.  ]>.  52.^.  Inhabits  the  seas  aboiii 
Kauitschatka  and  the  Kurile  Islands*');  18.  P.  maculata  (''Tlie 
body  is  spotted  with  brown.  Penn.  Hist.  Quad.  ]».  fii'^.  in 
habits  the  coasts  about  the  Kurile  Islands.  Tins  species  i> 
very  scarce  ") ;  19.  P.  nigra  ("'lias  a  peculiar  confonnation  o\'  tlic 
legs.  Penn.  Hist.  Quad.  p.  520.  lidiabts  the  coast  about  tlic 
Kurile  Islands.  This  and  the  two  last  species  are  nientioiicd 
by  Mr.  Pennant  as  being-  obscurely  <lescribed  in  the  niluiii- 
scripts  of  Steller.  What  the  peculiarity  in  the  confonnation 
of  the  hind  legs,  in  the  Black  Seal,  consists  of,  is  not  said''). 

In  this  case  the  "iminorous  additions"  are  all  from  Peniuiiit. 
and  embrace  nino  new  names,  seven  of  whicli  are  specilic  and 
two  varietal.  In  each  case  explicit  reference  is  made  to  Pen- 
nant's species.  Kerr's  work  has  been  so  completely  overlooked 
or  ignored  by  subsequent  writers  that  most  of  his  new  naine> 
have  been  attributed  to  Shaw^  and  other  still  later  sources. 

Pennant,  in  1793,  ]>ublished  the  third  and  last  edition  of  his 
"  History  of  Quadrupeds."  Although  he  employed  only  ver 
nacular  names,  his  descriptions  are  well  drawn,  and  some  ui 
tuem  are  important  from  their  being  the  basis,  Avholly  or  in 
l)art,  of  several  technical  names  imposed  by  later  writers.  Al 
though  almost  exclusively  a  compilation,  the  matter  relatiui; 
to  the  Seals  reflects  fairly  the  then  present  state  of  Icnowleilgf 
respecting  these  animals.  As  it  was,  furthermore,  the  last  gen- 
eral account  of  the  Seals  imblished  prior  to  the  year  1800,  ir 
may  well  be  taken  as  an  exponent  of  the  subject  as  linown  a 
few  years  prior  to  that  date. 

Under  the  term  "  Seal "  Pennant  embraced  all  of  the  Piniii 
peds  then  know  n,  ex(!ept  the  Walruses,  the  term  being  (Miiiivii 
lent  to  ^^.Phoca''^  of  more  technical  writers  of,  the  same  period. 
The  species  he  recognized  are  the  following :  *  1.  "  Common  Seal, 

*  L.  c,  vol.  ii,  pp.  270-291. 


TECHNICAL    HISTORY SPECIES. 


435 


of  wbicli  he  says,  "lubabit  most  «iuiirtci's  of  tho  jjlohe,  but  in 
j,aoatcst  multitudes  towards  the  North  and  the  South ;  swarm 
near  the  Arctic  chcle,  and  the  h)wer  parts  of  South  Atncricu,  in 
lM)thoeeaus;  near  the  southern  end  of  Terra  del  Fucjfo;  and  even 
iiiiion";'  the  lh)atni;^'  ice  as  low  as  nonth  Int.  (JO.  Ul.     l'\)und  in  the 
Citnimu  Si'ii,  in  tlie  hilce^lm^,  and  hdies  liaihd  and  Oron,  whieh 
are  iVcsh  waters.     They  are  hissisr  than  thos<^  \viii*'h  l're<iuent 
sail  waters;  but  so  fat  tiiat  tliey  seem  almost  sliaix'lcss.     in 
lake  Ihiiktil  some  are  ectvered  with  silviay  liairs ;  olliers  are 
ycllowisli,  and  have  a  larj^e  dark-t;olored  marlv  on  tlie  liind  i»art 
of  lilt'  back,  covering  almost  a  tliird  of  the  body."    1*.  ''l*ietl 
Seal"  (=  Le  IMuxiue  a  ventre  blanc,  IJutlbn,  =  MondrhiiN  (tlltit'en- 
frr);  .'5.  "  ^lediterrancau  Seal"  (=  J'lioca  monochus^  Hermann, 
=  Mi)iiachus  albinntvr);  4.  '- Lony-necked  Seal"  (of  "Grew's 
Museum,  05,"  and  of  Parsons  =  , some  indeterminable  species  of 
Otiuy);  5.  "Falkland  Isle  Seal"  (  =  -iir(7t>(.'«'j>/<a///.v  outitraUn—A. 
/(dlldiidicuN,  auct.);    (».    "Tortoise-headed    Seal"   (=  Tortoise- 
headed  Seal,  Parsons, — undeterminable);   7.  "  liubbon  Seal," 
li-ised  on  a  descrii)tion(!?)  and  a  drawing  comnumieated  to  him 
by  "Doctor  Pallas,"  of  a  midilated  skiu  received  by  the  latter 
•'from  one  of  the  remotest  Kuril  islands."    The  drawing  "is  m- 
Uraven  on  the  title  of  Division  111,  Pinnated  Quadrupeds."   This 
is  a  species  described  much  later  by  Pallas  as  I'hoca  cqucntris  ; 
S.  "Lejwriue  Seal"  (— P/tora  leporimt,  Lepechin);  0.  "Great 
Seal"  (=  Fhoca  barltata,  at  least  mainly);  10.  "Hough  Seal" 
(=Neitsek,  Cranz;  Fhoca  his2>iila,  Schreber);  11.  I'oreine  Seal, 
(Vhova  2>oreina,  Molina);  IL*.  "  Eared  Seal "  (described  from  a 
specimen  in  I\irkinson's  Museum,  from  the  Straits  of  Magellau, 
1111(1  ju'obably  a  youug  Otaria  jubata);   13.  "Hooded  Seal" 
(=  Cystophora  cristata,  immixed  with  any  other  species);  14. 
••llarj)  Seal"  {Phoca  granlandica))   15.  "Little  Seal"  (=  Lo 
petit  Phoque,  Buifou ;  based  on  a  specimen  of  a  young  Eared 
Seal,  originally  supposed  to  have  come  from  India — uudeter- 
ininable) ;  l(i.  "  Ursine  Seal "  (a  compound  of  all  the  Sea-Bears 
or  Fur-Seals);  17.  "  Bottle-nose  Seal"  (=  Sea  Elephant  of  the 
Southern  Seas.    A  good  description  is  given  of  the  external 
characters  of  both  sexes,  that  of  the  female  being  based  on  a 
-well  preserved  specimen  in  the  Museum  of  the  Koyal  So- 
ciety " — the  specimen  ijreviously  described  by  Parsons  under 
the  name  Manatie!);  18.  "Leonine  Seal"(=  a  compound  of 
the  Northern  and  Sou+hern  Sea  Lions);  19.  "  Urigcne  Seal" 
(=  Uhnca  hniina,  Molina).  .. 


-J  r  "  ■' 


•  »  *.  1  '.1 


■jifi 


11 


i-il 


iniiw 


43G 


FAMILY    1MI(X'1J)^E. 


m  ■! 


1   'i 

':■■     rrjf 

4  iMh^^^^^^^^^^^I 

or  llu'sr  iiiiH'tocii  s])('ci<'s  six  iirt'  Otarics;  of  tlio  rt'iiiiiiiiiiij; 
thiitccii  one  is  (U-scribcd  lortlic  liivst  time;  three  are  pure  s.viiu- 
iiyiiis,  and  two  are  not  certainly  determinable.  Tliree  valid 
speeies  are  eonlbunded  under  the  naino  "Couunon  Seal,"\vhi(li 
embraces  (a)  VUova  ritulina,  (b)  /'.  ca.sjnca,  (c)  /'.  nihiricd,  tin* 
two  last  already  thus  named  as  varieties  oi'  J'hoea  vitulinti  h\ 
(Imelin.  With  this  e.\<'eption,  all  of  tln^  species  of  Earh'ss  Seals 
of  the  Northern  Hemisphere,  up  to  that  rime  indicated,  were 
duly  recognized  and  clearly  distinjjuished  by  Pennant,  as  well 
also  as  one  from  the  Southern  Seas. 

In  17!>.S  Thnnberff,  in  u  small  work  on  tlio  mammalian  fauna 
of  Sweden,*  recognized  five  species  of  Seals,  three  of  which 
appeared  under  new  names,  but  they  are  so  brietly  described  it 
is  nearly  imi)ossible  to  (h^termine  to  what  his  various  names  re- 
hite,  especially  as  he  yives  no  synonyms,  and  no  subse(pu!nt 
author  appears  to  have  been,  able  to  positively  identify  them, 
The  names  are  accompanied  by  short  Latin  <liaRuoses,  which  1 
here  transcribe:  1.  "P[ /««■«]  hispida:  corpore  pallido  fusco- 
maculato."  He  adds  the  Swedish  names  "  Sldl,  GrdsMI,  JIo/h- 
8kdl.^  Perhaps  the  Phoca  '•'•  luapida-^  of  authors,  but  of  this 
there  is  no  certainty.  L'..  "P.  stT^m^.•  corpore  albido  hnmacii- 
lato."  "  Stfit-skill."  Undeterminable.  3.  "  P.  tYmin<! ;  corpore 
griseo  immaculato."  " F/^a res Wi  och  G'm  nA*afe-«A«/."  4.  "P. 
mtidina:  corpore  fusco."  ^^  Svart  Vikare-sldU^  5.  "i*.  mric- 
gata:  corpore  griseo  nigro-maculato."  '■'•  Morunge.""  This  by 
some  authors  is  judged  to  be  Phoca  vitulina.  Eight  of  the 
eleven  pages  devoted  to  the  Seals  in  this  work  are  occupied 
with  the  account  of  the  present  species.  Tiius  Thunberg  ob- 
tained the  distinction  of  adding  live  species  to  the  numerous 
list  of  Seals  too  inadequately  described  for  recognition,  and  of 
contributing  three  new  names  to  the  synonymy  of  the  subject. 

Pausing  now  for  a  hasty  retrospect,  Ave  find  that  prior  to  the 
year  ISOO  the  following  species  (exclusive  of  synonyms  and  un- 
identifiable "  species"),  named  in  the  order  of  their  first  recogni- 
tion in  technical  nomenclature,  had  already  made  their  ai)poar- 
ance  in  woi'ks  on  systematic  zoology :  1.  Phoca  ritnlina ;  2.  Ma- 
crorhinus  leonbms ;  3.  Cystophnra  cristata  {1-3  as  early  as,  or 
liriorto,  1758);  4.  Phoca fcetida  ;  5.  Phoca  grcenlandica ;  ().  IJrifi- 
nathiis  barbatus  {4r-G,  1766);  7.  MonacMis  alhiventer  (1779);  8. 

*  Beskiifning  pa  Svenske  Djur.  Ftirsta  ClasHen,  om  Mammalia  ollor  Diig- 
gaadejnren,  af  Carl  Peter  Thunberg,  Upsala,  1798.  8  vo.  pp.  100.  Seals, 
pp.8r,-9G.  ,  .   .  ...... 


TECHNICAL    IIISTOUY — SPKCIES. 


437 


rii(H'(t  /((Nciata  ( 1 7tS;j) ;  !),  Jfalirliariis  tfrifi>iis  ( 1 71)1 ).  Two  other 
.species  lisul  Imhmi  distiiif^iiisluMl  as  vaiictics,  namely,  10.  PItoca 
v(tHpi('(t ;  11.  l'hoc(t  sUnrica  [\H)i\\  1788).  As  will  be  seen  later, 
only  two  n<u'tliern  species  {^f^HrorhiuuK  aiitfiistirostris  and  the 
"Wcsl  Indian  Seal),  imhI  three  others  from  the  Sonthern  Seas, 
iciiiained  to  he  adiletl,  altiiouu'li  the  literal nre  of  the  subject 
lias  since  been  burdened  by  the  addition  of  not  less  than  sixty 


sviionyms 


111  the  year  1800  Shaw,  in  his  "Cleneral  Zoolojiy"  (Quad- 
nipeds,  vol.  i,  pp.  L*riO-L'7-)  redeseribed  I'ennant's  nineteen 
si"'cios.  under  Latin  sis  well  as  English  names,  bestowing  new 
Latin  mimes  upon  live  of  them,  none  of  which,  however,  have 
pr()\  ed  to  be  valid  species.  So  far  as  the  Seals  are  concerned, 
his  work  is  little  more  than  an  abriilged  parai)hrase  of  Peu- 
iiaiit,  being  strictly  a  compilation  (based  almost  wholly  on  Pen- 
nant), with  the  most  of  the  bibliographiinil  references  omitted 
(lie  cites  usually  oidy  Gmelin  and  Pennant),  with  the  form  of 
tlie  matter  changed  by  throwing  the  descriptions  of  the  external 
diaracters  into  brief  Latin  di.ignoses,  duplicated  in  English.* 
His  species  are  the  following,  the  new  names  added  being  hero 
primed  in  heavy  type:  1.  Fhoca  rituUna  ;  2.  P/<  oca  bicolor(=Lo 
riu)([iie  a  ventre  blanc,  Buffon,  hence  Momichus  albiventer);  3. 
I'hoca  monaclms;  4.  iV<ocfllongicolli8(=  Long-necked  Seal,  Pen- 
uaiit);  ~i.  Phoca  falklandica  (=  Falkland  Isle  Seal,  Pennant  = 
Phocd  australiSjZhnm.)',  G.  P/tocrt  testudinea  (Tortoise-head  Seal, 
Pennant,  ex  Parsons  =  P/tom  ^es/*«/o.  Kerr);  7.  Phoca  fasciata 
(=  Kubbon  Seal,  Pennant) ;  8.  Phoca  leporina  (=  Leporine  Seal, 
Pennant;  Lepechin  not  cited);  9.  Phoca  barhata;  10.  Phoca 
Idspitla  ( =  Rough  Seal,  Pennant) ;  1 1 .  Phoca porcina  ( =  Porcine 
Seal,  Pennant;  Molina  not  cited);  12.  Phoca  flavescens  (=  Eared 
Seal,  Pennant) ;  13.  Phoca  cristata  ;  14.  Phoca  groenlandica ;  15. 
Phoca  pusilla;  10.  Phoca  ursina;  17.  P/<oca  Zcow/wa  (  =  Anson's 
Sea-Lion);  18.  Phoca juhata  (=  all  the  Sea-Lions  then  known); 
19.  Phoca  hqrina  (LTrigene  Seal,  Pennant ;  Molina  not  cited). 

'The  iiiithor  of  the  work  under  consideration  thus  expresses  its  raison 
<l  t'tre :  '  •  'I"he  general  history  of  quadrupeds  has  1)cen  so  often  detailed  in  the 
various  works  on  Natural  History,  that  a  fresh  i>ul)licatiou  on  tho  subject 
must  (if  necessity  labour  under  peculiar  disadvantages.  The  valuable  works 
nf  till'  Cdunt  do  Bullbn  and  Mr.  Pennant  have  difl'uscd  such  a  degree  of  in- 
fi'iiiijitioii  on  those  subjects,  that  it  does  not  seem  an  easy  task  to  improve 
upon  tliiir]>lau  otherwise  than  by  tho  introduction  of  the  Liuna;an  method 
nt'avninm'iiieut,  tho  rectification  of  errors  rclativo  to  synonyms,  tho  addition 

of  lu'diicr  s]ieciflc  characters,  and  the  introduction  of  new  species " — 

Gen.  Zoill.,  lutrod.  to  vol.  i,  pp.  vii,  viii. 


m^m 


% 


■■■■■VI  ■ 


438 


FAMILY  rnociD^. 


Uiidcr  \\w  {;eiieri('  term  Phoca  Jire  lu'ie  of  couise  iiieludod  tho 
Otiirics  as  well  as  the  IMiocids.  These  nineteen  species  are  sim- 
l)1y  tliose  of  reiinant,  with  (he  addition  of  T^atin  names. 

IiiTSOr,  Turtoii  hioii-'Iit  out  iiis  "(ieiieral  System  of  Xatuic'' 
(the  (hdieation  is  dated  1S0(»)  ip  wideli  (vol.  i,  j)i».  .IS-tO)  nine- 
teen specit's  of  Phoca  are  };iv<'n,  ley  heinj^  the  selfsame  iiiue- 
teen  enumerated  by  Kerr  in  1792. 

Pi'tou,*  in  181(5,  deserihed  in  ^reat  detail  the  Sea-Eh>phant  of 
the  Southern  Seas  under  tlie  name  Phov<(  prohoscUlai^  elaiiniiit;' 
lliat  the  liinn;ean  name  was  not  strictly  tenable.  He  also 
named!  IbdVon's  "I'lKKpU!  a  ventre  blane"  Phoca  IcucofiaNter 
(=  Plioca  iiioiiachuN,  Hermann),  and  yave  the  name  Phoca  rcti!m(t\ 
to  "le  {^rand  I'hoque  des  lies  St.-I*ierre  et  St.-l'aul  d'Amstcr- 
dam,  dont  Macartney,  Cox  et  Mortimer  nous  ont  suecessiv(!iiiciit 
donne  Tint^'ressantc  histoinv'  (=  MacrorhimiH  Iconiuns,  I'eni.), 
thus  introdnciuf;'  three  synonyms. 

In  th(}  same  year  (181G)  appeared  the  second  part  of  Okeii's 
"Lehrlnich  der  Xaturgeschichte",  in  which  sixteen  species  are 
enumerated  under  Phoca.  The  only  noteworthy  points  are 
bestowal  upon  Molina's  Phoc<t  lupina  of  the  name  tetradacfi/laj 
the  onnssion  of  all  of  Kerr's  and  Shaw's  new  names,  and  the 
inclusion  of  three  of  Thunberg's  (namely  Phoca  sericea,  P.  cauina, 
and  P.  varicgata). 

Desmarest  gave  in  1817  §  a  ^'ery  fair  monograph  of  the  Seals, 
especially  considering  the  date  of  publication.  He  distinguishes, 
first,  with  commendable  discrimination,  seven  species  "sans 
oreilles"  which  he  considers  are  not  sufficiently  well  known  to 
take  a  place  in  a  list  of  the  si)e<nes,  or  to  be  referred  with  eci- 
tainty  to  other  species.  These  are  very  properly :  1.  Phoca  hni 
gieollis,  Shaw;  2.  P.  tcstiulinea,  Shaw ;  3.  P.faseiata,Sha\\;  1- 
P.  punctata,  "Encycl.  angl.";||  5.  P.  maculata,  "Eneycl.  anji;l.''; 

*  Voy.  aux  Terr.  Austr.  vol.  ii,  181(5,  pp.  3!iJ-6(),  pi.  xxxii. 

t  L.  c,  p.  47,  footnote. 

tL.  c.,  p.  tl6. 

fNouv.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  vol.  xxv,  article  "Plioqne",  1817,  pp.54.-59it. 

II The  "Encycl.  angl."  hero  quoted  by  Desmarest,  and  later  by  F.  Cuviii 
and  Lesson,  and  by  Fischer  as  "Enc.  Brit.,"  is  doubtless  Kees's  "Cycl"- 
psBdia ;  or,  Universal  Dictionary  of  Arts,  Sciences,  and  Literature,"  in  wLiili 
I  (ind  under  "Phoca"  (vol.  xxviii,of  the  "first  American  edition,'" with- 
out date,  but  given  in  catalogues  as  published  18()(>-1824),  the  uauics  lici'i' 
cited  by  Desmarest,  as  well  as  additional  ones  cited  by  Fischer  (see  boyoml. 
p.  446).  The  authorship  of  the  article  is  not  given,  but  the  editor  of  the 
work  states  that  th»i  zoological  ])ortions  were  chiefly  prepared  by  Donovan. 
The  matter  relating  to  the  Seals  could  scarcely  bo  more  noxious,  the  ac- 


TECHNICAL    HISTORY — 8PECIE8. 


439 


(i.  Plioquc  tigrr,  Kiaschoiiinikow ;  7.  Le  Phoque  grumm-sclur  <les 
Islandai.st's,  "Ann.  d'Olaf  Tryggesen  et  lo  Speculuui  Kegalo". 
Klcvcii  spccios  are  admitted  as  valid,  among  which  appear  two 
mi(h'r  new  names;  eight  may  be  considered  as  representatives 
of  \  alid  species,  the  other  four  being  synonyms,  but  not  in  all 

('(Hints  of  cvcti  tlif>  iiioii'  ('(million  Hjiorics  liciii)^  very  nicntnv  and  crrouc^oiia, 
wliilc  niJiiiy  of  tli(>  loss  Unowu  ari^  introdiicol  \vitli  niicli  iiia(U'(i|iiiito  dcscrip- 
tidiis  tliat  from  llicsc  alone  they  avo  mostly  indctcrniiiialdc*.  Altlion^^h  vir- 
tii;illy  aiionyiiKjiiH,  as  well  as  wovtliless.  they  liavo  hccii  diaj;)'"''  <"  "ol't  •>>' 
ilii' aliove-naiiuMl  and  otluu' \vrit(;rH,  1>iit  t.lioy  always  appear  in  tlitt  wast*? 
liimlicr  of  niiidfiitilialde  siiecies.  To  show  tlie  nature  of  lliis  riihltisli,  and 
I'lir  tlie  iMirpose  of  eliicidatiiiji'  the  references  to  it  wliieh  follow,  Iijiiote  ver- 
liiitiiu  and  eiitini  tln^  portions  in  qnestion,  and  adding  thereto  the  nal  origin 
and  liasis  of  the  iiaaies  here  a])]Mmrinfj. 

I'hoca  ^'muUva;  Long-necl?ed  Seal.    IJody  slender,  without  inlaws  on  the  fore- 
feet."   [The  "  Lnny-neckcd  Seal"  of  Parsons  ( .:=rho(a  mutira,  Kerr), 
which,  as  already  stated,  is  sonic  lUKh'terminaUlo  si)ecies  of  Otary.] 
riinca  '^  tvstndo;  Tortoise  Seal.    Head  reseiiilding  a  tortoise  ;  neck  slender. 
It  is  said,  to  inhabit  many  European  shores ;  the  species  is,  how- 
ever, but  little  known."    [The  Tortoise-lieaded  Seal  of  Parsons  and 
the  riioca  UhIuiIo  of  Kcit.J 
Phoca  "lanigrr;  Leporine  Seal.    It  has  four  fore-teeth  iu  each  jaw;  the 
upper  lip  is  thick,  with  long,   thick  whiskers  ;  the  fur  is  soft  and 
*       uneven ;  the  feet  have  nails,  and  its  length  is  about  six  feet  and 
one-half.      It  inhabits  the  White  Sea,  Iceland,  and  the  Frozen 
Ocean."    [The  Phoca  leporina  of  Lepechin  (=rhoca  laniger,  Kerr).] 
Phoca  "jnnictata;  Speckled  Seal.    Body,  head,  and  limbs  speckled.     It  in- 
habits the  seas  of  Kamtschatka,  and  the  Knrile  islands."     [The 
Phoca  punctata  of  KeiT.] 
Phoca  "maculata;   Spotted  Seal.    Body  spotted  with  brown.     It  inhabits 
the  Kurile  seas,  and  is  very  scarce."    [The  Phoca  maculata  of  Kerr.] 
Phoca  ^' nUjra  ;  Black  Seal.     Hind  legs  peculiarly  formed.     It  is  found  on 
the  coaiits  of  the  Kurile  seas;  but  the  structure  of  its  legs  has  not 
been  accurately  ascertained."     [The  Phoca  nigra  of  Kerr.] 
Kerr's  references  show  that  the  last  three  species  were  unquestionably  de- 
rivotl  from  the  following  passage  in  Pennant :  "Other  obscure  species  in  those 
[Kurile]  seas,  which  are  mentioned  in  Steller's  MSS.,  are,  I.  A  middle-sized 
Seal,  elegantly  speckled  in  all  parts ;  II.  One  with  brown  spots,  scarcer  than 
the  rest ;  III.  A  black  species  with  a  peculiar  conformation  of  the  hind  legs." — 
Pennant's  Ilialory  of  Qnadrujmls,  third  edition  (1793),  vol.  11,  p.  276. 

None  of  these  species  make  their  first  appearance  here,  they  all  occurring  iu 
Kerr.  As  KeiT  (sec  antia,  pp.  4H3, 434)  cites  Pennant  in  each  case,  and  also 
Parsons  and  Lepechin  respectively  in  the  three  Instances  where  Pennant's 
species  are  based  on  these  authors,  the  above-given  names  are  thus  strictly 
identifiable.  Whether  these  names  and  diagnoses  were  here  copied  from 
Kerr  or  from  Tnrton  it  is  impossible  to  say,  as  Turton  also  gives  them,  but 
entirely  without  reference  to  previous  authors.  It  thus  happens  that  neither 
Turton  nor  the  "Cyclopredia"  gives  us  any  direct  clue  to  their  origin. 


Mi 


:'-.  I* 


440 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


cases  referable  with  certainty  to  other  species.  Three  uotninal 
species  of  previous  authors  are  correctly  allocated.  All  are  iu- 
troducetl  imder  the  generic  name  (or  rather  "sous-genre"  as 
he  terms  it)  Phoea,  and  all  are  true  Phocids.  His  accepted 
species  are  the  following :  1.  Phoca  proboscidea :  2.  ^hoca  coxii 
(sp.  nov.=  "  Sea  Lie  John  Henry  Cox,  Description  of  the  Islaiul 
called  St.-Paulo  by  i.e  Dutch,  and  by  the  English"  -.  P.  resima. 
Pdron  =  Macrorhinus  leoninus,  female) ;  3.  Phoca  nonachm 
(correctly  covers  P.  bicolor,  Shaw,  and  P.  albiventer  Bodd.) ;  i. 
Phoca  qrcenlandica  (includes  P.  occanica,  Lepechin);  5.  Phoca 
cristata;  G.  P/wca  ?eponna  (ex  Lepechin) ;  7,  Phoca  viUdina ;  8. 
Phoca  maculata  (ex  Boddaert);  9.  Phoca  hisj)kla  (=  P.fa:tidu)', 
10.  Phoca  lakhtali  (sp.  nov.  =  Lachtak,  Krascheuinikow) ;  11, 
Phoca  lupina  (ex  Molina).  Only  six  of  th'ese  are  valid,  to  which 
may  be  added  one  from  the  list  of  doubtful  species,  making 
seven  lu  all. 

In  1820  Desmarest  gave  a  second  account  of  the  Earless 
Seals  in  the  "Encyclopedic  methodique"  (vol.  clxxxii,  Mamuial- 
ogie.  Part  i,  1820,' pp.  237-247,  Part  ii,  1822,  511),  recogniziuy 
thirteen  species  as  valid,  all  of  which  are  referred,  as  before,  to 
P^ron's  "subgenus"  Phoca.  Thej'  are:  1.  Phoca  prohoscidco 
(=  llacrorhimis  leoninus) ;  2.  Phoca ansonl  (cites  " Phoca  Iconiita, 
I.i.nn,,  Gmel.,  Erxl."),  based  in  part  on  a  skull  of  Otaria  juhata. 
and  in  part  on  Anson's  Sea  Lion,  which  is  his  Phoca  prohos- 
cidea;  3.  Phoca  byroni  (ex  Blainville  MSS.,  based,  it  is  stated, 
on  a  skull  in  the  Huuterian  collection  labelled  "Sea  Lion  from 
the  Island  of  Tinian,  by  Commodore  Byron";  =  Macrorhinus 
leoninus)',  4.  Phoca  cristata;  5.  Phoca  monachns ;  6.  Phoca  ocean- 
ica;  7.  Phoca  leporina;  8  Phoca  vituUna;  9.  Phoca  grwn- 
landica;  10.  Phoca  fwtida;  11.  Phoca  barbata;  12.  Phoca  leptonyx 
("  Blaiuv.") ;  13.  Phoca  albicauda  {=Phoca  grcenlandica).  Of  these 
thirteen  species  three  {Phoca  ansoni,  P.  byroni,  and  P.  albicauda) 
are  here  first  named;  all  are  nominal.  Two  other  nominal 
species  are  Lepechin's  Phoca  occanica  and  P.  leporina,  leaving 
eight  valid  species.  Desmarest  appends  a  list  of  eleven  species, 
briefly  charafterized,  "qui  sont  bien  moins  connus"  than  those 
more  formally  recognized,  these  being  as  follows:  1.  Phoca 
lupina ;  2.  Phoca  eoxii  ;  3.  Phoca  longicolUs ;  4.  Phoca  tcstudi- 
nc.^ ;  5.  Phoca fasciata;  6.  Phoca pimctata ;  7.  Phoca  macidata ; 
8.  Phoca  nigra  ;  9.  Le  Phoque  lalihtaV  (=  Phoca  laMaJc,  Dcsm., 
1817):  10.  Le  Phoque  tigre ;  11.  Le  Phoque  grummselur. 

The  present  enumeration  differs  much  from  the  same  author's 


TECHNICAL    HISTORY SPECIES. 


441 


1 1 


foniier  oue.  It  includes  as  valid  one  more  species,  while  the  list 
of  doubtful  ones  contains  three  more,  including  the  two  "new 
siiocies*'  {P.  coxii  iv.iO  P.  /ac'Mf«/.)  described  by  him  three  years 
lidoic.  Phoca  occanici'  is  raised  from  a  synonym  to  the  ranlc  of 
a  valid  species;  Phoca  fwtida  appears  in  itlAce  of  P.  hispida ; 
riiora  hipina  is  transferred  to  tlie  doubtful  list,  and  two  nomi- 
nal species  are  added.  Altogether  ther '.  is  an  increase  of  two 
valid  species  {P.  hnrhata  and  P.  leptonyx),  making  eight  iu  all 
^or  )iii>(»  with  P.fawlata,  given  as  doubtful). 

Blainvillo,  the  sanu^  year  (1820,)  himself  published  descrip- 
tions of  the  species  accredited  to  him  by  Desmarest,  namely, 
Phoca  hi/ronia *  iiml  Phoca  leptonyx  {=  Stenorhynchtis .leptonyx, 
r.  Cuvier),  both  based  on  specimens  in  the  Museum  of  the  Koyal 
College  of  Surgeons  of  London. 

XilsBon,  iu  1820,  iu  his  "  Skandinavisk  Fauua",  described 
Pkova  rltulma  under  the  nauie  Phoca  variegata,  Phoca  fcetlda  as 
P/ioort  anucllata,  Halicha'nis  (jrypus  as  Ilalichoerus  griseus,  and 
Cijstophora  cristata  as  Cystophora  horealls. 

Iu  1822,  C'horis,  in  his  "Voyage  pittoresque  autour  du 
Moiulo,"'  flgured  and  described  a  Seal  under  the  name  "  Chien 
(le  iiior  du  detroit  de  Behriug''  (pi.  viii  of  the  livraison  treating 
of  Kamtschatka,  etc.).  The  figure  is  exceedingly  inartistic,  but 
the  coloration  agrees  very  well  wit)',  a  common  phase  of  Plioca 
ritiilhiu.  Its  only  importance  turns  on  the  fact  that  it  later 
becaiiic  the  Piioca  chor'm  of  Lesson.  The  figure  is  often  referred 
to  us  being  unaccompanied  by  a  description,  but  at  p.  12  of 
the  livraison  above  cited,  occurs  the  following:  "  Phoque  du 
detroit  de  Behriug,  blauc,  tachete  de  petites  marques  noires ;  il 
diffeio  cependant  de  celui  des  iles  Aleoutiennes  qui  est  d'un 
blimc  sale,  et  n'a  presque  point  de  taches.  Dans  les  des  Kou- 
riles  oil  en  trouve  encore  une  autre  espece,  mais  tout-a-fait 
uoiie,  iiuirquetee  de  petites  taches  blanches  en  form  d'annelets 
[Phom  faiida  ?\.  Sa  grandeur  toutefois  est  generalemeut  de 
quatre  pieds  a  quatre  pieds  et  demi." 

hi  1824,  F.  Cuvier,  in  his  paper  on  the  classification  of  the 
Seals,  alrea  \y  noticed,  \  in  which  he  divided  the  Earless  Seals 
into  livci  generi '  groups,  gave  to  the  young  Seal  figured  and 
described  iu  his  livraison  i'  of  his  "Ilistoire  Naturelle  des 
Mamrniteres''  as  the  "Phoque  commun",  the  specific  name  dis- 
cohr  {r=z  Phoca  fcetida),  referring  it  a^  the  same  time  to  his 

*Jmini.  .l<'  I'hyssicnit",  vol.  xei,  l»20,  pp.  287,  288. 
Auii.  (In  Mns.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  torn,  xi,  pp.  174-200,  pll.  xii-xix.     Sec  untia, 

IT.  •11.'),  117. 


f    .*i  !«;;■-- J-;!! 


1111  ffl'' 


442 


FAMILY    PHOCID^. 


in 


genus  Callocpplmlm.  He  (liscusses  to  some  extent  the  cliarac- 
ters  of  several  of  the  spetnt^s  of  Earless  Heals  (as  well  as  Otarics) 
and  figures  the  skulls  of  live  of  them. 

The  same  year  (1824)  Thienemanu*  i)ul)lishe(l  his  observa- 
tions on  tlu'  Seals  L'oll('(;te(l  and  observed  by  him  in  Toelaml, 
in  wliicii  lie  renamed  most  of  tlic  si)(;eies,  and  ])ublislu'd  ii  lull 
description  and  colored  illnstrations  of  the  animals,  and  li,uiii(d 
the  skulls  of  most  of  them.  I  le  recognized  seven  species,  wliicli 
arc  as  IWUows,  with  the,  allocations  usnally  assigned  them  in 
recent  authorities:!  1.  PItoca  Jlttorea  (=  /'.  rituUiKt);  2.  I'liixv 
nuneUata  {=  I'/ioca  Jaiidd);  .'5.  PIiock  (jrwnlawlictt ;  1.  J'Ikkh 
harhata  ;  5.  riioni.  liaJichtrnis  {=  IldlicharuN  (frupun);  (».  I'liocn 
scopnlicola  {s=  ITaUcha'ruH  r/n/pus,  young);  7.  Phoca  li'iicopla 
(=  (UfHtophord  cristata).  Of  these  seven  species  two  are  jitu'ely 
nomiiud,  and  three  others  re])rcseiit  species  previously  dc 
scribed.  Thienemanu  here  adds  in  all  four  syiH)nyms  and  no 
new  species,  f 

G.  Cuvier,  in  his  "Ossemens  fossiles'',§  gave  a  somewliat 
extended  but  informal  review  of  the  "Photpies  vivant('S,"iii 
which  are  described  two  new  spe(;ies,  namely,  Phoca  lafiuni 
{=  Phoca  ffrcenlamlica,  young),  from  "Terre-Neuve,"  recniviMJ 
from  M.  de  la  Pilaye.  It  is  evidently  based  on  a  quite  youii!; 
animal,  having  a  length  of  "trois  pied  trois  pouees,"  and  cov- 
ered with  "laine  blanche".  He  also  describes  a  Phoca  mitmtu 
(ex  "Camper"  MSS.)||  based  on  a  skull  of  Cystophora  crisUttu 

*Naturhi8tori8ch«  Bomorkungcn  gcsaininelt  aul'einer  Rciso  iiii  Nordcii  vdii 
Europa,  vorziilicb  in  Island  in  d.  Jahrcu  1820  bis  18'21,  I,  Siiugotli.  W^- 
Quoted  at  second  Iiand,  as  cited  by  various  authors,  the  work  being  inu(- 
cessibb)  to  me. 

t  Based  mainly  on  the  identifications  ol'Gray,  Lilljeborg,  and  von  Hcugliii 

t  According  to  Ferussac's  Bull,  des  Sci.  Nat  v,  1825,  pp.  2()0-26'2,  Tliiew- 
mann  gives  the  fcdlowing  figures:  Phoca  harhata,  pi.  i,  $  adult;  ])1  ii,  d  • 
years  old;  pi.  iii,  <?  1  y<!ar  old ;  pi,  iv,  skull .  Phoca  scojmiicola,  i>\.  \ ,  <?  iul. 
Phoca  litioraa,  pi.  vi,  i;  pi.  vii,  skull;  pi.  viii,  anatomy.  Phoca  (uiiidMa. 
pi.  ix,  $  ad. ;  pi.  x,  juv. ;  ])1.  xi,  skull ;  pi.  xii,  anatomy.  Phoca  Icucoiik, 
pi.  xiii.  Phoca  (jrwnlandica,  pi.  xiv,  g  ad. ;  pi,  xv,  $ ;  j)!.  xvi,  ^  2  yt^an 
old;  pi.  xvii,  <?  1  year  old  ;  pi.  xviii,  young  8  days  old  ;  pi.  xix,  skull;  I'l 
XX,  anatomy;  pi.  xxi,  attitudes  in  the  water. 

{  1  cite  here  tlu;  third  (the  author's  last)  edition,  tom.  v,  182.''),  pi>.  S**' 
ei,  nc]. 

II  The  name  mitrata,  d(!rived  from  the.  same  specimen,  appears  to  huw 
been  iireviously  made  public  by  Desmarest  in  1820,  who  says  "M.  Milbo". 
correspondent  du  Musc^um,  dans  hss  Etats-Unis,  vient  d'envoyer  icet<?tiilili'**' 
merit,  sous  le  noni  de  Phoca  mitrata,  la  tete  d'un  idiO(iue  qui  dift'crc  csst " 
tiellemeut  do  celui-ci  {"  Phoca  criatatu"']  ivdv  le  manpio  de  erCte  et  pn  ' 
nombro  do  dents.     .     .     .'" — Mammahufw,  p,  241,  footnote. 


mm 


TECIINIOAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


443 


sent  l>y  INI.  Milboit  to  tlio  Paris  Museum  from  New  York.  The 
author's  remarks  on  the  species  of  this  group  abound  with  ju- 
dicious su}4',!L;cstions  and  i'orm  an  important  contribution  to  the 
subjct't.  lie  discusses  at  leiii^tli  the  Vhncaoceanica  of  Lepecliin, 
and  ri't'ers  it  unquestionably  1o  I'ltocd  (jra;nlaiulica. 

lliulan,  in  1825,  in  his"Fauriii  Americana"  (pp.  102-llLV 
r('cojinize<Hive  spe(!ies, as  follows:  I.  Pliom  trisfaia ;  2.  I'lioca 
ritiilinn;  .'{.  Plioni  (imnJaudicd ;  I.  I'hocd  fatlda ;  .1.  Plioca 
harhdla.  AH  are  valid ;  all  stand  undc!'  tlieir  'orrect  specific 
iiaiiics;  the  lew  synonyms  ^iiNcnare  all  correctly  referred;  and 
only  one  speci(!s  [HnlichnrtiH  (iri/pits)  known  at  that  time  to  in- 
lialtit  Xorth  America  is  omitted. 

(lodinan,  the  fo11owin<>'  year  (182r>),  in  his  "Anu»rican  Natural 
History"  (vol.  i,  i)p.  .'UO—'MtJ,)  reco.i,nii/.ed  also  the  same  nuud>er 
of  Xorth  Anu'rican  s[»ecies,  and  under  the  sauu;  names,  but 
fjavc  a  much  uu)re  extended  account  of  them. 

In  1820,  in  the  article  "  Phoeue,"  F.  Cuvier  j^ave,  in  the 
"Dictionnairc!  des  Sciences  Naturelles"  (vol.  xxxix,  pp.  540- 
i)')li),  a  systematic;  revision  of  the  Seals,  respecting  which  he 
says,  "Nous  reunirons  dom;  dans  cet  article,  mais  d'une  mani- 
ere  fort  succincte,  tou^^  c'«  qui  a  rapport  aux  phoques  consid^r^s 
comme  ordre,  comme  genres  et  (iomme  especes."  In  this  re- 
vision he  adopts  the  genera  proposed  by  him  two  years  ear- 
lier (see  antea,  p.  415),  and  recognizes  the  following  species : 
1.  Callocephaliiti  vitulinxiH ;  2.  C.  Utporinm;  .'J.  C.  discolor  (  = 
"Phoque  comuuui,"  Ilist.  nat.  des  Mamm.,  O'' livraisou) ;  4,  0. 
laguruH;  5.  C  (frcenlandicus ;  0.  C.  hispidvs ;  7.  C.  barbatus ; 
8.  Stenorhynchiis  Jeptonyx;  0.  Pclagiun  monachns ;  10.  Stemma- 
topus  crutahis  ;  11.  Macrorhinus  proboscideiis. 

In  addition,  luuler  the  caption  ^'Fkoques  irrivces  d^oreiUea  ex- 
tcrncs,^^  he  cites  the  following  as  too  little  known  to  enable  him 
to  recognize  their  generic  (sharacters,  exjilains  the  basis  on 
which  each  rests,  Uud  gi\es  such  brief  notices  of  their  charac- 
lers  as  he  was  able  to  glean:  1.  Phoca  coxii,  Desm. ;  2.  P. 
maciiluta,  Bodd.;  li.  P.  hilhtah;  Desm.;  4.  P.  lupina^  Molina; 
5.  V.hyroni,  "Blainv.";  0.  /'.  rt^.sowi, '' Blainv.";  1.  P.oceanica, 
hepcch.;  8.  P.  tcstndinca,  Shaw;  9.  P.  longicoHis,  Slr.iw;  10. 
P.  fascinta,  "Shaw";  11.  P.  pmictata,''VAHtyii\.  imgV;  12.  P. 
mucnldta,  "Encycl.  angl.";  l.'i.  7*.  nigra,  "Encycl.  angl.";  14. 
Phoquv  Hgrc,  Ivi'asch. 

Of  the  eleven  species  accepted  as  valid,  two  only  (C.  lepori- 
nus  and  C.  diHcolor)  are  nominal ;  of  the  fourteen  i)rovisionally 


>mm 


444 


FAMILY    l'lI()('II»i?i. 


m 


givon,  Olio  only  (/'.  ^^/at<ciata'^)  is  valid,  iiiiiking  nine  ViilJd 
sjn'rics  now  (^nuiiicrutcd,  six  of  wliicli  stiind  iiiuhu'  tlicir  Iv/iH 
iii!ii(;  specific  iiiiiiH^s. 

Lesson,*  in  l.Sli(>,  named  VVeddell's  Sea  lieopard  Oturla  icitl- 
th-lli,  snpposinj,'  it  to  bci  an  lOared  S<!al,  lait  the  foll(»\vin},' .year 
(l.SL'7),  in  liis  ''Manuel  d(^  Mainiiialo;;iti",  i-eleiTed  it  to  !'. 
( !uviei's  ^i'einis  Strnorliynrliiis.  In  tliis  work,  "  Manuel  d(!  iMaiii 
inalo^ie"  (pp.  1!)(5-L'()S),  lie  treats  I'orinally  nineteen  spe<'.ies  of 
Eal■l<^ss  Weals  (Nos,  r>2\)-~}U'tj  and  •'i")!),  and  under  tluMtapt ion 
''§  J,  I'oint  (hn'cUles  v.rttrnrs,  IMnxpH's  des  aut(!urs,"  j;ives  a  list 
ol"  eleven  additional  specries,  tlie  last  all  under  the  ;;'enus  I'liocft, 
which  he  was  unable  to  liji'orou  'y  determine.  The  work  is 
admittedly  based  lar;>ely  on  tliatol"  Lesmarestt  ("EncyclojMdic 
methodiciue,"  vol.  clxxxii),  but  is  Htated  lo  have  jjrowii  out  of 
his  systJ'inatic  studies  of  tin*  eolle<;tions  made  durinj;'  the  voy- 
afjfc  of  th(^  corvt'tte  la  (JoquilU;  (1(SL'2- 181*5),  the  results  of  wliidi 
were  Just  tln'ii  published.  Jle  ado[>ts  th<^  {generic  divisions 
previously  instituted  by  F.  (Juvier  and  XilsHOii,  ami  on  the 
whole  presents  a  very  judicious  summary  of  the  subject.  Tiic 
si)e<ties  aiul  geu(!ra,  (concisely  and  fairly  charact<'rized,  are  as 
follows:  1.  CalocepludusovcauiciDi ;  2.(J.(/ra'nl<in(U<-us ;  'A.  C.ritu- 
(inxs  (incdudes  7*. /i/<«rm, Thieiiemann);  4.  T.  rtW>/>ai/f/a  (ex  Dt's- 
inar(ist);  5.  (J.  leporinuH ;  (>.  (J.  discolor  (ex  I'\  Cuvier);  7.  C. 
luffiirus  (ex  (1.  (/uvier);  8.  C.  barlmtux;  \).  <".  HcoimlkoluH  (ex 
Tldenemann);  10.  iStenorhi/nchns  h-ptonyx ;  11.  S.  weddcUi  (  = 
Otafiaweddelli,  Los'  'n,  1820);  12.  1'daffiu.s  monackus  {conviiWy 
covering  Phoca  bicolor,  kShaw,  and  /'.  lencof/UNter,  JVron);  lo. 
StemmotopiiH  cristatus;  14.  Macrorhinus  prohoscidciis ;  1.1.  .1/. 
atiMoni;  \{\.  M.hyroni ;  17.  llalicharm  ijriiicuH.  No  new  names 
are  iatrodu<;ed,  but  several  of  the  species  arc  jilaced  under  new 
generic  relations. 

Among  the  eleven  undetermined  speciic^s  referred  to  uiidei 
Vhom  are  two  (P.  longicolli.s,  Shaw,  J',  niffni,  "  I'jiKjyd.  angl.") 
Otaries.  The  other  S(^v<m  are  as  follows:  1.  /'.  co.iii,  Desiii. ; 
2.  P.  Uijiina,  MuViUii',  .'».  /*.  iiKiculata,  liodd. ;  I.  '-'•  rhoquc  tnhh- 
hik,^^  Desin.  ex  Kras(!h. ;  r>.  /'.  tcntudineu,  .Shaw;  0.  /'.  J'oHdnt^\ 
"Shaw";  7.  y.  punctata^  "  Kiicycl.  angl.";  8.  P.  mnvulota, 
"Encycl.  angl.";  !>.  /*.  iUjrina  (ex  Krasch.,  apparently  here  first 
named). 


»  FCirusHac's  Bull,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  vol.  vii,.  IH-^fi,  i».  4:{8. 

tSoo  (Indicatory  noto  a<l(heH8t'd  to  M.  A.  Ci.  DcsniarcHt,  1.  c,  p.  vii. 


TVX:  1 1 N ICAL    I  [  IHTOK  Y SPEC  I  EH. 


445 


(Iniy,*  tli(^  saiiK!  yciir  (1HL57),  in  (Jiillitli's  "(Juvici's  Aiiiiiiiil 
Kinutloiii"  (v<»l.  \,  pp.  17r>-l.si),  rcttojinizt'd  lliiitc^cii  spccicis,  us 
rollout:  1.  I'lidca  ritidiii't,  with  v;iri('ti('s  "a.  hothiouiciC  C  Lin. 
I'aiiii.  Sue.");  "I>.  .sr/y/Zcrf"  (".s//^///w/,  (linclin,  Sy.st.  Nat.");  "c. 
ntsp'n'ii"  ("(Iniclin,  Sysf.  Nat.");  "d.  mdculnta''^  (^^mactilata, 
ilddd.");  U.  I'liocii  ''/>ry;oy///»,s"  (—/<•/>«*•/«<(,  LcjH'cliin);  li.  I'hoca 
illsrolor  {  =  discolor,  V.  (!iiv.);  I.  I'koctt  latjunt  {  — tayura,  (i. 
Ciiv.):  •"».  I'liocK  fird'ulandiro  ((^tvcis  n\so  ocean ica,  licpccli.,  and 
sniiihiiiiiris,  l»o(l(l.);  (».  I'lioco  /u:li(ta  {I'Atvv.vs  hispida,  ^(ilirebcr, 
;iii(|  Unlichwrm  urisciis,  Nilss.,  "His.,  1«L'4,  810"!);  7.  Plioca 
lidrhiilft ;  S,  I'liocii  leidoni/.v  (covers  Icpionyx,  IJlaiiivilh!,  Le 
I'liixiiif  i)  reiitrc  hianv,  IJuflon,  and  also  llcriiiann's  plaice  of 
I'hont  iiionuclim!)-  !>.  Miroiuiffa  {n,  <>;('Ai.)  criHfatuH  {  =  cnstata, 
"(liiM'l.",  leoniiia,  I^'abric,  and  mUnita,  "(Janiper");  JO.  Mi- 
rmn(f(i  prohoHcidcu ;  II.  Mirounfja  pataf/oidca  (n.  sp.  =  ^'■Phoque 
lie  P(d(i!ionc,  V.  (Jiiv.,  Menu  Mas.  iv,  2().'J"  (=  Macrorhinuti  leoni- 
im)\  \2.  Miroum/a  ansoni  (  =  leonina,  "Ouuil.",  auNoni,  JJosin.) ; 
1.;.  Minmnffa  hi/roni  (  =  Phoca  hyronia,  IJIainv.).  Of  these  thir- 
teen s|)('(;ies  only  six  are  valid,  whih;  two  tlieii  well-known  spe- 
cies [llfdichaTUH  (/rifpuH  and  MonachuH  albivcnter)  are  eonfonnded 
with  (»thers. 

Ill  1S2S  Lessont  added  a  larj^e  nnuiber  of  syuonynis  by  delib- 
erately icnarniuj^  species  pre.viously  <leH(!ribed,  a  large  part  of 
ilic  sp(H;ies  so  renamed  being  also  merely  nominal,  lie  gives  a 
synopsis  of  the  genera  ])ropo.sed  by  F.  (Javier  in  1824,  in  his 
^ieiiciiil  history  of  the  group,  but  cn\unerate.s  the  H[)ecies  all 
uiider  the  old  generic  name  of  Fhoca.  His  review  of  the  group 
isiiiadt!  with  discrimination,  but  is  greatly  marred  by  tlu;  free 
iiuhilgciice  of  his  love  for  coining  new  names.  In  the  list  of  his 
spoeicm  here  following  the  new  names  are  printed  in  thick  type: 
1.  ]'h(ir((  crintata  (covering  leonina,  Vnhr.,  cucullata,  liodd.,  and 
niilmfii,  "DeKay");  2.  Phoca  mulleri  (covering  grdcnlamlica, 
"Miiiler'',  oceanica,  Lepechin,  and  Nemilunaris,  Boddaert);  .'{. 
I'lioca  schreberi  (covering  hispida,  Schreber,  faeMda,  Miiller,  and 
"/(/u7/(r/(/,  Nilss(ni);  4.  i'/toca parBon8i(=  "Phocamajor,  Parsons," 
'"  wiiich  is  referred  barbata,  "Miiller");  5.  P/joca  thienemanni 
(=  sroindicola,  Thienemann);  (J.  Phoca  leucopla  (ex  Thiene- 
'iiiiiiii);  7.  Phoca.  linnaei  (=  vUidina,  Limi6) -,  8.  Phoca  littorea 
(''X  Tliiciiemann);  0.  Phoca  lepechini  (=  Icporina,  Lepechin); 

•TIk)  aulhorship  is  not  distinctly  stated  in  tho  volumo,  so  far  as  I  bavo 
l"!iii  (ililc  to  (ind,  bnt  is  uirifonnly  claimed  by  Gruy  in  bis  snbsequent 

works. 

tDiil.  (liiNH.  d'llist.  Nat.,  touio  xiii,  art.  Phoque,  Janvier,  1828,  pp.  400-.12a 


UrA 


446 


FAMILY    PIIOCIDiE. 


ife  ^  II J! 


ilHi 


!M 


Iff 


B 


ir 


11: 


10.  Phoca  frederici  (=  d'mcolor,  F.  Ciiviei);  11.  Fhoca  pylayi 
(=  lagiira,  (1.  (!iivier);  12.  riioca  demaresti  {=  albicaiida,  Des 
iniucst) ;  13.  /Viocr;  hermanni  ( =  nunKtchun,  IJermaiin,  lo  which 
ar«5  jc'ferred  also  albiveutcr,  JJodd.,  and  leucoamtcr,  Pihon);  M. 
I*ltoca  chorisi  (=  Chioii  dc  Mor,  (Jlioiis) ;  ]">.  7V/o<v(  hi/roiii  {(i\ 
lilaiuville) ;  Mi.  J'h(>cahomei{=  l<'i)ton}j.v,  niiiiiivillc);  IT.  I'lioco 
ivcddclU  {Otaria  icedikUi,  Less.);  18.  I'lioeu  pioh<>.sci<lni  (iacludes 
Iconina,  Linn.,  eleph(tiifui<(,  ^Molina,  and  annoni,  ])t'sni.,  in  pai't). 

Of  these  eiji(htee?i  "species"  nine  are  pnrely  nominal;  eleven 
are  needlessly  renamed,  and  in  addition  to  wliicli  Clioiis's 
'•(Jliicn  de  Mer"  is  lor  the  first  time  introduced  into  systematic 
nomenclature,  thereby  adding  in  all  twelve  synonyms  iu  a 
notice  of  eighteen  supposed  species,  representing-  only  niiit; 
valid  ones.  The  only  redeemable  i'eaturo  is  the  proper  alloca 
lion  of  twelve  nominal  sijceies  of  preec^ding  anthors.  lie  also 
iionsiders  it  probable  that  Peron's  Phoca  rcsima,  Desina rest's 
Phoca  coxiij  and  3Iolina's  Phoca  InpliKi,  should  be  referred  to  lii> 
Phoca  proboNcidca.  Of  the  nine  \alid  species  only  two  stand 
under  tenable  spccilic  names. 

Fischer,  in  1820,  in  his  "  Synopsis  ]\Iammalium,"  recognized 
eighteen  species  of  '■'Phoca:"'  under  his  division  ^^]\Auflculh 
»?(/i?.S'"  (1.  c,  pp.  231-212,  "375-378,"  i.  e.,  575-578),  which  are 
as  follows:  1.  Phoca  leonhia,  Linn.  (=  /'.  prohoHcidca^  Perou); 
2.  Phoca  annoni,  Desni. ;  3.  Phoca  byronl,  Blainv.  (the  three  pre 
ceding  jdl  referable,  either  Avliolly  or  in  part,  to  MacrorhUm 
leoninuH) ;  4.  Phoca  monachus,  Ilerm. ;  5.  Phoca  vitulina,  Liiiu.; 
0.  Phoca  fcjf>orJ«rt,  Lei)ech. ;  7.  Phoca  dincolor  {=.  Callocephaks 
discolor^  V.  Cay.)',  8.  Phoca  scopidicola,  Thmini.',  9.  Phoca  leu- 
cojda,  Thienm. ;  10.  Phoca  hujuru,  G.  Cuv. ;  11.  Phoca  fjmn- 
landica,  "Midi.";  12.  Phoca  grypuH,  Fabr. ;  13.  Phoca  Mspido. 
Sehrober;  14.  Phoca  barbafa,  "]\Iiill.";  15.  Phoca  lepiomjx. 
Blainv.;  IG.  Phoca  weddclli,  "Less.";  17.  P/tom  mstoto,  Erxl; 
18,  Phoca  ch<^  •si.  Less.  Thirteen  others  are  given  as  doubtful 
or  not  well  determined,  one  of  which  is  here  first  named.  These 
are:  \.  Phoca  duhia  (n.  sp.,  =  Macrorhinus  leoninus,  juv.*);  -• 
Phoca oceanica,  Lepecli.;  Phoca  I Kpina,  Molina.;  4.  Phoca scrmu 
Thunb. ;  5.  Phoca  canina,  Thunb.;  (5.  Phoca  vituUna,  Tliuuh.; 
7.  Phoca  tcstudinea,  Shaw ;  8.  Phoca  fanciata,  Shaw ;  9.  Phoca 
punctata.,  "  Ency.  Brit.";    10.  Phoca  macidata,  "  Ency.  JJrit."; 

11.  Phoca  niijra.,  "Ency.  Brit.";  13.  Phoca  antai'ctica,  Thiuib. 
(=  Arctocephalus  antarctivm).    In  the  "Addenda"  (1830),  how- 

*  Soo  Nilsson,  Wiogmauu's  Archiv,  1841,  ]}]}.  324,  SiiT). 


t  m 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


447 


ivcr,  I'hoea  oceanica  in  reft'ired  to  /'.  yrcenlandicay  and  Phoca 
ttiiida,  "Miill.,"  is  substitutfMl  for  7*.  hispida.  ^^ Phoca  duhia'" 
is  ii|»pim'ntly  the  only  now  nanio  j^ivcn.  Xot  only  are  all  these 
rclcrriMl  to  I'hoea^  but  this  name  is  made  to  <;over  also  all  of 
the  Miired  Heals. 

or  the  eighteen  spci'les  here  fornially  r«'co;;nized  ten  only  are 
Milid,  to  which  one  maybe  added  from  the.  list  of  donl)tfid 
siitM'ics,  makin;;' eleven  in  all,  nine  of  which  have  cori'ect  si)edlie 
(l(si,i;imtions — a  <;Teat  imin'ovennMit  n])on  Jjcsson's  work  of  the 
|i!cvi(tus  year. 

Ill  l.s;>l*  I'allas,  in  his  "Zoo}j;r<ii>hia  IJosso-Asiatiea"  (vol.  i, 
|i|).  I  (10-110),  described  twelve  species  of  luiirine  mammals  nnder 
I  lie  ;icncric  name  Phoca,  as  follows :  1.  I'hoea  liitris  (=  IJnhydrhi 
lilt r is);  2.  J'hoca  ut;sina{=  Cdllorhiiins  iirniitua);  .'i.  I'hocti  Icouina 
i  —  Eiiiiutopkis  stclleri);  i.  J'hoca  nUjra  {  =  ('allorhuius  nrnium, 
jiiv.);  r>.  Phoca  nautica  {■=.?  ErUjiiatkHH  barhaim)',  (».  Phoca  aJhi- 
linid  (  =  EtHjnathvH  harhatm);  7.  Phoca  cqiiestris  (=  llisttiophoca 
I'lDiriata);  <S.  Phoca  dornata  {=  Phoca  {/ranland tea) ;  i).  Phoca  mo- 
nucha  (=  Monachvs alhircnfcr) ;  10.  Phoca  lanjha  (ayonn^  ICarless 
fjtiiil,  s])e(!i(>s  indeterminable);  11.  Phoca  canina  (=  J'hoca  vitu- 
Hull.  J'hoca  casplca,  and  Phoca  sihirica)',  12.  Phoca  ochofcnuis  (in- 
determinable; jn'obably  =  P.  ritulina).  Of  these  twelve  species 
.seven  only  are  Phocids,  none  of  whi<;h  are  for  th<^  tirst  time 
iiiiiiied ;  two  {P.  nautica  and  /'.  larf/ha)  are  not  with  certainty 
(k'tenninable.  The  author  himself  identities  live  of  his  species 
with  si)(H;ii!s  previonsly  described,  yet  in  each  case  bestows  a  new 
naiue.  In  short,  I'allas's  twelve  sni)po.sed  species  of  "  JV<om  "  add 
seven  pure  synonyms,  three  indeternunal)le  speciies,  and  not  one 
tenable  name  to  the  literature  of  the  subject.  Jlis  Phoca  ocho- 
iensis  (by  some  later  authors,  as  A'on  Schrenck,  recognized  as  a 
valid  species)  ])resents  a  combination  of  characters  thus  far  un-  , 
known  in  nature.  His  diagnosis  begins  " P.  subauii<;ulata",  and 
in  liis  descrii)tion  he  says,  "Auriculae  externae  minutae,  nigri- 
caiites",  on  which  account  it  has  been  sometimes  regarded  as 
an  Otary,  but  he  describes  the  molars  as  "supra  infraque 
iitiiii(|ue  (piini,  ])rin)o  minori;  suhhicuspidato ;  i-eliqni  acute  tri- 
cnspidati,  medio  majore,  conico";  and  also  says,  "Palmarum 
unfiles  teiininales  magni,  incurvi,  robusti,"  etc.,  which  certainly 
caiiiiut  be  said  of  an  Otary.    There  is  nothing  in  the  account  ' 

'The  (lilt  (•  (HI  tliii  title  page  18 18.31,  but  flic  worlc  seems  to  have  been  imnted 
as  early  ns  lelll.  The  first  vohinic,  however,  is  (luolcd  l)y  Fiselier  in  the 
"adilt'iidii "  to  Ills  "Synopsis  Maminaliuiu",  dated  1830,  and  is  not  ([Uoted  in 
till' wjik  itself,  dated  18Si9.  i 


■'■%■  r 


I. 


a.  .  .-A 


liil 


448 


FAMILY    PIIOCIDilS. 


of  tlui  i)ela«;d  or  coloration,  eitlicr  of  tlie  yoniif?  or  aduli,  that 
inij;lit  not  apply,  for  iiiHtanco,  to  Vhoca  vituUna,  while  the  },M'h- 
oral  drift  of  the  description  certainly  indicates  an  Earless  Seal. 
Nilsson,  in  1837,*  i)nblished  an  important  revisioji  of  the  Pin- 
nq)e<lia,  which,  so  far  as  the  Thocids  are  <!oncerned,  is  one  of 
the  most  important  contribntions  to  the  snbject  that  has  yet 
appeared,  the  variations  dependent  npon  age  and  individual 
j)eenliarities  beinjj  discussed  at  lenj'th,  while  a  number  of  the 
nominal  species  of  precedinj^  authors  (some  of  them  for  the  iirst 
time)  take  their  proper  stations.  Fhoca  caspica  is  here  iirst  es- 
tablished as  a  species, — the  only  new  species  added.  Characters 
strictly  8pecifl(!  are  sharply  contrasted  among  allied  species  not 
previously  well  understood.  Only  a  limited  amount  of  syn- 
onymy is  presented,  but  that  is  well  considered,  and  has  stood 
the  t(?st  of  subsequent  researches.  Only  ten  species  of  the  fam- 
ily Phocid(c,  as  now  restricted,  were  recognized,  as  follows :  I. 
Stenorliynchus  leptonyx;  2.  Pelagivit  monachus;  3.  Phoca  vitulina 
(to  which  is  referred  Thienemann's  P.  Uttorea) ;  4.  Phoca  annel 
lata  {  =  Phoca  feet ida,  to  which  is  referred  F.  Cuvier's  Calloceph 
aim  discolor) ;  5.  Phoca  caspica  (n.  sp.) ;  6.  Phoca  grcenlandka  (to 
which  are  referred  Lepechin's  P.  ocea.nica  and  G.  Cuvier's  P. 
lagura);  7.  Phoca  barbata  (to  which  are  referred  Lepechin's  P. 
leporina  and  Pallas's  P.  nautica  and  P.  albigena) :  8.  Halicha^rm 
grypxis;  9.  Cystophora  proboscidea  (to  which  Fischer's  Phoca 
dtibia  is  referred ;  Phoca  ansoni  is  again  shown  to  be  a  componud 
of  this  species  and  Otaria  leonina  [=  O.jubata,  auct.],  and  .P/iocfl 
hyroni  is  declared  to  have  been  based  on  an  old  skull  without 
the  lower  jaw  of  ^^  Otaria  jubata^^);  10.  Cystophora  cristata  {to 
,  which  are  referred  Phoca  mitrata  of  "Fischer",  P.  leiicopla  of 
Thienemann,  and  Cystophora  borealis  of  Nilsson,  Skand.-Fanna, 
''  1,  1820, 283).  No  reference  is  hence  made  to  several  valid  spe- 
!  cies,  and  a  multitude  of  nominal  ones,  jireviously  described. 

Gray,  in  1837, t  described  some  kind  of  Hair  Seal  "forty- 
seven  inches"  long  from  the  "Cape  of  Good  Hope",  under  the 
name  Phoca  ?  platythrix.  He  seemed  to  be  thus  in  doubt  as  to 
whether  it  was  a  true  Phoca,  but  it  was  doubtless  an  Earless 
Seal,  or  he  would  not  have  at  this  date  referred  it  in  any  way 
to  Phoca.    I  find  no  subsequent  reference  to  it,  either  by  Gray 

*  "Utkast  till  en  systeinatisk  indoliiinff  af  Phocacecrna.  <K.  Vot.  Akad. 
Hand!.  Stockholm,  18:j7,  pp.  2:55-340".  Translated  by  Dr.  W.  Poturs  in 
■Wiefjmann's  Archiv  fiir  Naturgeschiclitc,  1841,  lid.  1,  pp.  401-332.  This  is 
the  version  coraniouly  cited,  and  the  one  used  in  the  iiresont  work, 

tCharlcsworth's  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  i,  1837,  p.  582. 


Ti;(  •  1 1  NIC  A  I.    1 1  IST(  )1{Y SPKCI KS. 


449 


or  iiiiy  (»tlu'r  writer.     It  may  have  Ix'oii  a  yoiiu^'  Seti- Elephant, 
tliis  ht'iiiji'  t!ie  only  Phoeid  n^ported  from  that  huiallty. 

Ill  IS.'I!)  Hamilton,  in  his  ''Natnnil  History  of  tlu^  Amphibi- 
ous Carnivora"*  (|)i».  IL'I-L'L'T,  L'71>,  liSO),  recoj^nized  lii'teen  spe- 
cies (adoptin;;'  l'\  Cnviei's  j;enera)  of  ICarless  Seals,  as  follows: 
l.CdIoccphdIiiN  i-itulin(( ;  LI.  (K  (liscolor  [=J'aii(Ut))  JJ.  C.  barbata; 
\.  (J.  hicolor  {=  moiiHchn.s)',  o.  C.tintinUtndim ;  (i.  C  oceanka  (  = 
liruiihuKlica);  7.  C.  hi.spi<Ia  {=J'a;tida);  8.  C.  leporina  {—barbata)) 
II.  lldlivhwntu  {/risvii.s  (  =  _r//'///>H,s);  10.  StenorhynchuH  lepfoni/x; 
W.S.  Idopardina  {  =  iveddelli)',  V2.  Pelaijius  mouachm;  l.'{.  Stem- 
iMtopus  cristatioi ;  14.  ^i.  mitmtm  {  —  cri)itaia)\  15.  Macrorhinus 
jDvboscidcm  {=leonini(N).  Of  these  fourteen  species  nine  oidy 
■Mv  valid,  and  only  six  of  these  stand  under  their  correct  specilic 
luimes.  He  also  f^ives  si  list  of  four  doubtful  ones,  only  the 
liist  of  \vhi(!h  is  described.  These  are  the  foUowinj^ :  1.  Phoca 
i\m(it<(j  2.  r.  coxii;  3.  P.  lupina;  4.  P.  punctata. 

The  same  year  (1839)  Kutorgat  gave  a  detailed  account  of 
Phoca  fwtida,  under  the  name  Phoca  communis,  characterizing 
two  new  varieties,  Avhicli  he  called  octonotata  and  undulata. 

Teinminck,  in  1842,  in  the  "Fauna  Japonica"  ''Mammiferes 
Miuius,  ])p.  1-4),  passed  in  review  the  Seals  of  the  North  Pacilic, 
ilisciissing  especially  those  indicated  by  Steller  and  Pallas.  The 
only  sj)ecies  particularly  described  is  Pallas's  Phoca  largha, 
which  lie  renamed  Phoca  nummularis. 

DcKay,  in  the  same  year  (New  York  Zoology,  part  i,  1842,  p. 
53),  bused  the  name  Plioca  concolor  upon  New  York  examples 
of  Phoca  vitulina,  he  believing  the  Americ?n  animal  to  be  spe- 
citically  distinct  from  the  European. 

In  ISl.'j  Lesson |  described  a  specimen  of  Cystophora  cristata 
takeu  on  the  coast  of  France,  under  the  name  Phoca  isidorei. 

In  the  same  year  (1843)  Owen§  redescribed  Lobodon  carcino- 
l>kt(ja  under  the  name  Stenorhynchus  serridens. 

lu  1844  Gray,  in  the  "  Zoology  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror", 
described  Ommatophoca  rossi,  a  valid  new  species. 

Seliiu/,  in  tho  same  year  (1844),  in  his  "  Systematische  Ver- 
zeiclniiss  aller  bis  jetzt  bekannters  Siiugethiere,  oder  Synop- 
«sMainmalium"  (i,  pp.  429-480),  recognized  twelve  sptcies  of 
i'hoca,  and  mentioned  three  additional  doubtful  ones,  as  follows : 

Tonniiiir  vq].  ^'ni  of  Ibo  Mammalia  of  Jardino's  "Naturalist's  Library". 
tliiill.  Soc,  Iiiip.  (lesNat.  de  Mohcou,  aun6o  IKJO,  pp.  178-190,  pll.  xiii-xviii. 
■Keviu'  Zoolgiquc,  1843,  p.  256;  Echo  dn  Monde  Savant,  1843,  p.  228. 
n'roc.  Zool.  Soc.  London,  1843,  p.  131, 
.Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 29 


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...  .,- 

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450 


FAMILY   PIIOC'IDiE. 


1.  Phoca  proboHcideii ;  2.  1*.  monaehun ;  .».  i'.  vitulma;  4.  P, 
caspica;  o.  P.  burbutn;  (J.  P.  anncUatn  [=J\ctida)',  7.  P.  f/rccH- 
lundica ;  S.  i'.  //n//>H.v;  1>.  P.  h(()um ;  10.  Z*.  Icptonyx;  11.  P. 
Kcddelli ;  12-  i',  cristafu.  Eleven  of  these  represent  valid  spe 
cies,  ouc  only  (i\  liujum)  being  nominal.  The  «h)ubtl'nl  ones  aro. 
1.  P.  chorisi ;  2.  i'.  serivea,  Tlinnl). ;  i5.  Z*.  testndlnca,  Shaw, 

In  18-40  Andreas  Wagner,  in  liis  continnation  of  Scluebci's 
•'Silugtliierc  -'  (Theil  vii,  ])]).  ."i-Dl)  ])rescnted  an  important  rcvi>- 
ion  of  the  Earless  Seals.     The  fourteen  speeies  reeogni/ed  In 
him  he  lefers  (o  four  genera,  as  tbllows:   1.  Ualkharm  (jrypus 
(to  whieli  he  refers  Z'/(om /</.Sj()t(/«,  Schreber!) ;  2.  I'hoca  barbaiu; 
.S.  Phocn  iinvnlondlm ;  4.  Phoca  numnutlaris  (ex  ''Schlegcl",  i.e. 
Temminek,  I'anna   ,^^.)\)on.=  ]\  fcvtida);  "».  Plioca  rihilhui;  i). 
Pltovu  (inndlaia  (ex  Nilsson ;  P.fwtida  and  P.  hispida,  Fabric,  aic 
given  as  synonyms!);  7.  Phoca  cmpica ;  8.  Lcptonyx  scnkknx 
{=  Stciorhi/iichus  scrridens,  Owen,  and  Lobodon  carcinophayti. 
Gray) ;  1).  Lcptouux  hopardina  (ex  Jameson  MSS.  apud  llaiii 
ilton;  ^^  Phoca  hpfony.r,  Blainvillo"  =  Lcptonyx  wcddclli);  10. 
Lcptonyx  n-cddcUi;  11.  Lcptonyx  rons'i;  12.  Lcptonyx  monachus: 
13.  Cystophora  proboHcidca ;  14.  Cystophoni  cristata.    Of  thcst'. 
two  {Phoca  nmnniiiJaris  iiiid  Lcptonyx  Icopanlinus)  are  noiuiiiiil. 
Although  a  liighly  important,  and  in  most  I'espects  a  judiciou> 
re\iew  of  the  subject,  it  presents  several  strange  allocatious  oi 
synonymy,  as  above  noted.    Under  Jjcptonyx  wcddclli,  for  oxiiiii- 
pie,  the  only  references  he  cites  he  had  just  previously  given 
under  /S'.  Icopardinns,  and  api)ears  to  separate  the  two  specie^ 
on  the  basis  of  erroneous  drawings  of  the  hind  feet.    Xeitliei 
does  he  explain  why  he  rel'erii  Schreber's  Phoca  hispida  to  Mali' 
choerus  yrypus,  or  why  he  allows  anncllata  of  Nils'sou  to  talcopre 
cedence  oifcctida  of  Fabricius. 

Peale,*  in  1848.  misled  by  the  transposition  of  a  labeh  de 
scribed  sjiecimens  of  Phoca  vitulina  from  the  Pacific  coast  oil 
North  America,  under  the  name  Ualicharus  antarcticuH,  suppov  [ 
ing  the  specimens  came  from  the  Desolation  Islands. 

In  1849  Dr.  J.  E.  Gray  t  "received",  he  says,  ''from  the  We>t| 
Indies  the  skin  and  skull  of  a  Seal  which  evidently  bclougstol 
the  same  genus  as  the  crested  seal  of  the  northern  hemispliere  i 
"which  he  described  under  the  name  Cystophora  antillarum.  Hn 
refers  to  another  "imperfect  skin  of  a  seal  from  Jamaica,  ^Yllicll| 

*Rop.  U.  S.  Ex.  Exp.,  voi.  viii,  1848,  p.  30. 
t  Prof.  ZoiJl.  Soc.  Loudou,  184'J,  p.  03. 


1    .'' 


TECHNICAL    lIISTOliY — SPECIES. 


451 


was  brought  homo  by  Mr.  Gosso",  which  the  Ibllowiuy  year* 
beciuno  the  basis  of  his  Phova  tropicalis. 

Gray,  in  1850  (Cat.  of  Seals  in  I>rit.  Mas.)  recofj;iiize«lii;;Iiteeu 
si»('('i«'sofEarless  Seals,  di.stribulcdaiiioiigeleveii  genera,  (trwhich 
roiirteen  of  the  speeies  are  doubtless  mxYhI.  The  s[)eeiest  recog- 
nized are  tlu^  following  :  1.  IjoIkxIdii  ((ircindplutfid  ;  2.  Stciiiolnjn- 
clniHh'ptoniJx ;  3.  lA'ptoiii/.r  iVfuldclli ;  i.  Moitacliiin  alhi rente f  ;  o. 
Ounnalophoca  rosxl ;  (!.  C((ll<>cepli(ihi.s  ritiilii(ii,s  ;  7.  (',  hispid Kfi ; 
.s.  C./cctida  (7  and  S  are  I  lie  same);  ',).  ('.  ea.spieiiN ;  10.  C.dimi- 
ilidfiis;  11.  C.  lanihit  (10  and  11  nonunal);  lU.  P('(i(>pliiliis  i/neit- 
IniiilieKH  ;  13.  JVtoca  Inirhiiln  ;  II.  I'lioea  tropicoli.s;  l~).  Jlnlichoe- 
niti  lirt/piis  ;  10.  ^[o)'nuu((  elephanlina  ;  \~.  Cijufopliord  criHttttu  ; 
IS.  ('.  antillariini.  The  only  new  names  are  CalloeephalKs  iliini- 
diotiiN  (n.  sp.,  ex  Seldegel  ^IS.),  anil  I'lioea  Iropiealis  (n.  sp.).  and 
rlie  only  innovation  in  nomenelalurc  is  MohocIiks  ,(ll>i renter  {<il(ji- 
renter  ex  Bodd.). 

The  same  year  (1850)  Drs.  llornsehuch  and  Schilling, J  after 
ail  exaiiiiuation  of  some  sixty  skulls  of  Ualichari(x,  proi)osed  a 
division  of  the  genus  into  three  species,  namely,  If.  iinjpus 
(Fabr.  =(7>'j*CMsNilss.),  H.  mucrorltynvhnx,  nnd  JI.  pitch yrhyneli us j 
tlie  last  two  being  added  as  new  species.  Subseipient  writers, 
however,  have  not  considered  theui  as  entitled  to  specitic  recog- 
nition. 

In  1854  Gray  §  described  a  specimen  of  jlhnachiis  alb i venter 
lidiii  Madeira  under  the  name  Ueliophoca  atlantica,  basing  on 
it  a  new  genus  as  well  as  uew  species. 

lu  1855  Giebel,  in  his  "  SUugethiere"  (pp.  129-143),  gave  a 
noteworthy  account  of  the  animals  here  under  consideration. 
It  is  concise  and  discriminative,  and  though  closely  following 
Waj^ner,  is  an  admirable  exposition  of  the  state  of  knowledge 
respecting  this  group  at  the  date  of  its  publication,  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago.  Although  dealing  to  only  a  small 
extent  with  the  bibliography  of  the  subject,  the  principivl  syno- 
nyms of  the  species  are  given  in  footnotes,  with  generally  a 
brief  reference  to  their  character.     The  species  recognized, 

'Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  p.  28. 

tTlic  syuonymy  lie  liero  gave  ia  substantially  the  same  .as  that  of  liis  hiii^v 
[1'*%)  "Catalogue  of  Seals  and  Whales",  for  a  notice  of  wliicli  sec  below,  p. 

4r,;{ 

I "  Kurzo  Noiizcn  iibcr  die  in  der  Ostsec  vorkouiiiiindcn  Ariten  der  Gattung 
i/a/ic/iari/s,  Kilss.  Grclfsw.ald,  ISoO".  Abstract  in  Wicgmann's  Archiv  fiiv 
^'aturgesch.,  1851,  13d.  2,  p.  22.    The  original  brochure  I  have  not  seen. 

v^Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  London,  1854,  p.  43. 


..«^.. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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452 


FAMILY   PHOCID^. 


P  W: 


tliirteeii  in  number,  are  referred  to  four  genera,  as  follows:  ]. 
Ualivliceriifi  (frijjuifi;  2.  Fhoca  harbata  (with  leporina,  Lepeeh., 
albifjena  and  nautica,  Pallas,  as  synonyms) ;  3.  Fhoca  grcenlaudica 
(with  oceanica,  "Steller,"  and  dorsata^  Pallas,  as  synonyms,  to 
which  also  ochofensis,  Pallas,  is  doubtfully  added) ;  4.  Plioea 
nuni)nuh(ris,  "Schlegel"  (  =  /tBiftrfa);  5.  Phocavitulina  {with  tlie 
synonyms  variegata,  Nilss.,  lUtorea  and  scoimlkola,  Thienemanu, 
concolor,  DeKay,  etc.) ;  G.  Phoca  annellata  (with  fcetida  and 
hispida,  Fabr.,  discolor,  F.  Guv.,  and  octonotata  and  vndnlnta, 
Kutorga,  as  synonyms) ;  7.  Phoca  caspica  ;  8.  Leptonyx  serridens 
(=  carcinophaga) ;  9.  Lcptonyx  leopardimts  (=  leptonyx,  Blainv.); 
10.  Leptonyx  tceddelli ;  11.  Leptonyx  monachiis ;  12.  Cystophora 
proboscidea  (with  ansonl,  Desm.,  and  dubia,  Fisch.,  as  synonyms); 
13.  Cystophora  cristata  (with  leonina,  Linn.,  borealis,  Nilss., 
leucopla,  Thienmann,  and  mitrata,  "Fisch.,"  as  synonyms). 
Of  the  thirteen  species  one  only  {nummularis)  is  nominal,  and 
nearly  all  stand  under  their  proper  specific  names,  while  the 
various  synonyms  are  in  every  case  correctly  referred. 

Von  Schrenck,  in  1859,  in  his  "  Eeisen  und  Forschungeii  im 
Amur-Lande"  (vol.  i,  pp.  180-188,  pi.  ix)  recognized  four  spe- 
cies as  occurring  on  the  Amoor  coast  of  the  Ochots  Sea,  namely  - 
1.  '■^ Phoca  nummularis,  Schleg."  (—  '■'Phoca  largha,  Pallas");  2. 
Phoca  barbata  {=*^Ph.  nautica  und  Ph.  albigena,  Pallas");  3. 
"P/ioc«  oc7tofensi9,  Pallas";  4.  ^^ Phoca  equestris,  Pallas"  (=  P. 
fasciata.,  Zimm.).  While  none  are  assumed  by  the  author  to  be 
new,  the  last  is  for  the  first  time  adequately  described  and  fig- 
ured. Although  the  existence  of  this  remarkable  species  was 
indicated  by  Pennant  in  1781,  on  information  and  a  drawing 
furnished  him  by  Pallas,  it  had  hitherto  been  seen  by  no  sub- 
sequent author,  and  had  generally  figured  as  a  synonym  of 
other  species  or  in  the  lists  of  the  doubtful  or  indeterminable 
ones.  Von  Schrenck,  however,  not  only  gave  detailed  descrip- 
tions of  the  dentition  and  external  characters,  with  measure- 
ments of  the  old  and  young  of  both  sexes,  but  also  colored 
figures  of  the  adult  male  and  female. 

In  1802,  Iladde,  in  his  "Eeisen  im  Siiden  von  Ost-Sibirien" 
(Theil  i,  pp.  290-304,  pi.  xiii)  described  at  length  a  skull  of  a 
young  female  of  the  Lake  Baikal  Seal  under  the  name  Phoca 
annellata,  and  incidentally  in  comparison  therewith  a  skull  of 
the  Caspian  Seal  {Phoca  caspica)  and  three  skulls  of  Phoca 
fatida  {'''■  annellata^^)  from  the  East  Sea,  all  of  which  he  referred 
to  the  Phoca  annellata  of  Nilsson.    His  article  is  of  importance 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


453 


i':i; 


as  affording  the  first  detailed  description  of  an  authentic  speci- 
men of  the  Baikal  Seal. 

In  18G4,  Dr.  Gray  *  described  as  new  a  species  of  Seal  froui 
the  west  coast  of  North  America,  under  the  name  Halicyon 
rii'hanli  (lege  ricMrdsi)  based  on  a  skeleton  from  Frazer's  River 
and  a  skull  from  Vancouver's  Island.  He  was  so  impressed 
with  its  distinctness  that  he  created  for  it  the  new  genus  Hali- 
cyoH.  In  the  same  paper  Heliophoca  atlantica  is  referred  to 
Monachns  albiventer;  and  he  enumerates  fifteen  species  which 
he  claims  are  fully  established  on  osteological  as  well  as  exter- 
nal characters. 

In  18G6  Dr.  Theodore  Gill  t  first  made  known  the  California 
Sea-Elephant  under  the  name  Macrorhinus  angiistirostris. 

Gray,  in  186G,  in  his  "  Catalogue  of  Seals  and  Whales  in  the 
British  Museum"  (pp.  8-35,  38-43,  367,  308),  enumerated  nine- 
teen species,  placed  in  fourteen  genera,  as  follows :  1.  Lobodon 
mrcimphaga  (includes  serridens,  Owen,  and  antarctica,  Peale) ; 
2.  Lepl07iyx  tceddelli  {leojyardinus,  Jameson) ;  3.  Ommatophoca 
rossi;  4.  Stenorhynchiis  Icptonyx:  5.  Monachns  albiventer  (in- 
cludes bicolor,  Shaw^,  Icucogaster,  Peron,  atlantica.  Gray,  etc.) ; 
'i.2[onachus  ti'opicalis ;  7.  Callocephalim  vitulinm  (includes  va- 
riegata,  Nilsson,  littorea,  Thienemaun,  canina,  Pallas,  communis, 
vars.  octonotata  and  vndulata,  Kutorga,  etc.,  the  last  incor- 
rectly); 8.  ^'•Callocephaliisf  caspicus'''' ;  9.  '•^Callocephalus?  dimid- 
ifliHs"  (ex  Schlegel  MS.;  locality  "Norway" — not  determinable); 
10.  Pagomys  fcetidus  (includes  hispida,  anneUata,  discolor,  etc., 
and, incorrectly,  '■^fasciata,  Shaw,".^  concolor,Y)e  Kay,  "?  eques- 
ins,  Pallas");  11.  ^^ Pagomys?  largha^^  {=  fmtida;  includes 
dorm  and  tigrina,  Lesson,  and  nummularis,  Temm.);  12.  Pa- 
gophilus  grcenlandicus  (includes  oceanica,  Lepech.,  semilunaris, 
Bodd.,  dorsata,  Pallas,  annellata,  Gaimard,  etc.) ;  13.  Halicyon 
richardsi  {grcenlandica,  Middendorff  =  vitulina);  14.  Pliocabar- 
bata  {kporinus,  Lepech.,  etc.);  15.  Raliclicerus  grypus  (includes 
Mk'hwnts,  Thienem.,  griscus,  Nilsson,  etc.,  and  incorrectly  Ms- 
jn'rffl,  Schreber,  and  scopnlicola.i  Thienem.);  16.  Morunga  ele- 
phautina  (includes  Iconina,  Linnet,  proboscidca,  Nilsson,  ansoni, 
^^'f^n\.,  patagonica,  Gray,  dubia,  Fisch.);  17.  Cystophoracristata 
(inehules  ciicullata,  Bodd.,  mitrata,  Milbert,  MS.,  borealis,  Nils- 
son,  IvHcopla,  Thienem.,  etc.);  18.  Cystophora  antillanim;  19. 
Salk'jjon  californica  (p.  367,  n.  sp.;  nominal). 

*  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soo.  Load.,  18G1,  p.  28. 

tProc.  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  vol.  i,  p.  ;}3. 


<im 


II  if 


.1 


-I  '■; 


li   'ii 


454 


FAMILY   PHOCIDJE. 


This  is  the  largest  number,  both  of  species  aiul  genera,  recog- 
nized by  one  author  since  Lesson,  who,  in  1827,  gave  the  same 
number  of  species  but  only  six  genera.  Of  these  nineteen 
species,  doubtless  live  {antillarum,  dimUliati's,  hm/hcf,  richimhi, 
and  valifornim)  are  nominal,  leaving  fourteen  that  are  ■valid,  or 
an  average  of  one  to  each  genus !  One  of  the  genera,  however, 
{ILilici/oii)  is  based  on  a^  nominal  siiecies;  the  second  species 
{Cj/sii)i)hor(i  aniUJarv.m)  of  the  only  genus  Avliich  contains  two, 
may  be  regarded  as  doubtful  (see  postea,  utider  the  general 
history  of  ^fouachKn  f  iropicalis).  Compared  with  the  same 
authors  revision  made  in  ISoO  (see  antca,  \).  451)  there  is  an 
increase  of  three  geiun'a  and  one  si)ecies;  only  one  "  new  spe- 
cies" [cdlij'ornica)  being  here  added.  This  the  author  seems  to 
have  again  recognized  oidy  once,*  remarking  that  he  considers 
Gill's  Phoca  pcaJei  as  identical  with  his  ^^HaUci/on  f  californiea'\ 

In  the  same  year  (186G)  Dr.  Theodore  Gill  published  his 
"  Prodrome  of  a  ^Monograph  of  tlie  Pinnipedes  ",t  in  which  he  pro- 
posed one  new  generic  name  {Erignathns  =  Phoca,  Gray),  and 
introduced  one  new  specific  name  by  renaming  Peale's  Hali- 
choerns  antarctictts,  Phoca  pcaJei.  As  regards  this  species,  he 
found  that  tbe  type  specimen,  througli  the  misplacement  of  a 
label,  was  wrongly  assigned  a  habitat  in  the  Antarctic  Seas, 
whereas  it  undoubtedly  came  irom  the  Pacific  coast  of  Nortli 
America,  thereby  rendering  the  name  antarctictis  undesirable 
as  perpetuating  a  grave  error.  Ee  furthermore  found  that  tlie 
species  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  genus  HaUcharm,  but  was 
a  true  Phoca.  The  papei  introduced  several  important  changes 
from  the  Grayian  nomenclature,  particularly  in  substituting 
Phoca  for  Callocephahts,  Erujnathus  for  Phoca,  and  Macrorhbm 
for  Morunga,  although,  as  above  stated,  only  one  new  generic 
name  Avas  introduced.  Diagnoses  are  given  of  the  genera,  and 
lists  of  the  species  found  respectively  on  the  east  and  west 
coasts  of  North  America.  The  species  of  North  American 
Phocidw  given  are  the  following : 


^^  Eastern  North  America." 

"  California,  Oregon,  4-c." 

1. 

Phoca  vitulina,  Linn. 

1. 

Phoca  richanLsi,  Gill  ex  Gray 

2. 

PaKomye  fcetidus,  Gray. 

2. 

Phoca.  pealei,  Gill. 

3. 

Pagopliilns  gniinlandicua,  Gray. 

3. 

Macrorhiniis     angustirostris 

4. 

Erigiiatluis  barbatus,  Gill. 

Gill. 

5. 

HalichoTus  grypus,  Nilss. 

(). 

Cyetopbora  cristata,  Nilss. 

'Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3d  series,  vol.  xvii,  1866,  p.  446. 
t  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  vol.  v,  1866,  pp.  3-13. 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


455 


As  the  author  himself  now  freely  admits,  iu  the  light  of  the 
material  he  has  siuce  had  opportunity  of  examining,  P  >ca  rich- 
anlsi  and  Phocapcalei  are  both  synonyms  otPhoca  vituUna. 

Gray,  later  in  the  same  year,  iu  a  short  pnper*  devoted  to 
a  nctice  of  (j  ill's  "  Prodrome,"  jn'oposcd  to  refer  Peale's  Hali- 
clmrKsi  nntarcticiia  to  a  new  genus  which  he  named  Ealiphilus. 

Gray  in  1871,  in  his  "  Supplement  to  the  (Catalogue  of  Seals 
and  Whales  in  the  IJritish  Museum"  (pp.  2-5),  raised  the  num- 
ber (nineteen)  recognized  by  him  in  l<S(;r»  to  twentj'-two,  omit- 
tinj4'  two  and  adding  live,  mainly  by  separating  the  species  of 
the  Xorth  Paciflc  from  their  allies  of  the  Xorth  Atlantic.  The 
species  added  are:  1.  '■'■HaUcyon  fi^m/e/"  [Q^GWl^  —  Raliehoerus 
(intareticv  ,  Peale);  2.  '■^ PagophUus  ?  cqucstris^^  (ex  PaJas,  cov- 
ering/fl-sciflfn,  Shaw,"  and  rtWHeZ^fl/fljKadde);  >\.  '■'■Pagophilus'^. 
ochotcnsis-^  (ex  Pallas);  4.  Phoca  '■^nauHca^  (nautica  undalbi- 
(jena,  Pallas);  o.  Morunga angustirostris {Macrorhhms  angiistiros- 
iris,  Gill).  Of  these,  two  only  ("  eqiiestris^^  and  angustirostris)  are 
valid.  He  also  tabulated  the  species  according  to  their  dis- 
tribution, as  follows: 


'' North  Pacific. 

"Halicyon  ricliardsi. 
"Halicyon  pealci. 
"Pagophilus  f  equestris. 
"Pagopliilus  ?  ochotensis. 
"Phoca  uaurica. 
"Monmga  angustirostris." 


^^  North  Atlantic. 

"CaUocepbalus  vitnliuus. 
"Calloceplialus  dimitliatus. 
"Pagorays  foetidus. 
"Pagopliilus  grcenlandicus. 
"Phoca  barbata. 
'■Halicbffirus  grypus. 
"Cystopbora  cristata." 

^''Halkyoii  calif ornica^^  is  thus  omitted,  and  is  nowhere  men- 
tioned iu  the  "  Supplement,"  and  the  same  is  the  case  also  with 
''Pfl</ojHj/.s  ?  largha^\  Whether  the  former  was  accidentally 
oveilooked,  or  intentionally  retracted,  does  not  appear.  From 
Dr.  Gray's  "Hand-List  of  Seals,  Morses,  Sea-Lions,  and  Sea- 
Bears  in  the  British  Museum,"  published  in  1874,  in  which  "  it 
is  proposed  to  give  an  account  of  all  the  specimens"  of  these 
animals  in  the  British  Museum,  it  appears  that  the  only  speci- 
mens *'  Xorth  Pacific  Phocids  there  represented  were  the  three 
referred  to  Halicyon  richardsi.  Five  out  of  six  of  his  Xorth 
Pacilic  species  were  apparently  vinknown  to  him  except  through 
autliors'  descriptions,  and  are,  as  I  hope  later  to  satisfaetorily 
show,  merely  nominal.  The  Phoca  annellata  of  Radde,  referred 
by  him  to  his  '•^Pagophihis%  cquestris'',  reflates  not  at  all  to  this 
*Anu.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist,,  1866, 3rt  ser.,  vol.  xvii,  p.  446. 


II!  i 


hi 


\l     S 


h\' 


(,■•  '';'■*  f 


* 


456 


FAMILY    PIIOCID^. 


species,  lladde's  specimen  being  Phoca  caspica,  wliile  Eadde's 
annelluta,  as  be  understood  it,  is  ih&fcetida  of  autbors. 

In  1873  Dr.  Dybowski*  gave  a  detailed  account  of  tbe  Lake 
Baikal  Seal,  witb  figures,  under  tbe  name  Phoca  baicalcnsis,  for 
tbe  first  time  clearly  setting  fortb  its  distinctive  cbaracters, 
altbougb  tbe  species  bad  been  vaguelj'^  known,  cbiefly  tbrough 
incidental  notices  by  travellers,  for  a  century,  and  as  early  as 
1788  bad  received,  at  tbe  bands  of  Gmelin,  tbe  varietal  name 
sibirtea,  be  referring  it,  bowever,  as  bave  many  subsequent 
writers,  to  Phoca  vitiiUna. 

In  1875  Dr.  Peters  t  proposed  tbe  recognition  of  five  species 
of  Sea  Elepbants,  as  follows:  1.  Gystophora  leonina,  Livu.  (=tlie 
Sea  Lion  of  Anson);  2.  C.  falklandica  (  =  tbe  Sea  Lion  of 
Pemety);  3.  C.proboscidea  {ex 'P^ron)',  4.  C.  angmtirostris  {ex 
Gill);  5.  C.  kergiielensis  (tbe  species  occurring  at  Kerguelen 
Island).  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  and  5  are  doubtless  synonyms  of  Macro- 
rhinus  leonimis.  Two  new  names  are  proposed,  namely, /a/^- 
landica  and  kerguelensis. 

The  foregoing  review  bas  been  intentionally  limited  to  \a  orks 
or  papers  tbat  eitber  (1)  ostensibly  relate  to  tbe  wbole  family, 
or  (2)  to  tbe  species  of  the  North  American  fauna,  or  (3)  to 
those  which  introduce  "new  species"  or  new  synonyms.  Con- 
sequently, reference  to  many  important  papers  or  memoirs 
treating  of  particular  groups,  or  of  special  subjects,  is  wholly 
omitted;  but  the  greater  part  of  these  will  be  found  cite'  in 
subsequent  pages  under  the  species  to  which  they  particularly 
relate.  No  special  reference  has  been  made,  for  example,  to 
Bell's  "History  of  British  Quadrupeds",  to  Blasius's  "Natiu- 
geschichte  der  Saugethiere  Deutscblands",  Lilljeborg's  "  Fauna 
ofver  Sveriges  och  Norges  Eyggradsdjur",  etc.,  or  to  the  spe- 
cial memoirs  on  the  Seals  of  the  Arctic  Seas  by  Brown,  ]\Ialm 
gren,  von  Heuglin,  etc.,  or  tbe  various  papers  relating  to  the 
anatomy,  milk-dentition,  etc.,  of  the  different  species. 

For  convenience  of  reference,  I  present  the  following  chrono- 
logical summary  of  the  foregoing  analysis,  premising  that  the 
names  following  the  sign  of  equality  are  those  adopted  in  the 
present  monograph.  The  names  under  which  valid  species  are 
flirst  introduced  are  designated  by  the  use  of  thick  type,  syno- 
nyms by  italic  type,  and  indeterminable  names  by  i)lain  type 
Only  the  Phocids  are  here  taken  into  account. 


*Arch.  liir  Anat.  ii.  Phys.,  ItiT.i,  pp.  109,  ct  aeqq,  pll.  ii,  iii. 
tMoiiatsb.  Akad.  d.  Wissenscb,  zn  Berlin,  1875,  p.  394,  footnote. 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


Synonymailc  Kmtmd. 


457 


1776— Fabricius  .. 


1778— Lepechix  . 


1784— BODDAERT 


1758 —  ^  T       .A  S  Phoca  leonina  -r^  Macrorliiiius  Iconiuus. 

1760—  S     ' "    (  Phoca  vitulina  —  Plioca  vituliua. 

Phoca  leoniiin  :^  Cystopliom  cristata. 
Phoca  fcetida  =  Phoca  fa'tida. 
Phoca  grcenlandica  =  Phoca  giueulaudica. 
^ Phoca  barbata  ^=  Ki-i^iiatlins  barbatns. 
1776— ScilREBER,  Phoca  hi82)kla  —  Phoca  tVi'tida. 

1777— Erxlebkx,  Phoca  cristata -^  Phoca  leonina,  Fabr.,  iu   paxt,  neo 
leonina  Liund. 

Phoca  ovcaiiim  =  Phoca  j^nculandica. 
Phova  leporitia  =  Erignathus  barbatus. 
1779— IIebmann,  Phoca  monachus  *  :=  ]Mona(;hu8  albiveuter. 
1782— Molina  j  Phoca  porcinu  -^  ?  Macrorhinus  leoniuus,  juv. 

\  Phoc<i  elcphanlina  =^  Macrorhinus  leoniniTS. 
1783— ZiMMERMANN,  Phoca  fasciata  —  Histriophoca  fasciata. 

'Phoca  alhi venter"  =  Monachus  alblventer. 
Phoca  semilunaris  =  Phoca  groBnlandica. 
Phoca  cucnUata  =  Cystophora  cristata. 
Phoca  maciilata  =  f  Phoca  vitulina. 
(  Phoca  vitulina  var.  hotnica  =  ?  Phoca  vitulina. 

1768— Gmelin <  Phoca  vitulina  var.  siblrlca  =  Phoca  sibirica. 

'  Phoca tituUna  var.  caspica  =^  Phoca  caspica. 
1T!)1— Fabricius,  Phoca  grypus  —  Halicha>ru8  grypus. 

Phoca  grwnlandica  var.  nigra  =^  IV.  grcenlandica. 
Phoca  hisjjtcla  var.  quadraia  =  fHalichoerus  grypus. 
Phoca  chilenais  =:=  ?  Macrorhinus  leoninns,  juv. 
Piioca  mutioa  =  ? 

Phoca  testudo  =  ?  . 

Phoca  laniger  =  ?  Erignathus  barbatus,  juv. 
Phoca  punctata  =  ? 
Phoca  niacuhita  =  ? 
'  Phoca  hispida  ::=  ? 
Phoca  scri<!oa  =  ? 
Phoca  camna  =  7 
Phoca  vitulina  =  ? 

,  Phoca  varlcgata  =  f  f  Phoca  vitulina. 
Phoca  hicolor  =  Monachus  albiventer. 
Phoca  testudiuea  =  ? 
e  Phoca  jyrohoscidea  -—  Macrorhinus  leoninas. 

1816— P£kox <  Phoca  lencogafter  =  Monachus  albiventor. 

(  Phoca  rcsima  =  ?  Macrorhinus  leoninns. 
I  Phoca  coxii  --  Macrorhinus  leoninua. 
{  Phoca  lalMuk  -^  Erignathus  barbatus. 
(  Phoca  bi/roni  --  Macrorhinus  leoninns. 
(  Phoca  leptonyz  :^  Ogniorhinus  leptonyx. 


ir92-KERR 


< 


1798-TinJNBEKG 


1800-SuA-w . 


1817— Desjiarest 
1820— Blaixville 


"When  the  name  monachus  was  taken  for  tlie  generic  name  of  the  species, 
it  became  untenable  in  a  specific  sense,  avA  albiventer,  oi'iginally  a  synonym, 
^as  taken  for  tho  species. 


l!i 


m 


I  ,i  1 


458 


FAMILY   PHOCID-a:. 


'tj      h 


n 


-;U ,t 


1820— Desmarest 


1820— NiLSSON. 


■1 


1824— TlIIEXKMANN  . .  { 


1825— G.  CuviEit 


1827— Gray 


t  Phocii  vitiili 

.  ^  Phora  riluJii 

(  Morounqa  pa 


Phoca  aiiHoiii  (Illainvillo  MS.)=  Macrorhinua  leooi* 
Tins  +  Otiiria  jubnta. 

Phoca  (lUiicatidn  =  Phoca  ffrrenlandica. 
'  Phoi'it  raricfiata  =  Plioca  vituliiia. 

Phoca  anutUata  ^^  Pliocii  f(ctida. 

nalkhuruH  firlnvus  ^--:  llaliclidTiiH  yiypiis. 

Ciixtophora  bonaUx  ~  C'y8t()i)li()i'a  iristata. 
1824 — F.  CuviER,  CallocciihaliiK  dincohr  =  Phoca  fo'tida. 

Phoca  lilloiru     -  Phoca  vituliiia. 

Phoca  iKilichoriix  r-  llaliclia>nis  f^rypus. 

Phoca  xcopidicoht  ~  J[alich(i'iiis  ••rypus,  juv. 

I'hoca  Icncopla  ---~--  Cy.stoiihora  cristata. 
^  Phoca  layitra  —-  Phoca  ^nciilaiulica,  juv. 
\  Phoca  mitrala  (Milhcrt  ^MS.)  —  Cy.stophora  cristata. 
1826 — Lesson,  Otaria  weddelU  -=  licptonychotcs  wcdrtelll. 

Phoca  vituliiia  var.  hothioiiica  =  ? 

hia  var.  aebrica  --=  Phoca  sihirica. 
ir/a  patajionica  =  Maciorliinus  leoninus. 
'Phoca  midleri  --  Phoca  gni'iihiudica. 

Phoca  schrcheri  =  Plioca  ftctida. 

Phoca  parsoniti  --^  ?  Erif^nathuH  harbatu.s. 

Phoca  thienemantii  ;=  HalicluBius  grypus,  juv. 

Phoca  Unnaei  =  Phoca  vituliiia. 

Phoca  lepechhii  =  Erignathus  barbatus. 

Phoca  frederici  =  Phoca  fnctida. 

Fhoca  pylaiji  =  Phoca  grconlandica,  juv. 

Phoca  desmarenti  =  Phoca  groDulandica. 

Phoca  hermanni  =  Monachus  albiventer. 

PAoca  c/iorisi  :^  ?  Phoca  vituliiia. 

Phoca  homci  =■  Ogniorhinus  lep.tonyx. 
1829 — Fischer,  Phoca  dubia  =  Macrorhinus  Icouiiins,  juv. 

■  Phoca  nnntica  =  ?  Erignathus  barbatus. 

Phoca  aWgena  =  Erignatliu^barbatus. 

Phoca  equeatria  =  Histrioplioca  fasciata. 

Phoca  doraaia  =  Phoca  gra>ulandica. 

Phoca  largha  =  ? 

Phoca  canina  =  Phoca  vitulina  +. 

-  Phoca  ochotenaia  =  ?  Phoca  vituliua. 
1837 — NiLSSON,  Phoca  caspica*  =  Phoca  caspica. 
1837— Gray,  Phoca?  platythrix  =  ? 

1839 — Hauhlton,  Sicnorhyvchva  leopardinus {Jameson,  MS.)  =  Leptonychote8 
weddclli. 


1828— Lesson 


1831— Pallas 


< 


1839— KUTOKGA 


I  Pi 


Phoca  commnnia  var.  octonotata  i 
hoca  commnnia  var.  undiilata  ^ 


Phoca  foetida. 


1842— Temminck  Phoca  nummularis  =  Phoca  fcetida. 

1842-^eKay,  Phoca  concolor  =  Phoca  vitulina. 

1843 — Lesson,  Phoca  iaidorci  rt=  Cy.stophora  cristata. 

1843 — Owen,  Slenorhynchiia  8<Tridi-va  =  liobodoii  carcinophaga. 

1844 — Gray,  Ommatophoca  rossi  =  Ommatophoca  rossi. 


'  First  recognized  as  a  species ;  =  Phoca  ritulina  var.  caapica,  GmeUii. 


TECHNICAL   HISTORY — SPECIES. 


459 


1848— Pkalk,  HalichccruH  antarcticua  i=:  Phoca  vitulina. 

1849— Gray,  Cystophora  antillaruni  =  ? 

igrfiQjj  ^Y  ^  Phoca  tropicalis  =  Mouachus  tropicalis. 

\  Calloccphalus  iliuiuliatus  (Sclilegel  MS.)  =t 

{  Jlnlichaiua  macrorhynchiis  =H.  grypiis. 
18r.0-lIoHNSCiiucn&ScinM.ixG.  \  j7„,;,/.^n<«  pcchyrhynchm  =  11.  gryptis. 

1854— Gray,  UeVioplwca  allantica  --^  Monaclius  alM  venter. 
1804— Gray,  llaliqion  rkliardsi  r:::;  Phoca  vitulina. 

f  Macrorhiniis  angustirostris  ^^  Macrorhi  aus  angus- 
18(iG— Gill ?      tiro.stris. 

(  rUocapeald  --^  Phoca  vituliua. 
18()(1— Gray,  Ualicyon  californica  =  Phoca  vitulina. 
187:i— Dydowski,  Phoca  haicalt'imis  ■--  Phoca  sibiiica. 


1875— Pktkrs 


<  Cystophora  fcMlandicus  > 


=3*Iaciovhiuus  leouiuus. 


Cystophora  lcvr<iuclvHHi»  S 

One  hundred  and  three  distinct  specific  and  varietal  names 
have  thus  been  bestowed  upon  sixteen  species,  leaving  eighty- 
st'\  on  of  the  names  as  synonyms, — an  average  of  about  six  to  a 
sreeies.  Fourteen  names  appear  to  be  wholly  indeterminable, 
wliile  fourteen  others  can  be  referred  only  with  more  or  less 
doubt.  Of  the  flfty-nine  remaining  synonyms,  about  the  identi- 
fteation  of  which  there  can  be  but  little  doubt,  Phoca  vitulina 
aud  Phoca  fcetida  have  each  eleven ;  Phoca  groenlandica  has  eight, 
andil/acror/tinMs  leonimis nme;  Halichcerus grypmand  Cystophora 
cristata  have  each  six;  Monachus  alMvcnter  has  five;  and  Erig- 
nathus  harhatns  seven.  Five  other  species  have  each  one,  and 
three  {Phoca  caspica,  Macrorhinus  anyitstirostris,  and  Ommato- 
plioca  rossi)  are  apparently  without  synonyms. 

The  above  summary  is  exclusive  of  the  generic  changes  that 
have  been  rung  on  these  sixteen  species.  Regarding  each  dif- 
ferent generic  combination  as  a  synonym,  would  raise  the  total 
iiuudier  of  distinct  names  to  probably  nearly  four  hundred,  or 
an  average  of  at  least  twenty  to  each  species,  Avith  a  maximum 
for  some  of  the  species  of  at  least  thirty. 

It  may  be  further  observed  that  Lesson  has  the  unenviable 
distinction  of  having  added  thirteen  (nearly  one-fourth)  of  the 
fifty-nine  identifiable  syaoiiyms,  and  only  one  valid  species  and 
one  tenable  specific  name  out  of  a  total  of  the  fourteen  specific 
names  for  which  he  is  responsible.  Pailas  comes  next  with  seven 
spe(!iflc  names,  only  four  of  which  are  identifiable,  and  none  of 
them  tenable.  Next  follows  Gray  with  ten,  covering  two  and 
possibly  three  new  species,  and  three  unidentifiable  ones,  with 
the  result  of  seven  and  probably  eight  synonyms. 

In  respect  to  the  general  subject,  it  may  be  noted  that  there 


1;  Ih'l, 


IHfl 


460 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


m 


i 


/  1 


have  been  four  periods  of  nniisiial  fertility  in  respect  to  the  lit- 
erature of  the  rhockUv.  The  tirst  covers  the  time  of  Egcde, 
Cranz,  Anson,  Steller,  and  Parsons  (1741-1705),  and  antedates 
nearly  all  of  the  systematic  literature  of  the  subject,  but  for  wliicli 
it  formed  the  yround-work  of  the  early  portion.  The  second 
(177(!-17!>2)  may  be  termed  the  i)eriod  of  Fabricius,  Schrcber, 
Erxleben,  Molina,  Gmelin,  aud  Kerr,  or  that  of  the  early  tccli 
nical  writers.  The  third  may  be  <lenominated  the  Eucyclopa'dic 
I)eriod,  covering  the  work  of  Desnnirest,  F.  Cuvier,  Lesson,  Gray 
(his  first  general  review  of  the  species  only),  to  which  may  be 
added  (in  pohit  of  time)  P^ron,  Xilsson,  Fischer,  and  Pallas 
(181G-1831).  Duriug  this  period  originated  more  than  one-half 
of  the  synonyms  with  which  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  bur 
dened,  out  of  nearly  forty  names  only  two  representing  valid 
new  species.  Within  this  period  were  i)ublished  no  less  than 
eight  mougraphii;  revisions  of  the  Pinnipeds,  prepared  by  the 
leading  mammalogists  of  that  time.  The  fourth  period  may  be 
regarded  as  extending  from  1837  to  1873,  but  the  different  por 
tions  of  this  interval  were  not  equally  prolific  in  imi)ortant  gen- 
eral memoirs.  Of  special  note  in  tlie  light  of  a  general  revision 
of  the  subject  are  those  of  Nilsson  (1837),  Gray  (1844),  Wagner 
(1846),  Gray  (1850),  Giebel  (1855),  Gray  (18CG,  1871,  1873),  and 
Gill  (1866). 

CLASSIFICATION. 

As  already  noted,  three  subfamilies  of  the  Phocidce  are  now 
commonly  recognized,  while  the  number  of  genera  admitted  by 
two  leading  authorities  who  have  recently  revised  the  grou})  is 
respectively  twelve  (Gill)  and  thirteen  (Gray),  with,  in  the  ma- 
jority of  instances,  only  a  single  valid  species  to  each.  Nine  of 
Gill's  genera  are  monotypic,  while  of  the  others  two  have  two 
species  each.  The  generic  afiiuities  of  one — the  little-known 
West  Indian  Seal — have  yet  to  be  determined.  As  will  be 
shown  later,  only  sixteen  species  can  be  considered  as  satis- 
factorily established.  Consequently  the  question  naturally 
arises  whether  generic  division  among  the  Phocids  has  not  been 
carried  to  an  excessive  degree,  and  if  so,  whether  the  groups 
termed  subfamilies  are  really  entitled  to  that  rank.  In  the 
Pinnipedia  differentiation,  it  is  true,  has  been  carried  to  sucli 
a  degree  that  not  only  are  the  family  types  sharply  circum- 
scribed, but  the  species  are  so  far  specialized  as  lo  form  types 
that  at  least  some  naturalists  look  upon  as  ty]>es  of  generic,  or 
at  least  subgeneric,  value.    Of  the  six  Otarian  genera,  four  are 


SYNOPSIS   OF   SUBFAMILIES   AND   GKNEKA. 


461 


(•ertaiiily  monotypic,  and  if  tlio  other  two  arc  not  also  mono- 
typic,  the  species  respectively  coini)<)sing  them  liave  not  as 
yet  reached  the  point  of  'well-prononnced  specific-  divergenco 
1101'  (tf  j;eof;iai>hic  isolation.  As  rej>ards  the  IMiocids,  we  have. 
iilroiidy  seen  that  in  nearly  every  instance  each  siHH;h>s  has  been 
iiiiule  the  tyja'-  of  a  distinct  genus.  Conservative  writers,  how- 
ever, aj-ree  in  referrinj,''  four  species  {vitulina,  (jnenbindim^fwUda, 
h(irh((f(t)  to  the  genus  Phova  {Calloccjihalm,  V.  Cuvicr),  yet  each 
speci's  differs  from  the  others  to  such  a  degree  in  cranial 
iukI  otlau-  important  osteologiciil  characters  that,  if  we  allow 
to  siK'li  difterences  the  value  usually  accorded  them  among 
till'  terrestrial  Fcrw,  each  of  these  species  may  be  regarded 
us  tlu'  type  of  a  distinct  subgenus,  or  even  genus.  In  the 
Iireseiit  re  vision  I  feel  constrained  to  separate  the  Phoca  barhata 
of  authors  as  generically  distinct  from  the  other  species  of  the 
restricted  genus  Phoca,  and  to  associate  with  the  remaining 
species  Phoca  caspica  and  Phoca  sibiricn.  The  Phoca  fasciata 
of  authors  {  =  eqiiestris,  Pallas)  Gill  has  made  the  type  of  his 
genus  Histriophoca.  The  species  is  remarkable  for  its  peculiar 
pattern  of  coloration,  and  von  Schrenck  compares  its  dentition 
to  that  of  Halichoerus,  between  which  and  the  ordinary  Phocce 
it  holds  an  intermediate  position  as  regards  the  structure  of  the 
molar  teeth.  The  other  genera  of  the  Phocids  will  be  provision- 
ally received  as  now  commonly  accepted.  Monachus  stands 
widely  aloof  from  the  other  genera  of  the  Phocinw,  with  which, 
however,  it  seems  more  closely  allied  than  with  any  of  the  gen- 
era of  the  Stenorhynchina;,  although  all  of  these  have  been  re- 
ferred by  some  systematists  (as  Wagner  and  Giebel)  to  a  single 
genus  under  the  name  Leptonyx.  Without  feeling  sure  that 
the  Phocids  are  susceptible  of  subdivision  into  trenchantly- 
marked  subfamilies,  or  into  groups  really  entitled  to  such  rank, 
they  will  in  the  present  connection  be  provisionally  adopted  in 
their  current  acceptation. 

Synopsis  of  Subfamilies  and  Genera. 

I-  Zygomatic  process  of  the  maxillary  with  the  posterior  border  subvertical, 
not  extending  far  backward  beneath  ilie  malar ;  the  latter  short. 
Intermaxillarics  prolonged  upward,  meeting  the  nasals.  Nasals 
long,  nearly  reaching  to  the  middle  of  the  orbits,  greatly  narrowed 
posteriorly,  and  wedged  between  the  frontals.  Supraorbital  pro- 
cesses wholly  obsolete  or  (in  Engnathus)  rudimentary.    Intororbital 

region  very  narrow.     Incisors  usually  g^^j  exceptionally  (in  Mo- 

nachm)  ^^    Nails  of  all  the  digits  well  developed ;  outer  digits  of 
the  pes  not  much  prolonged  beyond  the  others PHOCINiB. 


1 


:^l- 


A  '  ''    : 


I  ■' 


.11 


462  FAMILY   PHOCIDiB. 

3  —  8 
1.  Muzzle  narrow,  regularly  decliucd.    lucisorH  — -^  simple,  conical;  uiu- 

lars,  except  first,  2-r<)i>tc(l,  uud  mostly  3-lobe(l.    Digit**  of  laanus 

slightly  decreasing  in  length  from  first  to  fifth,  or  first  and  sccoud 

,  subcqnal.    Maniiuui  2 Phoca. 

a.  Skull  hroad,  massive;  geutiral  l'»rm  thick;  the  limlis  sl>'iit;  nose 
hroad.  Molar  tooth  larg<',  crowded, obliquely  iuiiilaulcd,  tspccially 
in  youth  and  in  the  lower  Jaw.  Nasals  considiraldy  itiolongcd  pos- 
teriorly. Posterior  nares  narrow,  the  septum  iucomplotely  ossifleil. 
Palatines  deejdy  fiiiarginate.  Scapula  sickle-shaped,  the  post-soap- 
\ilar  fossa  grejitly  developed (Subgenus)  Phoca. 

h.  Skull  thin,  li^ht;  nose  pointed,  and  gtmeral  form  slender.  Teotli 
small,  Hii;;liH\  separaled.  Palatines,  posterior  nares,  and  narial 
septum  nearly  as  in  the  subgenus  I'hoca.  Nasals  less  prolonged 
posteriorly.     Digits  of  jjcs  subequal.     Scapula  nearly  as  in  I'hoca. 

(Subgenus)  Fum. 

c.  Skull,  teeth,  and  general  form  nearly  as  in  the  su'  jfenus  Pum.  Pos- 
terior nares  broad  (nearly  twice  as  broad  as  high),  the  narial  sep- 
tum complete.  Palatines  truncate,  or  slightly  emargiujite ;  never 
deeply  so  as  in  Phoca  and  Pma,  Scapula  nearly  as  in  the  typicd 
teiTcstrial  Ftrw — not  sickle-shaped,  and  with  a  broad  pre-scapular 
fossa.     Sexes,  when  adult,  widely  diflereut  in  coloration. 

(Subgenus)  PagopUhi. 
y.  Muzzle  broad;  forehead  convex.  Rudimentary  supraorbital  processes. 
Dentition  weak ;  the  molars  much  separated,  slightly  implanted, 
and  partly  deciduous  or  abortive  in  old  age.  Palatines  broad, 
emarginate.  Middle  digit  of  mauus  the  longest.  Limbs  small. 
Scapula  with  no  acromion  process.  Whiskers  smooth,  attenuated, 
Mammre  4 Srignathus. 

3.  Cranial  characters  unknown.    Dental  formula  las  in  Phoca.    Molars, 

except  the  first,  2-rooted,  somewhat  separated,  with  the  cro\vL.s 
simple  and  directed  backward,  as  in  Halichccrus,  Sexes,  when 
adult,  widely  difi'erent  in  color Histriophoca, 

4.  Muzzle  broad ;  skull  much  arched,  increasing  in  height  anteriorly. 

Molars  single-rooted,  except  the  last  lower  and  the  last  two  upper, 
nearly  simple  or  1-lobed,  conical.  Whiskers  crenulated.  Digits  of 
manus  as  in  Phoca Halichcenis, 

5.  Muzzle  elongate,  depressed ;  nasals,  short ;  skull  somewhut  depressed 

posteriorly.  Incisors  .j^t'  ^^otchcd  ♦''ansversely  on  the  inner  side  ot 
the  crown.  Canines  large.  Molars  thick,  strong,  obliquely  aud 
closely  implanted,  imperfectly  lobed,  and  ordy  the  three  posterior  'i- 
rooted.    Whiskers  flat,  smooth,  tapering.    Claws  small,  especially 

those  of  the  pes Monachus. 

II.  Zygx)matic  process  of  the  maxillary  and  the  malar  bones  nearly  as  in 
the  Phoclnw.  Intcrmaxillaries  not  prolonged  to  meet  the  nasals. 
Nasals  very  small.  Supraorbital  processes  distinct,  i)romin(  nt,  but 
small.    Incisors  ^^^.     Slolars  simple  or  plaited,  not  lobed .  with  a 

single  club-shaped  root CYSTOPHORIN51. 

6.  Palatines  short,  slightly  emarginate,  somewhat  arched  or  a  aulted. 

Auditory  bullaj  square  in  front.  Adult  males  with  an  liillatablc 
sack  extending  from  the  nose  to  the  occiput.  All  of  the  digits  witli 
claws  strongly  developed Cystophora. 


8YN0NYMATIC    LIST   OF   THE    SPECIES. 


463 


7.  Palatiues  vory  Hhort,  deojily  oniaigiimtu,  and  deeply  vaulted.     Au- 

ditory bull«3  concave  in  front.  Adult  niules  with  an  elongated 
tubular  proboHcis.    Claws  small,  those  of  the  pes  rudimentary. 

Maororhinus. 

III.  Zygomatic  process  of  the  maxillary  prolonged  backward  beneath  the 

malar,  the  latter  elongate.    luterniaxillaries  not  (usually)  reaching 

the  nasals.    Supraorbital  procesaes  rudimentary.    Nasals  generally 

greatly  prolonged  posteriorly,  widely  expanded  anteriorly,  and  usu- 

n       n 

ally  early  consolidated  by  anchyloses.  Incisors  ,,  -  ".  Molars  lobed 
(in  two  genera  iicutely  multi-lobed).  Cla\^  s  of  the  hind  limbs  rudi- 
mentary, and  the  outer  digits  lengthened .  STENORHYNCHINiB. 

8.  Skull  elongate,  narrow   anteriorly.    Nasals  greatly  narrowed  poste- 

riorly. Molars  4-  or  ,')-lobed,  the  principal  lobe  large,  pointed,  re- 
curved, with  a  smaller  one  in  front  of  it  and  two  (in  the  first  and 
second  nmlars)  or  three  (in  the  others)  slender,  pointed,  recurved 
lobes  behind  it.     Lower  jaw  nhruptb  angular  beliind. .  .Lobodon. 

9.  General  form  of  the  skull  much  as  in  the  last.    Nasiils  greatly  pro- 

longed jiosteriorly.  Molars  3-lobed,  the  central  lobe  cylindrical, 
high,  pointed,  recurved,  with  a  ;<maller  lobe  in  front  .and  an- 
other behind  the  i)rincipal  one.  Lower  jaw  gently  rounded  pos- 
teriorly   OgmorhinuB. 

10.  Skull      iad;  muzzle  short  and  broad,  with  very  short,  small  nasals. 

Intermaxillaries  prolonged  upward,  meeting  the  nasals.  Molars 
small,  8ei)arated,  with  a  central  prominent  point,  and  a  smaller  one 
(iu  unworn  teeth)  behind„it.  Lower  jaw  slender,  with  a  short 
symphysis  and  no  i»rominent  posterior  angle Leptonychotes. 

11.  .'ikuU  very  broad  (in  general  outline  nnieh  as  iu  the  Cyatopltorinai), 

with  a  broad,  short  muzzle,  and  very  large  orbita'  fossro.  Nasals 
very  broatl  in  front,  greatly  prolonged  and  gradually  narrowed 
posteriorly.  Molars  small,  3-lobed,  the  central  lobe  much  the 
largest  and  slightly  recurved Ommatophoca. 


'sill 


SYNONYMATIC  LIST   OF  THE  SPECIES.* 


I.    Genua  Phoca,  Linne. 

Syn,— Pusa,  ScoPOLi;  CallocephaluH,  F.  Cuvier;  Pagophilus,  Pagomya,  Halt' 
cyon,  naliphilua,  Oray. 

1.  Phoca  vitulina,  IAnn4. 

Stn,— P/toca  vafiej/ata,  Nilsson,  1820. 
Phoca  Uttorea,  Thienemann,  1824. 
Phoca  Unnai,  tigrina,  cJior'm,  Lesson,  1828, 
Phoca  canina,  Pallas,  1831. 
Phoca  concolor,  DeKay,  1842. 
Halichcenw  antarciicus,  Peale,  1848. 
Lobodon  carcinophaga,  Casstn,  1858. 

*For  full  citation  of  the  synonymy  of  the  North  American  Phocidd  tv^ 
posteH,  in  the  general  history  of  the  species. 


464 


FAMILi'   PHOCID^. 


Halicijon  richardsi,  Gray,  1864. 
rhoca  iiealei,  Gill,  18GG. 
Halicyonf  californica,  Gray,  1866. 

Hab. — North  Atlantic,  from  New  Jersey  and  the  Mediterranean  northward 
to  the  Arctic  regions;  Nortli  Pacitic,  f;vim  Southern  California  and  Kamt- 
Hchatlr.a  northward  to  Arctic  regions. 

'?.  Phoca  gioenlandica,  Fabridua, 

Syn. — I'hooi  oceanica,  Lepechin,  1778. 

Phoca  semilunaris,  Boddaert,  1785. 

Phoca  albicauda,  Desmarest,  1822. 

Phoca  lagura,  G.  Cuvier,  1825. 

Phoca  miilleri,  dcsmaresti,  pilayi,  Lesson,  1828. 

Phoca  dorsata,  Pallas,  1831. 

Hab. — ^North  Atlantic,  from  Newfoundland  and  the  North  Sea  northward^ 
and  the  Arctic  Seas;  North  Pacific. 

3.  Phoca  foetida.  Fabriciua. 

Syn. — Phoca  hispida,  Scureber,  1776. 
Phoca  annellata,  Nilsson,  1820. 
Phoca  discolor,  F.  Cuvier,  185J4. 
Phoca  frederici,  schreheri,  Lesson,  1828. 
Phoco,  largha,  Pallas,  1831. 

Phoca  communis,  vars.  octonotata  et  widulata,  KuTOBOA,  1839> 
Phoca  nummularis,  Temminck,  1842. 
f  Callocephalus  dimidiatus,  Gray,  1850. 
Hab. — North  Atlantic,  North  Pacific,  and  Arctic  Seaa. 

4.  Phoca  caspica  (Gmelin),  Nilaaon, 

Syn. — Phoca  vitulina  var.  caspica,  Gmelin,  1788. 
Phoca  canina  [var.  caspica'],  Pallas,  1831. 

Hab. — Caspian  and  Aral  Seas. 


Phoca  sibirlca^  Gmelin. 


Syn, 


i'hoca  vitulina  var.  sibirica,  Gmelin,  1788. 
Phoca  annellaU,,  Radde,  1862  (in  part). 
Phoca  bnicaknsis,  Dybowski,  1873. 

Hab. — Lakes  Baikal  and  Oron. 

II.  Genus  Histriophoca,  Gill. 

G.  Histriophoca  fasciata  {Zimmermann),  QUk 

Syn.— PAoOT  equcstris,  Pallas,  1831. 
Hab. — North  Pacific. 

ni.  Genua  Erignathus,  Gill. 
Byk.— Phoca,  Gray,  1850. 


WS! 


SYNONYMATIC   LIST   OF   THE   SPECIES.  465 

7.  Brignathus  barbatus  (Fabrioiua),  Oill. 

Brs.—Phoca  leporina,  Lf,"ECHIN,  1778. 
Fhoca  laohtak,  Desmakest,  1817. 
Phoca  Icpechini,  parsotisi,  Lesson,  1828 
Phoca  albigena,  nautica,  Pallas,  1831. 
Phoca  naurica,  Gray,  1871. 

Hab.— North  Atlantic,  North  Pacific,  and  Arctic  Seas. 
IV.  Genua  Halichcerus,  Nilsson. 

8.  HaliohGerus  grypus  (Fabriciui),  NilaBOUr 

Sm.—Halichwrua  griseua,  Nilsson,  1820. 

Phoca  halichoerua,  aeopulicola,  Thienemann,  1824. 
Phoca  thienemanni,  Lesson,  1828. 

EalichceruB  maororhynchus,  pachyrhynchtis,   HoRNSCHUOH  and  Shii<- 
ling,  1850. 

HvB. — North  Atlantic,  from  Newfoundland  and  Western  Islands  north- 
ward. 

V.  Genus  Monachus,  Fleming, 

Bnf.—Monachm,  Fleming,  Phil.  Zool.,  ii,  1822, 187,  footnote.— Type,  Phoca 

monachus,  Hermann. 
Pelagius  ("Pelnge"),  F.Cuvier,  Mto.  du  Mu8.,xi,  1824,  193.— Type, 

Phoca  monachus,  Hermann. 
HeUo2thoca,  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1854,  43. — Type,  Heliophoca 

atlantica,  OTaj,:=  Monachus  alhiventer,  jur  . 

9.  Monachus  albiventer  (Boddaert),  Gray. 

Sim,— Phoca  monachus,  Hermann,  Beschaft.  d.  Berlinishche  Gesells.  Na- 
turf.  Freunde,  iv,  1779,  456,  pll.  xii,  xiii. 

Phoqueh  ventre  Mane,  BuFFON,  Hist.  Nat.,  Suppl.,  vi,  1782,  pi.  xliv. 

"Phoca  albiventer,  Boddaert,  Elen.  Anim.,  1785, 170" (from  Boffon,  as 
above). 

Phoca  bicolor,  Shaw,  Gen.  Zool.,  i,  1800,  254. 

Phoca  leucogaster,  P^RON,  Voy.  aux  Terr.  Austr.,  ii,  1817,  47. 

Pelagius  m<machtts,  F.  Cuvier,  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  550. 

Phoca  hermanni.  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828  (^ Phoca 
monachus,  Hermann). 

"Monachus  mediterraneus,  Nilsson,  Kongl.  Vet.  Ak id.  Handl.  Stock- 
holm, 1837,  235"  (see  Wiegmann's  Arch.  f.  Naturg.,  1841,  i,  308, 
footnote). 

Heliophoca  atlantica,  Ghat,  Proo.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1854,43  (yoong). 
Hab,— Mediterranean,  Adriatic,  and  Black  Seas;  Madeira  and  Canary 
Islanila ;  east  coast  of  Africa  f 

VI.  Genus  Cystophora,  Nilsson. 
^Yn.—Stemmatopva,  F.  Cdvier;  Mirounga,  Gray  (in  part). 

11.  Cystophora  crlstata  {Erxleben),  Nilsson. 

SiTs.—Phoca  leonina,  Linn£  1766  (in  part;  not  Phooa  leonina,  Liimtf,  1768). 
Phoca  cueullata,  Boddaert,  1785. 

Misc.  Pub.  ITo.  12 30 


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466  FAMILY   PHOCID^. 

Cyatoiyhora  horcalis,  NiLSSON,  1820. 
Phoca  mitrata,  G.  Ouvier  (ox  Milbert,  MSS.),  182S 
Phoca  leacopla,  Thienkmann,  1824. 
Plioca  kidoroi,  LkssoN;  1843. 
Hab. — North  Atlantic  and  Arctic  Scan. 

VII.  Genus  Macuoiuunus,  F.  Cuvier. 
Syn. — Mirounya,  Ghay  (iu  part);  Khiiiophom,  Wagler;  Morunga,  Gray. 

12.  Macrorhinua  leoninus  (^TAtm4). 

Syn. — Phoca  Iconina,  Linne,  Syst.  Nat.,i,  1758,  38;  ihid,,  i,  1766,  38  (iu  part). 
Phoca  elephantina,  Molixa,  Sagy.  siil.  Stor.  Nat.  del  ^'hili,  1782, 280. 
?  Vhoca  porcina,  Molina,  ihid.,  279  (young). 

Phoca  prohoacidca,  PI^ron,  Voy.  aux  Terr.  Anstr.  ii,  1817,  34,  pi.  xxxii, 
Phoca  ansoni,  Dksmarest,  Mam.,  1820,  231)  (iu  part). 
Phoca  hjironi,  Desmarest,  ibid.,  240. 
Phoca  dubia,  Fischer,  Syuop.  Mam.,  1829,  235. 
Mirounga patagonica,  Gray,  Griftith's  An.  King.,  v,  1827,  186. 
Cystophora  Iconina,  jalklar.dlc:;.  prohoacidea,  kcrguelcnsis,  Peters,  Mo- 
uatsb.  K.  P.  Akad.  Wisseusch.  zu  Berlin,  1875, 394,  footnote. 

Hab, — Soutliern  portions  of  the  South  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans  and  the 
Antarctic  Seas. 

13.  Macrorhinua  angustirostris,  Gill. 

Hab. — Coast  of  Weatern  Mexico  and  Southern  California. 

VIII.  Genus  Ogmorhinus,  Peters. 

Byjh, —Stenorhynchus  {"StSnor!>y.tque")  F.  Cuvier,  M6m.  du  Mus.,  xi,  1824, 
190  (preoccupied  in  Carcinology  and  Entomology). — Type,  Phoca 
Uptonyx,  Blainville. 
Ogmorhinus,  Peters,  Monatsb.  K.  P.  Akad.  Wissonsch.  zu  Berlin,  1875, 
393,  footnote. 

14.  Ogmorhinus  leptonyac  (Llainvllle),  Peters. 

Bts.— Phoca  leptonyx,  "  Blainville,  Joum.  de  Physique,  xci,  1820,  288." 
Phoca  hornei.  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  417. 

Hab. — "New  Zealand;  Lord  Howe's  Island,"  Gray;  Desolation  Islands. 

IX.  Genus  Lobodon,  Gray. 

15.  Lobodon  caroinophaga.  Gray. 

8XJH.— Phoca  carcinophaga,  Homb.  and  Jacq.,  d'Urvillo's  Voy.  au  PAlo  snd, 
Atlas,  1842?  (1842-1853)  Mam.,  pi.  x  (animal),  x  A  (skull),  (not  de- 
scribed).— Jacq.,  Zool.,iii,  1855,  27. 
Stenorhynchus  serridens,  Owen,  Ann.  &,  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  xii,  1863, 331. 

Hab. — "Antarctic  Seas,"  Gray. 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 
X.  Genus  Leptonychotes,  Gill. 


467 


I!  'I     i  A'  ^ 


Sw.—Leptonyx,  Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  x,  1836,  582  (prooccnpied 
in  Ornithology). — Typo,  Lcptonyx  weddeUi. 
Leptonychotes,  Gill,  Arranfj.  Pani.  Mam.,  1872,  70  (=  Leptonyx,  Gray). 

16.  Leptonychotes  weddelll  (Gray),  Gill. 

8ys.—0taria  u'cddeUi,  Lesson,  JYrnssac'.s  Bnll.  dos  Sci.  Nat.,  vii,  1826,438. 
StenorhytwhiiH  wcddelli.  Lesson,  Man.  do  Mam.,  1827,  200. 
Leptonyx  weddeUi,  Gray,  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  x,  1836,  582; 
"Zool.  EiebnL'  and  Terror,  Mam.,  2,  pi.  v  (animal),  plate  vi  (skull)." 
Phoca  leopardinu,  Jameson,  Hamilton's  Mar.  Aniphib.,  1839, 183. 

Hab. — Antarctic  Seas. — "East  coast  of  Patagonia",  Gray. 

XI.  Genus  Ommatophoca,  Gray. 

^YS.—Ommatophoca,  Gray,  "Zool.  Erebus  and  Terror,  Mam." — Type,  0. 
roast. 

17.  Ommatophooa  rosBi,  Gray. 

^Y^s.—Ommatophoca  rossi.  Gray,  "Zoiil.  Erebus  and  Terror,  Mam.,  3,  pi.  vii 
(animal),  pi.  viii  (skull)";  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  31;  Hand- 
List  Seals,  1874,  15,  pi.  xi. 

Hab.— "Antarctic  Seas,"  Gray. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  DISTRIBUTION. 

The  Phocidtc  are  found  along  the  seashores  of  all  parts  of  the 
temperate  and  colder  portions  of  the  globe,  but  those  of  the 
Southern  Hemisphere  belong  (with  one  exception)  to  different 
genera  from  those  whose  habitat  is  in  the  Northern  Hemisphere, 
and  for  the  most  part  to  a  distinct  subfamily  not  elsewhere  rep- 
resented. All  the  members  of  the  so-called  "  subfamily"  Steno- 
rlinncliince  are  confined  to  the  south-temperate  and  Antarctic 
Seas.  The  PhoeincB,  on  the  other  hand — 'sy  far  the  most  nu- 
merous division  of  the  family — are  strictly  northern,  only  two 
or  three  of  the  species  reaching  the  middle-temperate  latitudes. 
Of  the  Cystophorinw,  consisting  of  two  genera,  one  genus  {Cys- 
tophora)  is  boreal,  and  the  other  {Macrorhinus)  has  one  repre- 
sentative on  the  coast  of  Lower  California,  and  another  on  the 
islands  and  shores  of  the  southern  part  of  South  America,  South 
Africa,  and  the  Crozet  and  Desolation  Islands  in  the  Indian 
Ocean.  Of  the  Phocinte,  one  species,  the  Monk  Seal  {Monachtis 
alhiventer),  is  found  on  both  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  in 
the  Adriatic  and  Black  Seas,  and  at  the  Madeira  and  Canary 
Islands,  and  probably  on  the  neighboring  Atlantic  coast  of 


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FAMILY   PHOCID^ 


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Africa.  An  apparently  near  relative  and  geographical  repre- 
sentative of  this  species  is  found  on  the  shores  of  Yucatan,  Cuba, 
Jamaica,  the  Bahamas,  and  the  Florida  Keys.  None  of  the 
remaining  members  of  the  PhocitKV  occur  in  the  North  Atlantic, 
except  as  stragglers,  south  of  the  British  Islands  and  Spain,  on 
the  European  coast,  or  of  New  Jersey  on  the  American,  or  of 
Japar  -nd  Lower  California  in  the  North  Pacific.  The  species 
'  '.('■■,  Aaviug  the  widest  distribution  is  the  common  Phoca  viUilim. 
which  occurs  not  only  in  both  the  North  Atlantic  and  North 
Pacific  Oceans,  as  far  southward  as  the  limits  just  given,  but 
refiches  Greenland,  Finmark,  and  the  northern  coast  of  Europe 
generally,  and  is  also  found  in  Behring's  Straits.  Other  species, 
as  Erignathm  barbatus,  Phoca  foetida,  and  Phoca  groenUindica, 
extend  beyond  its  habitat  to  the  northward,  but  have  a  nuich 
more  Hmited  range  to  the  southward,  the  British  Islands  and 
the  coast  of  the  United  States  being  quite  beyond  their  usual 
southern  limit  of  distribution.  Li  ke  Phoca  vituUna  these  species 
also  occur  in  the  North  Pacifi< .  Two  other  species  are  restricted 
to  the  North  Atlantic,  namdv,  Halichcerus  grypus  and  Cysto- 
phora  cristata,  neither  of  whic.  •  anges  so  far  northward  as  the 
others,  and  the  latter  only  casually  wanders  to  the  southward 
of  Newfoundland  and  the  southern  coast  of  Scandinavia,  while 
the  former  reaches  Nova  Scotia  and  Ireland.  Phoca  fcetida  and 
Erignathus  barbatus  are  the  most  northern  of  all,  both  being 
winter  residents  of  the  icy  shores  of  Davis's  Strait  and  Jan 
Mayen  Island.  It  thus  appears  that  of  the  six  species  found 
on  the  northern  shores  of  Europe,  Greenland,  and  the  Atlantic 
coast  of  North  America,  two  only  are  confined  to  the  North 
Atlantic,  the  other  four  being  common  also  to  the  North  Pacific. 
The  Histriophoca  faadata,  on  the  other  hand,  is  limited  to  the 
North  Pacific,  and  is  the  only  species  occurring  there  that  is  not 
also  found  in  the  North  Atlantic.  Consequently  about  one- 
half  of  the  commonly  recognized  species  of  the  Phocidce  of  the 
Northern  Hemisphere  have  a  circumpolar  distribution. 

A  species  {Phoca  caspica)  formerly  regarded  by  writers  as 
identical  with  Phoca  vitulina,  and  by  others  a  nearly  allied  but 
distinct  species,  inhabits  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  another  {Phoca 
aibirica),  similarly  referred  by  most  writers  to  Phoca  fcetiAa^ 
inhabits  Lake  Baikal.  These  great  interior  and  almost  iso- 
lated seas  have  been  for  so  long  a  time  separated,  the  Caspian 
Sea  wholly,  and  Lake  Baikal  nearly,  from  the  great  oceans  or 
any  other  large  body  of  water  communicating  with  tbe  sea, 


f     .  I. 


FOSSIL   REMAINS. 


469 


that  if  originally  derived  from  the  rnariue  species  to  which  they 
are  allied,  it  may  well  be  supposed  that  the  peculiar  couditious 
of  eiivironmeut  to  which  they  have  been  for  so  long  a  time  sub- 
jected have  not  been  powerless  in  effecting  slight  changes  of 
structure,  as  they  have  certainly  led  to  well-marked  changes  in 
habits. 

As  already  noted,  Macrorhinus  is  the  only  genus  having  rep- 
resentatives on  both  sides  of  the  equator,  the  two  species  of 
whi(!h  are  nevertheless  separated  by  wide  areas,  the  one  occur- 
ring on  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  America  between  the  parallels 
of  23°  and  35°  north  latitude,  while  the  other  is  restricted  to  the 
shores  and  islands  of  the  southern  extremity  of  the  South  Amer- 
ican continent.  New  Zealand,  and  a  few  groups  of  pelagic  islands 
in  the  southern  parts  of  the  Indian  Ocean. 

Of  the  Stenorhynchince  only  four  species  are  recognized,  all  of 
large  size,  and  all  confined  to  the  cold-temperate  or  subMgid 
southern  waters. 

FOSSIL  REMAINS. 

i!(0RTn  America. — In  North  America  teeth  or  other  remains 
attributed  to  Seals  have  been  reported  as  occurring  at  various 
localities,  in  Tertiary  and  Quaternary  deposits,  from  Maine  and 
Canada  southward  to  Virginia  and  South  Carolina.  In  several 
instances,  merely  the  finding  of  such  remains  has  been  recorded, 
the  specimens  themselves  having  never  been  described,  or  even 
specifically  determined,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  assign  them 
to  any  particular  species,  or  even  to  say  whether  they  were 
correctly  identified  as  the  remains  of  Seals.  In  other  cases, 
remains  described  as  Phocine  are  unquestionably  referable  to 
Squalodont  Cetaceans.  In  only  two  or  three  instances  are  the 
supposed  remains  of  Seals  obviously  Phocine,  and  in  each  of 
these  cases  they  were  found  in  deposits  of  Post-pliocene  age, 
and  referred  (usually  with  some  doubt)  to  existing  species. 
The  subject  may,  therefore,  be  conveniently  treated  under  the 
following  heads,  namely :  1.  Remains  supposed  to  be  Phocine, 
but  which  are  not  specifically  determinable.  2.  Squalodont 
remains  described  as  I'hocine.  3.  Eemains  doub  ully  referred 
to  existing  species.    4.  Extinct  species. 

I.  Remains  supposed  to  be  Phociiie,  but  not  specifically  determin- 
(ihk — 1.  Newbern,  North  Carolina. — Under  this  head  must  be 
placed  the  iucidental  reference  by  Dr.  Harlan  *  to  the  remains 

*  Am  Joiim.  Sci.,  vol.  xliii,  1842,  p.  143. 


1     .  i' 


I  5 


4 


470 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


of  a  "  Seal"  tbimd  associated  with  those  of  Mastodon,  Elephant, 
Horse,  Deer,  Elk,  etc.,  in  the  Post-i)lioceiie  deposits  of  Newborn, 
]North  Carolina,  in  his  description  of  his^^Sw*  Americ'.mm^\ 
The  specimens  here  referred  to  appear  to  have  never  been 
described,  and  the  only  information  we  have  respectinjif  tlie 
occurrence  of  Phocine  remains  at  this  locality  is  Dr.  Uarlaii's 
casual  reference  to  the  matter,  as  above  indicated. 

2.  Martha's  Vineyard,  Massachusetts. — Sir  Charles  Lyell,  iu 
a  paper  "On  the  Tertiary  Strata  of  the  Island  of  Martha's  Vine- 
yard in  Massachusetts",  in  enumerating  the  organic  remains  col- 
lected by  him  at  that  locality,  mentions,*  under  the  head  of 
Mammalia,  "A  tooth,  identified  by  Prof.  Owen  as  the  canine 
tooth  of  a  Seal,  of  which  the  crown  is  punctured.  It  seems 
nearly  allied  to  the  modern  Cystophora  proboscidea".  As  no 
description  is  given,  its  positive  determination  is  impossible. 
No  other  Seal  remains,  so  far  as  known  to  me,  have  been  found 
at  that  locality. 

3.  Kichmond,  Virginia. — As  will  be  presently  noticed  more 
fully,  some  supposed  Phocine  remains  were  described  by  the 
late  Professor  Wyman  from  the  Tertiary  deposits  underlying 
the  city  of  Eichmond,  Virginia.  They  came  from  two  local- 
ities, and  consisted  of  quite  different  materials.  The  specimens 
are  at  present  unknown,  so  that  their  reexamination  is  impos- 
sible. A  part  of  these  remains  were  in  all  probabilitj'^  Squalo- 
dont,  while  others  may  have  been  Phocine.  A  detailed  account 
of  these  specimens,  with  the  original  descriptions  in  full,  is 
given  below,  under  the  heading  ^'■PJwca  wymani ". 

4.  South  Berwick,  Maine. — Professor  Wyman,  in  1850,t  re- 
ferred briefly  to  some  Seal  bones  found  at  South  Berwick, 
Maine,  in  "marine  mud",  at  a  depth  of  thirty  feet  from  the  siu- 
face,  in  digging  a  well.  They  "proved  to  be  an  ulna  and  a 
radius",  but  no  description  of  them  is  given,  they  being  men- 
tioned simply  as  "bones  of  a  Seal".  Professor  LeidyJ  has  con- 
jecturally  referred  them  to  Phoca  flroenlandica. 

II.  Squalodont  Bemaitis  described  as  Phocine. — No  less  than 
three  species  referred  originally  to  ^^Phoca^  are  in  all  proba- 
bility referable,  in  part  or  wholly,  to  Sq^ialodon,  as  is  more  or 
less  explicitly  admitted  by  their  original  describer.  These  are 
Plioca  wymani,  P.  debilis,  and  P.  modesta,  of  Leidy.     The  first 

*Proc.  Geol.  Soc.  Loud.,  vol.  iv,  1843-1845,  p.  32;  Amer.  Journ.  Sci.,  vol. 
xMi,  1844,  p. 319;  Phil.  Mag.,  vol.  xxxiii,  1843,  p.  188. 
tAmer.  Jouin.  Sci.  and  Arts,  2d  ser.,  vol.  x,  1850,  p.  830,  footnote, 
t Extinct  Mam.  N.  Amor.,  1869,  p.  415. 


ill  li lit 


v^ 


FOSHIL    REMAINS. 


471 


ttiis  based  originally  on  remains  from  the  Tertiary  deposit  at 
Kiclimond,  Virginia;  the  others  on  teeth  from  the  Ashley  Kiver 
bods  of  the  same  age  in  South  Carolina. 

1.  ''•Phoca  w\imanV\ — The  Kiehmond  remains  were  iirst  de- 
'ifiibed  by  the  late  IMofessor  VV'yman  in  J850, *  who  merely 
rct'crred  them  to  "  an  animal  belonging  to  the  family  of  iVtoc/rf^c". 
The  bones  are  si)oken  of  as  fragile,  and  as  having  "evidently 
k'cu  crushed  i)revious  to  exhumatio  i".  "The pieces  in  my  pos- 
session", says  Professor  Wyman,  "consist  of  two  temporal  Ixmes 
nc'iirly  entire,  a  fraguu'nt  including  a  portion  of  the  parietal  and 
occipital  bones,  and  in  addition  a  i)art  of  the  base  of  the  skull. 
The  reentering  angle  of  the  occiput,  the  well-marked  depressions 
concsponding  with  the  cerebral  convolutions  on  the  parietal 
l)oiie.s,  the  form  of  the  cianial  cavity,  the  deep  fossa  above  the 
internal  auditory  foramen,  the  vascular  canals  opening  on  the 
occiput,  and  the  inflated  tympanic  bones,  all  indicated  an  affin- 
ity to  the  Phocidic.  The  size  varied  but  little  from  that  of  the 
common  Harp  Seal  {Phoca  groenlandiea).  The  presence  of  an  in- 
terparietal crest,  indicating  a  large  development  of  the  temporal 
muscles,  offers  a  diagnostic  sign  by  which  it  may  be  distinguished 
from  P.  harbata,  P.  groenlandiea,  P.  hisjnda,  P.  mitrata^  and  P. 
rituUna.  From  those  species  of  Seals  which  are  provided  with 
a  crest  the  fossil  presents  a  well-marked  difference  in  having 
the  mastoid  process  much  larger,  more  rounded  and  i)romiuent, 
nearly  equaLling  the  tympanic  bone  in  size.  The  entrance  to 
the  carotid  artery  is  in  full  view  when  the  base  of  the  skull  is 
turned  upwards.  The  imiierfectly  divided  canal  which  lodges 
the  Eustachian  tube  and  the  tensor  tympani  muscle  is  of  re- 
markable dimensions,  especially  when  compared  with  that  of 
P.  (jmnlandica.  The  interparietal  crest,  extending  from  the 
occii)ut  to  the  anterior  edge  of  the  frontals,  is  most  narrow  pos- 
teriorly where  it  is  but  slightly  elevated  above  the  surrounding 
bones". 

In  the  description  above  given  there  is  nothing  to  prevent 
the  supposition  that  these  cranial  fragments  are  referable  to  a 
small  species  of  Squalodout.  If,  however,  they  are  really 
Phociuo,  they  represent  a  type  very  unlike  anything  at  present 
known,  either  existing  or  extinct.  But  other  remains  are  de- 
scribed by  Professor  Wyman,  from  the  same  locality,  and  in 
the  same  paper,  which  do  not  seem  to  admit  of  such  an  inter- 
pretation.   Thus,  to  continue  the  quotation  :    "  The  fragments 

*  Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  2d  ser,,  vol.  x,  1850,  p.  229. 


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472 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


of  caninm  abovo  described  were  found  -n  the  SiiO'koe  Creek 
ravine  near  the  base  of  Church  Hill.  In  the  ravine  at  the 
eastern  extremity  of  the  city,  and  in  the  neigiiborhood  cf  the 
penitentiary,  Dr.  Burton  obtained  several  other  portions  of  the 
skeleton  of  another  Seal.  These  consisted  of  an  imperfect  cer- 
vical vertebra,  a  lumbar  vertebra  nearly  entire,  a  fragment  of 
the  sacrum,  coccygeal  vertebra,  fragments  of  ribs,  and  the  lower 
extremity  of  a  fibula.  Their  generic  characters  have  been  sat- 
isfactorily made  out  by  comparison  with  recent  bones. 

"  In  figure  1,  page  232,  I  have  represented  the  coccygeal  ver- 
tebra which  corres])onds  in  its  general  characters  very  accurately 
with  recent  bones  of  P.  grcenlandica  from  the  same  region  of  the 
vertebral  column.  T}»e  small  size  of  the  vertebral  canal  and  the 
imperfect  transverse  process,  the  wide-spread  articulating  pro- 
cesses, and  the  blunted  spinous  process  indicate  its  affinity 
to  the  Seals.  The  fragment  of  a  left  fibula  (figs.  2  and  3),  pre- 
sents at  its  lower  extremity  (fig.  3)  an  oblique,  regularly  concave 
articulating  surface  on  its  inner  fa<;e,  and  on  its  outer  (figs.  2 
and  3),  an  elevated  ridge  or  crest,  on  either  side  of  which  is  a 
groove  for  the  passage  of  a  tendon." 

The  specimens  here  described  do  not  appear  to  have  been  pre- 
served, or  to  have  been  seen  by  subsequent  writers,  but  Pro- 
fessor Wyman  was  an  osteologist  of  too  well-known  proficiency 
to  admit  of  the  supposition  that  these  remains  did  not  present 
well-marked  Phocine  aflftnities.  Indeed,  his  description  and  rude 
figures  of  the  fibula  above  mentioned  show  clearly  that  its  affini- 
ties were  rightly  interj^reted.  The  vertebra  is  not  so  evidently 
Phocine.  Three  years  later  the  description  of  these  remains 
be(!ame  the  basis  of  Dr.  Leidy's  '•'•Phoca  icymaniV\  who,  in  pro- 
posing the  name,*  merely  cited  Wyman's  description.  In  18561 
he  referred  to  it  a  tooth  "apparently  an  inferior  canine  from 
the  miocene  deposit  of  Virginia."  This  tooth  he  describes  as 
being  "  14  lines,  and  about  as  robust  in  its  proportions  as  the 
corresponding  tooth  of  P.  barbata.  The  crown  is  4J  lines  long 
and  3^  broad  at  base,  and  it  presents  an  anterior  and  a  posterior 
ridge,  of  which  the  former  is  denticulated,  and  bifurcates  half 
way  towards  the  base.  The  enamel  is  rugose,  especially  towards 
the  base  of  the  crown  internally;  and  at  one  or  two  pomts  in 
froLt  presents  a  short  inconspicuous  tubercle." 

In  1867  Professor  Dope  referred  Phoca  wynu  m,  Leidy,  to 

*  Ancient  Fauna  of  Nebraska,  1853,  p.  8. 
tProc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  PhUa.,  1856,  p.  265. 


FOSSIL    REMAINS. 


473 


fiqitahdon*,  of  which  he  says:  "Of  this,  the  smallest  species 
of  the  genns.  three  premolar  teeth  are  in  the  collection  [made 
l)\  Mr.  James  T.  Thomas,  in  Charles  County,  Maryland  from 
beds  of  the  Yorktown  epoch],  and  the  type  specimen  [Dr. 
Lt'idy's?]  is  in  the  Academy's  Museum.  The  teeth  are  re- 
markable for  the  abnipt  posterior  direction  of  their  crowns. 
Tlic  roots  are  curved,  one  of  them  abruptly  so,  and  tlattened." 

The  Squalodon  tcymani  of  Cope  thus,  inferentially  at  least, 
includes  the  remains  described  by  Wyman,  though  direct  refer- 
ence seems  to  be  nmde  only  to  the  tooth  referred  by  Leidy  to 
his  Phoca  wymani  in  185G,  and  which  is  that  of  a  Squalodont. 
The  Phoca  icymani,  if  not  originally  a  composite  species,  as  was 
iu  all  ]>robability  the  case,  certaiidy  became  so  in  1856.  In  1869 
Dr.  Leidy  retained,  under  the  name  Phoca  tcymani,  the  speci- 
mens above  mentioned  as  described  by  Wyman  in  1850,  sepa- 
rating the  tooth  referred  by  him  to  this  species  iu  1856  under 
the  name  Delphinodon  wymaniA 

2.  ^^  Phoca  debilh'^. — In  1856 1  Dr.  Leidy  gave  a  description 
of  his  Phoca  debilia,  of  which  the  following  is  a  transcript  in 
full :  "A  species  of  Seal  is  apparently  indicated  by  three  speci- 
mens of  molar  teeth  obtained  by  Capt.  Bowman,  U.  S.  A.,  from 
the  sands  of  the  Ashley  River,  South  Carolina.  The  teeth  bear 
considerable  resemblance  to  the  corresponding  ones  of  Otaria 
juhatOj  having  small,  compressed  conical  crowns,  tuberculate  in 
front  and  behind,  and  single,  long,  gibbous  fangs.  The  small- 
est specimen  is  5J  lines  long,  and  the  largest,  when  perfect,  was 
about  an  inch  long". 

In  1867  this  species  was  referred  by  Professor  Cope  to  Squa- 
lo(U)tt,  who  says : — "A  species  still  smaller  than  S.  icymanii  has 
been  described  by  Leidy  as  Phoca  debilis,  from  the  Pliocene  of 
Ashley  River  of  S.  Carolina.  It  will  no  doubt  be  found  to  be 
allied  to  Squalodon  ".§  It  had,  in  fact,  been  apparently  already 
referred  by  Cope  in  the  early  part  of  the  same  paper  to  Sqtial- 
odon,  where  (on  page  144)  he  gives,  in  his  list  of  species,  "  Squal- 
odon (Jehilis  Cope,  Pliocene".  Dr.  Leidy  himself,  in  1869,  ad- 
mitted that  Proi«».sjor  Cope's  suspicions  of  their  Squalodont 
affinities  might  be  correct,  but  adds  that  these  teeth  "may 
belong  to  a  Dolphin  ".|| 

""S(|iialo(lou  wymanii  m.  Phoca  wymanii  Leidy.    Proceedings  Academy 
N.  Hci.,  1856,  265."— Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1867,  p.  152. 
tExt.  Mam.  N.  Amer.,  p.  426. 
!Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1856,  p.  265. 
Hhia.,  1867,  p.  153. 
II Ext.  Mam.  N,  Am.,  p.  475. 


.'!■;'*' 


,u 


liSiX 


iii 


Mfl 


«?' 


'  'M 


t 


474 


FAMILY    PIIOCIDiE. 


3.  '"'■Phoca  inoilesta''\ — This  s[)ecieis,  described  by  Leidy  In 
1S(»U,*  is  based  on  a  small  tooth  from  the  Asldey  River  deposits 
of  South  Carolina,  and,  says  this  author,  "ih  referred  to  a  Heal. 
thoujjh  it  is  not  improbable  it  may  belong  to  a  Scjualodont" ;  an, 
in  faet,  1  have  little  doubt  is  the  ease. 

III.  liemaim  re/erred  to  Existing  ISpeciea. — In  185G  Professor 
Leidy  described  and  figured  t  some  fossil  remains  of  Seals  foiuid 
in  the  '"  township  of  Gloucester,  county  of  Carleton,  Canada 
West,  aboui  nine  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Ottawa  ",  in  a  bed  of 
blue  clay  containing  boulders  and  marine  shells  and  fishes.  The 
shells  found  embrace,  according  to  Mr.  E.  Billings,  TeUina  ymn- 
landica,  Mytilus  edulis,  Sajcicava  rugosa,  and  a  small  species  allied 
to  Leda;  while  the  fishtjs  are  Mallotus  villosus  and  Cycloptenis 
lumpus,  and  the  clays  containing  them  are  regarded  as  of  Post- 
pliocene  age.  "The  bones,"  says  Dr.  Leidy,  "proved  on  exam- 
ination to  be  those  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  hinder  extremities 
of  a  young  Seal,  but  whether  of  a  species  distinct  from  those 
now  found  in  the  neighboring  seas,  is  only  to  be  determined  by 
careful  comparison  with  the  corresponding  parts  of  the  recent 
animals.  The  soft  distal  extremities  of  the  tibia  and  fibula  are 
crushed  together.  The  bones  of  the  ankle  and  foot  are  well 
preserved,  but  the  epiphyses  of  the  latter  are  separated  and 
only  i)artially  developed.  The  matrix  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
bones  is  marked  by  the  impression  of  the  hairs  and  skin  which 
enveloped  them." 

Dr.  Leidy  has  since  J  referred  these  remains  provisionally  to 
Phoca  groenlandica. 

Dr.  Leidy's  account  of  these  remains  was  also  published  in  the 
"Canadian  i^^aturalist  and  Geologist"  (i,  1857,  pp.  238,  239,  pi. 
iii).  Twenty  years  later  some  further  notice  of  fossil  Seal  re- 
mains from  the  same  locality  was  given  by  Dr.  Dawson,  §  in 
which,  referring  to  the  former  account,  he  says :  "A  good  figure 
and  description  were  published  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
Naturalist  in  1856.  No  further  information  bearing  directly  on 
this  fossil  was  secured  until  the  present  yeai',  when  the  bone 
now  exhibited  [before  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Montreal, 
October  29, 1877],  was  obtained  by  Dr.  Grant,  from  a  boy  who  had 
coUecterl  at  the  same  place  and  in  the  same  bed  in  which  the 
first-men„ioned  specimen  was  found.    It  is  the  left  ramus  of  the 

•Ext.  Mam.  N.  Amer.,  1869,  p.  415,  pi.  xxviii,  lig.  14. 
tProc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1856,  pp.  90,  91,  pi.  iii. 
tExt.  Mam.  N.  Amer.,  1869,  p.  415. 
$  Canad.  Nat.,  2  ser.,  vol.  viii,  1877,  pp.  340,  341. 


FOSSIL    UKMAINS. 


475 


lowiT  jaw  of  SI  youii{^  Seal,  coutaiuiuf;  a  canine  ami  I'onr  molar 
tt't'tli,  with  an  iminession  of  a  tiftb.  It  enables  ua  now  to  aiUnu 
that  the  species  is  Phoca  Groenlantlica — {Pagophilus  Groenlnndi- 
CHS  of  (Imy's  Catalogue'),  the  common  (rreenlaiul  Seal,  and  it  is 
of  such  size  that  it  may  have  belonged  to  the  same  individual 
wliich  furnished  the  bones  described  in  18;j<{,  or  at  least  au 
iiuiiiial  of  the  same  species  and  of  similar  age.'' 

IV.  EMinct  Species. — Another  reference  to  fossil  n.'inains  ap- 
parently referable  to  a  Seal  is  of  special  interest  as  indicating, 
if  there  is  no  mistake  respecting  the  origin  of  the  specimen,  the 
I'oruier  presence  on  our  Atlantic  coast  of  a  Phocine  type  exist- 
ing at  present  only  in  the  Antarctic  Seas.    The  species  was 
(k'seribed  by  Dr.  Leidy  in  185.5,  under  the  name  Stenorhynchus 
cetus.    The  description  is  based  entirely  on  an  outline  drawing  of 
11  tootii  puri>orting  to  be  from  the  ^'^  green  sand  of  the  Cretace- 
ous series,  near  Burlington,  New  Jersey".    The  spacimen  was 
never  seen  by  the  describer  of  the  species,  and  was  long  since 
lost.    The  tooth  is  said  to  have  been  found  by  Mr.  Samuel  A. 
Wetherill,  who  gave  it  to  Mr.  T.  A.  Conratl,  by  whom  was  made 
the  drawing.    "The  figure",  says  Dr.  Leidy,  "represents  a 
double-fauged  tooth,  with  a  crown  divided  into  five  prominent 
loI)e.s.    It  is,  without  doubt,  the  tooth  of  a  mammal,  and  resem- 
bles very  much  one  of  the  posterior  molars  of  Stenorhynchus  ser- 
ridens,  Owen,  an  animal  of  the  Seal  tribe.    It  may  have  be- 
longed to  a  Cetacean  allied  to  Basilosaurus,  but  until  further 
t'vi<lence  is  obtained  I  propose  to  call  the  species  indicated  by  the 
tooth  Stenorhynchus  vetus  ".*    Later  the  same  writer  referred  the 
species  to  Lobodon,  and  adds,  "The  specimen  purports  to  have 
been  derived  from  the  green  sand,  but  is  probably  of  miocene 
age  and  accidental  in  its  position  in  relation  with  the  preceding 
forniiition.    The  original  of  the  tooth  I  hav^e  not  seen,  but  it  was 
in  the  possession  of  Timothy  Conrad,  the  well-known  naturalist, 
who  made  an  outline  drawing  of  it  the  size  of  nature,  which  is 
represented  in  a  wood-cut,  of  the  same  size,  on  page  377  of  the 
I'roceedings  of  this  Academy  for  1853.    The  specimen  has  been 
lost.    The  drawing  of  it  so  nearly  resembles  the  representations 
of  the  molar  teeth  of  the  Crab-eating  Seal,  Lobodon  carcinopliaga 
of  Gray,  or  the  Stenorhynchus  serridem  of  Owen,  that  it  may  be 
regarded  as  an  indication  of  an  extinct  species  of  the  same 
genus  ".t    The  close  resemblance  of  the  figure  to  the  tooth  of 

*  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1853,  p.  377  (wood-cut), 
t  Extinct  Mam.  N.  Amer.,  1869,  p.  4 IG. 


Is.  WU 


I! 


I 


476 


FAMILY   PHOCIDiE. 


.  I 


Si    , 


I  ' 


Lobodon  caroinophaga  is  certainly  unquestionable,  but  the  his- 
tory of  the  tooth  which  served  as  the  original  of  tlie  tlrawiufj,  in 
refereiice  to  the  locality  of  its  assumed  discovery,  seems  not  alto- 
gether satisfactory.  Dr.  Leidy  discards  i's  Miocene  origin,  but 
seems  to  have  no  doubt  respecting  its  discovery  at  the  locality 
named.  Dr.  Gray,  in  his  synonymy  oi'  Lobodon  cardnophaga,* 
says,  "  See  Stenorhynchus  vetm,  Leidy,  ....  tooth,  said  to  l)e 
found  in  the  greensand  of  New  Jersey",  seemingly  implying  not 
oiily  its  close  resemblance  to  Lobodon  caroinophaga,  but  doubt 
as  to  the  correctness  of  the  assumed  locality.  In  view  of  the 
possible  extralimital  origin  of  the  tooth,  I  hesitate  to  formally 
include  the  species  in  the  list  of  North  American  Pinnipeds.t 
Europe. — While  fossil  remains  of  Seals  have  been  found  so 
rarely  in  North  America,  not  a  single  extinct  species  having 
been  certainly  determined,  the  Tertiary  deposits  of  Europe,  par- 
ticularly those  of  Belgium,  have  yielded  abundant  remains  of 

•Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  p.  10. 

tMr.  Andrew  Murray,  in  commontiug  (Geog.  Distr.  Mam.,  p.  124,  186C) 
upon  tills  species  (Leidy's  Stenorhynchits  vetua)  observes,  as  follows:  "Sir 
CI  les  Lyell  tells  us  [Element"}  of  Geology,  sixth  ed.,  Loudon,  1865,  p.  336] 
that  that  gentleman  [Mr.  Samuel  R.  Wetherill]  related  to  him  and  Mr.  Con- 
rad, in  1853,  the  circumstances  under  which  he  met  with  it,  associated  with 
Ammonites  placenta,  Ammonites  Delawarensis,  Trigonia  thoracica,  &c.,  aud  he 
adds  that  although  the  tooth  had  been  mislaid,  it  was  not  so  until  it  had  ex- 
cited much  interest,  and  been  carefully  examined  by  good  zoologists 

There  seems  to  be  lo  reason  to  doubt  that  the  tooth  was  found  where  Mr. 
Wetherill  said  it  was,  nor  is  there  any  question  here  of  misplaced  labels,  but 
there  is  certainly  room  for  doubting  its  determination,  because  we  see  wlien- 
and  how  an  error  might  easily  enough  have  arisen.  In  the  first  place,  it  h 
referred  to  a  living  genus  of  mammals,  and  we  know  of  no  genus  which  has 
subsisted  through  so  many  cycles.  The  presumption  is  therefore  against 
it  on  that  score.  In  the  next  place,  there  is  a  certain  resemblance  between 
the  teeth  of  Sharks  and  some  Seals,  and  it  is  precisely  in  the  genus  Stem- 

r/ij/ncfttM  that  the  resemblance  is  most  marked It  is  possible,  therefore, 

that  the  supposed  Seal's  tooih  "^ay  have  been  a  very  much  rubbed  and  worn 
Shark's  tooth ;  and  although  Lyell  says  it  was  carefully  examined  by  good 
zoologists,  the  only  one  of  known  competence  whom  he  mentions  as  having 
had  to  do  with  it  is  Dr.  Leidy,  who  did  not  see  it,  but  described  it  from  a 
drawing.  The  objections  to  the  supposed  mesozoic  Seal's  tooth,  therefore, 
appear  to  be  too  well  ibunded  to  require  us  to  devote  much  time  to  a  specu- 
lation founded  r,pon  its  authenticity."  Mr.  kurray  gives  comparative  views 
of  Shark  and  Seal  teeth,  to  show  how  close  is  the  resemblance  of  the  teeth 
of  Stenorhynchvs  to  those  of  certain  Sharks,  but  if  Mr.  Murray  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  consult  th^  original  figure  of  the  tooth  of  S.  vetus  he  would 
have  seen,  first,  that  it  was  not  a  "much  worn  and  rubbed  tooth",  and, 
secondly,  that  it  was  not  a  tAree-pointed  tooth  like  those  he  figm'ea,  but  a 
^ve-pointed  tooth,  representing  Lobodon  and  not  Stenorhynohm, 


F08SIL   REMAINS. 


477 


tlu'sc  animals,  Professor  J.  P.  Van  Beneden  having  already  iiuli- 
ciit»'d  thirteen  supposed  sjtecies  from  the  Anvers  Basin  alone, 
(ijiiite  a  number  »»f  species  have  also  been  described  from  vari- 
ous localities  iu  Frai  -e,  Germany,  Italy,  and  the  borders  of  the 
black  Sea.  Va:iou>  ■  mains  of  Seals  have  also  been  obtained 
fidin  the  (Quaternary,  es^jccially  in  the  British  Islands  and  in  Nor- 
fliiv,  but  all  such  prove  to  be  closely  allied  to  if  not  identical 
Avitli  species  still  existinj;  in  the  neighboring  or  more  northerly 
.seas.  No  remains  of  Seals  have  been  reported  from  beds  older 
than  the  Upj)cr  INIiocene,  while  the  greater  i)art  have  been 
obtained  from  deposits  referable  to  the  Pliocene.  While  a  de- 
taiU'il  account  of  the  extralimital  species  of  extinct  Phocids  is 
hardly  re<piired  in  the  present  connection,  a  brief  remme  of  the 
subject  may  be  of  interest.  This  will  be  based  mainly  on  the 
elaborate  memoirs  on  this  subject  recently  published  by  Van 
Beiieden.  • 

Until  quite  recently  very  few  extinct  species  of  tiiie  Pho- 
cids bad  been  described,  most  of  the  remains  attributed  to  this 
group  by  the  earlier  i)al£eoutologist8  proving  on  later  examina- 
tion to  be  mainly  referable  to  Squalodont,  Delphinoid,  or  Xiphoid 
Cetaceans.  The  two  fragments  considered  by  Cuvier  to  be 
Phocine  were  found  by  Blainville  to  be  Sirenian.  Of  the  vari- 
ous suppositive  remains  of  Seals  described  by  Blainville,  Van 
Beueden  claims  that  in  one  instance  only  do  they  belong  posi- 
tively to  this  grouj),  this  being  the  foot  preserved  in  the  Museum 
of  Pesth,  described  under  the  name  Phoca  halitschensia,  which 
is  said  to  somewhat  resemble  the  corresponding  part  of  the  com- 
mon Phoca  vitulina.  H.  von  Meyer's  Phoca  rugidens  turns  out 
to  be  referable  to  Squalodon.  The  same  author's  Phoca  ambigua 
is  allied  to  Phoca  vitulina.  Pictet's  genus  Pachyodon,  Van  Ben- 
eden  says  is  Squalodont  and  not  Seal,  while  the  bones  referred 
by  the  same  author  to  Phoca  ambigua,  Van  Beneden  believes 
was  not  a  fortunate  reference.  Staring's  Phoca  ambigua,  Van 
Beneden  refers  to  his  own  PaJwophoca  nysti.  Some  of  the  bones 
of  Seals  from  various  localities  in  France  referred  by  Gervais  to 
Pridtiophoca  occitana  are  thought  by  other  authorities  to  be  those 
of  Delphinoid  or  Xiphoid  Whales,  while  Van  Beueden  consid- 
ers the  Phoca  pedroni,  Gervais,  to  be  probably  also  i^iphoid. 
The  Phoca  pontica  of  Nordmann  is  closely  related  to  P.  vitulina 

*  See  especially  this  author's  magnificently  illustrated  work  on  the  Fossil 
Pinnipeds  of  the  Basin  of  Anvers,  forming  part  one  of  volume  one  of  the 
Annales  du  Mus^e  royal  d'Histoire  naturelle  de  Belgique,  1877,  where  the  his- 
torical portion  of  the  subject  is  presented  with  considerable!  detail. 


w-yf " 


478 


FAMILY    PIIOClDiE. 


(from  wlii<!h  it  i.s  Hfti«l  to  differ  in  size),  while  hi.s  P.  moeoticn  is 
alli(Ml  to  MonachuH  alldventer,  of  whi<;h  liitt<'-r  OuiHcardi'H  J'ltom 
gaiidini  HeciiiH  to  liaAC  been  t"l«e  proj^enitor. 

In  1853,  M.  J.  ]'.  Villi  lieneden  «leHcri')ed  an  extinct  HjxHnes 
of  Heal  under  the  name  Palwophoca  nytiti,  l)aK(!d  inaiidy  on  Hjicci- 
nieiiH  from  the  vieinity  of  AnverH.  In  187(J  the,  same  writer,  in 
his  memoir  on  "Loh  Pho(|ueH  foMHiles  dii  Basnin  d'Anvj^rs",* 
abided  tw<'lve  Hi)eeieH  to  those  previously  indicated,  all  from  tlio 
environs  of  Anvers,  makiuff  thirteen  describe*!  by  him  from  tliat 
lo(!ality.  They  are  base«l  usually  on  numerous  s]tecimens,  (ion- 
sistiiifi  {jf(^n(5rally  of  veiti^bra;  and  the  bones  of  the  limbs  and 
pelvis.  They  are  {jt'ix'rnlly  more  or  less  fragnu'iitary,  and  tlie 
most  chariMJteristic  ])arts  of  the  skeleton,  as  the  cranium  and 
dentition,  are  not  represented.  These  species  were  redescribed 
in  j^reater  detail  the  followinj^year,  and  illustrated  with  aHi)leii 
did  suit<i  of  ])lates,  in  whi(;h  the  more  important  sjMjcimens  were 
figured  of  the  size  of  nature,  several  views  being  given  of  eacli.t 
Five  are  from  the  Upi>er  Miocene,  an<l  eight  from  the  Pliocene. 
None  of  them  depart  very  widely  from  existing  types,  although 
with  one  exception  all  are  referred  to  extinct  genera.  One  (Me- 
solaria  ambigua),  Professor  Van  Beneden  thinks,  presents  char- 
acters indicative  of  Otarian  aflinities,  and  that  this  form  prol)- 
ably  representiCd  the  Otaries  in  the  Tertiary  seas  of  Europe,  but 
neither  the  description  nfu*  the  figures  seem  to  me  to  evince  sucli 
an  alliance.  On  the  contrary,  Menoiurm  ambigua  appears  to  be 
not  remotely  allied  to  the  Cystojyhorinw  (see  awted,  pp.  219,220). 
All  the  other  specjies,  so  far  as  can  be  judged  by  their  i'rag- 
mentary  remains,  exhibit  affinities,  more  or  less  remote,  with 
one  or  another  of  the  species  still  existing  in  tho  European  seas. 
The  extinct  species  of  this  familj  considered  by  Van  Beneden  a« 
fairly  entitled  to  recognition,  are  the  following:! 

1.  Mesotaiia  ambigua,  Van  Boiiodeii.    AnvcrH.    Pliocene.    Allied  to  Cyt- 

tophora  criatata,  or  at  lo.^8t  relorablo  in  all  probability  to  the  Cy»to- 
phorinw. 

2.  PalBBophooa  nysti,  Van  Beneden.    EIhIoo  ;  Boltringen ;  Anvers.    Plio- 

oone.     Allied  t-o  Motiachm  albivenier, 

3.  Prlstiophoca  oocitana,  Oorvaia.    Central  France.    Allied  to  Monaohvi 

albirenUtr. 

•Bull,  de  I'Acad.  roy.  de  Belgiqne  2'"«,  s^r.  1,  xli,  No.  4,  April,  1876. 

tDeHcriptiouH  dos  osHeinents  lo8«ileH  des  Environs  d'Auvors,  folio,  1877, 
with  an  Atlan  of  eighteen  plate8.=Ann.  du  Mns.  roy.  d'Hist.  nat.  du  Bel- 
gique,  torne  i,  preni.  part. 

t  The  authority  for  the  localities,  geological  age,  and  affinities  (except  to 
the  case  of  Meaotaria)  is  M.  Van  Beneden. 


FOSSIL    REMAINS.  479 

4.  Phoca  gaudinl,  Oumcardi.     Italy,  from  cavema.    Allied  to  MonachuB 

alhivvnkr. 
f).  Phoca  mcBotlca,  Kicliwald.    BaHin  of  the  Black  Sea.    Allied  to  Afona- 

chiiH  alhivvnUr. 
(i.  Phoca  ambigua,  II.  von  Moyor.    Osnahruk.    Tertiary.    Allied  to  P/ioco 

v'lluHtia. 
7.  Platyphoca  vulgaris,  Van   Uencdou.     AiivorH.     Pliocene.     Allied  to 

KriijnnthHH  haroatuH. 
».  Callophona  obBCura,  Van  Benedou.   Anvers.   Pliocene.   Allied  to /'Aoca 

(iriinhiiHUvM. 
1).  Gryphoca  similia,  Van  Beneden.     Anvers.     Pliocene.    Allied  to  Ua- 

liiltariiH  f/rypiiH. 
in.  ir'hocanella  pumila,  Van  Beneden.    AnverH.    Pliocene.    Allied  to  Phoca 

fiitidd. 
11.  Phocanella  minor,     Van  Beneden.    Anverw.    Pliocene.   Allied  to  Phoca 

J'dtida. 
[•I  Phoca  vitulinoides,  Van  Beneden.    Anvers.    Pliocene.    Allie<l  to  Phocu 

litiiliiia, 

13.  Phoca  pontica,  Eichwald.     Basin  of  the  Black  Sea.    Allied  to  Phoca 

vitiilina. 

14.  Phoca  balltschensis,  Bluinville.     Valley  of  the  Dannbe.    Allied  to 

Phoca  Htulinu. 

1.').  MonaUierium  delongil,  Van  B*;ne<len.  Anvers.  Upper  Miocene.  So 
far  as  <:nn  he  Judged  the  j^eniis  Monatherium  (known  only  from  verte- 
brie)  is  allied  t.o  Monachnn. 

I'i.  Monatherium  aberratum,  Van  Benedi;n.    Anvers.     Upper  Miocene. 

17.  Monatherium  afflnis,  Van  Beneden.     Anvet^.    Upper  Miocene. 

li.  Frophoca  rousaeaul,  Van  Beneden.     Anvers.     Upi>er  Miocene. 

I'J.  Prophoca  prozima,  Van  Beneden.  Anvers.  Upper  Miocene.  Al- 
though the  genns  Prophoca  is  a  tnie  Phocid,  its  affinities  with  any 
one  of  the  existing  types  rather  than  with  another  are  not  ap[»arent. 

It  thu8  appears  tliat  each  of  the  existing  specieH  in  repre- 
si'iitod  by  one  or  moni  allied  forms  among  the  extinct  species, 
the  jfrcater  part  of  the  extinct  forms,  however,  cluHtering  about 
the  Mo,  k  Seal  {MonachuH  albiventer)  of  the  MeditcJiranean,  and 
the  ('oiinnon  Vituline  or  Harbor  Seal  {Phoca  vitulina).*    As 

"  The  nearest  living  aflines  of  the  extinct  genera  may  l)e  thns  tabnlated: 
Exiinit.  Living. 

Memlana,  represented  by,  or  allied  to Cyttoj'hora. 

V" " '  / represented  bv,  or  allied  to Monaohu«. 

Mmphoca,   > 

Callophoca,  represented  by,  or  allied  to Pagophilu*. 

I'ktiiiihora,  represented  by,  or  allied  to Erignathna. 

Gnjphocn,  represented  by,  or  allied  to Haliohterut, 

PhocumlJa,  represented  by,  or  allied  to  " Pagomyn." 

Phoca  vitulinoides,  represented  by,  or  allied  to Phoca  Hfultno. 

^nnntheriiim,  represented  by,  or  allied  to Monaohiu, 

Prophoni^  niprosentod  by,  or  allied  to . 


m 


^rw 


m 


'    ;'* 


*  ii' 


ii 


.  S  !  1 


r  ' 


480 


FAMILY    PHOCIDjE. 


/■) 


KiLaa? 

111 

1 

1 

f% 

1^^^ 

i 

m 

Van  Beiieden  has  remarked,  the  extinct  species  of  Phocidie  pre- 
sent already  tlie  distinctive  characters  of  the  gronp ;  the  siM'cits, 
however,  were  more  numerons,  a  1  they  were  of  hirf^er  size* 
The  rcjnains  of  Seals  discov(;red  in  deposits  of  (iuatcrnary  af,'(' 
ha\  e  all  beeif  referred  to  existing  species  j  those  from  the  Ter- 
tiary bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  existing  types,  the  genus 
1  rophoca,  of  the  Miocene  of  Anvers,  alone,  having  no  very 
closely  related  existing  representative.  The  materials  on  wliich 
are  based  many  of  the  species  above  enumerated  are  so  scanty, 
and  in  many  cases  so  imi)erfectly  preser\'ed,  that  doubtless  addi- 
tional specimens  may  show  the  necessity  of  scmiewhat  reducing 
the  nundier,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  others  nmy  be  added. 

By  far  the  greater  ])art  of  the  remains  of  lMnnii)eds  thus  far 
known  have  been  found  at  the  single  locality  of  Anvers,  wli(!re 
not  only  most  of  the  species  have  l)een  found,  but  where  i)rob- 
ably  more  than  nine-tenths  of  all  such  remains  have  thus  far 
been  obtained.  Tlni  Royid  Museum  of  Belgium  alone  contains 
upward  of  five  hundred  specimens  from  this  locality,  which  M. 
Van  Beneden  has  referred  to  sixteen  species  and  twelve  genera. 
With  these  remains  are  associated  those  of  TIalitherium,  and  of 
various  tyi)es  of  Cetaceans.  The  whole  series  of  the  beds  con- 
taining these  fossils  are  regarded  by  some  geologists  as  Pliocene, 
but  by  other  good  authorities  the  lower  ones  of  the  series  are 
regarded  as  Upper  Miocene.  The  great  Tertiary  sea,  l)eiH'atii 
whose  waters  these  deposits  were  formed,  covered  the  greater 
part  of  Holland,  part  of  Gernumy,  and  extended  to  the  coun- 
ties of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  in  Englaiul,  over  all  of  which  region 
the  waters  prevailed  till  the  close  of  the  Tertiary  epoch. 

As  ha«  already  been  shown,  in  North  America  few  remains  of 
Pinnipeds  have  been  found,  and  these,  with  two  exceptions,  arc 
all  from  the  Quaternary,  and  are  referable  tx)  existing  species. 
The  excei)tions  are  the  so-called  Phoca  wymani,  based  in  part 
at  least  upon  veritable  Phocine  remains  from  the  Miocene  of 
Richmond,  Virginia,  and  the  enigmatical  Lohodon  rcttis,  based 
on  a  tooth  purporting  to  have  been  found  at  Burlington,  New 


*"Non»  liniroiis  par  cotte  obwrvatioii  que  Hi  toim  ces  ThalassotlK^riem 
pri^sentent  «l6ji\  h-n  caractJiWH  jiropreH  do  hnir  groujM?,  la  seul«!  (lillViitnciMli' 
qnelqiio  importance  m  rappoi*^o  i\  leur  nonibro  (|ui  si  consid<;ralilt'meiit 
T^dnit  et  h  lenr  taille  qui  a  notablement  ditniniK^.  ...  A  I't'xcfptio" 
cien  osHomontfi  rocn<',illi»daiiH  la  sable  noir  [the  Miocene  nKimti  I'ropliocal 
toHH  Ion  antrcH  se  rapi>ortent  h  dcH  eHp^ce8  (pii  rapellent  cellcH  qui  vivuient 
encore  dans  notre  h<^mi8i>here,  d(;|)iiiM  la  Floe  rat  jiiHqu'au  grand  I'lioqut. 
— Deacrip.  dea  Ossem.  /oh.  de»  Environs  d'Jmcra,  pp.  85,  66. 


MILK-DKNTITION. 


4.S1 


Jersey,  in  beds  of  Cn^tiU'eous  iiye.  An  error  of  liorizon,  if  not 
iit'iiK'iility,  hciii^' adiiiittcd  in  <!iise,  of  tlie  lust  nsiined,  itup])ear8 
thus  liirtliiit  no  traces  ol'  Piniiip«'ds  liave  been  met  with  in  beds 
older  llian  ^lioccine. 

MILIv-UKNTiTlON. 

In  tlie  Phi>ri(la;  as  in  the  othei-  I'iiiiiijtedia,  the  milk-teeth  are 
very  small,  are  perteetly  fnn»•,tioId(^ss,  and  jxTsist  for  only  a 
short  period  b<\vond  IVetal  lif(^  As  in  the  other  CJarnivores, 
the  iiniaber  of  mili%-teetli  in  Wnt  molar  series  is  (iiree,  and  their 
l)().siti(»n  is  the  same  as  lliat  of  tins  deeiduous  molars  of  the 
lissii)ede  Fcr(e,  standing;  resiunitively  over  tiio  second,  thii'd, 
and  fourth  of  the  permanent  set.  The  incisors  and  (janines  are 
c'a<;h  preceded  by  deciduous  teeth,  always  'uinute,  and  j^enerally 
absorlted  'jv'or  to  the  birth  of  tiir^  anim.ii,  as  are  also,  in  most 
eases,  the  tluous  molars.      It  is  consequently  dillicult  to 

olttiiiii  dry  h^  .jcimens  that  retain  tlie  minute  milk-teeth,  they 
iniiiii'  usually  partly  or  wholly  (especially  the  very  small  in- 
cisois)  lost  in  the  preparation  of  the  specimen,  or  by  subsequent 
liandlinfif.  Alcoholic  or  fresh  specimens  alone  alford  satisfac- 
tory material,  and  these  are  not  often  accessible.  The  milk- 
tleiitition  of  most  of  the  northern  genera  of  Phocids  has,  how- 
I'vcr,  been  (Uiscribed,  but  I  have  met  with  no  referen(!0  to  that 
of  any  of  the  genera  of  the,  iitenorhj/nchiruv.  As  alreiuly  stated, 
lai  li  incisor  of  the  permanent  dentition  is  iireeeded  by  a  milk- 
tooth,  and  th(^  nund)er  of  temporary  incisors  thus  varies  in  the 
ilitlcrent  genera  in  accordance  with  the  number  of  jiermauoiit 
ones.  Tlie  Stenorhynvhinw  will  doubtless  be  foun<l  to  alibrd  no 
exception  as  regards  the  relativ^e  number  and  position  of  the 
tleciduoas  teeth. 

Steeiistrup,  *  in  1801,  d'iscribed  and  ligured  the  milk-dentit  ion 
"f  Er'ujnnthm  harbatm  and  ' Phoca  yranlandica,  and  described 
also  tlial  of  Phova  f(£lMa.  ^(U'dmann,  t  at  about  the  same 
'late,  described  that  of  JIalicheerm,  and  in  18<).")  the  milk-denti- 
tion of  Cytitojihora  cristata  was  described  and  ligured  by  Kein- 

'Mii'lkctiindsajttet  ho8  Uumtuesailen,  Sviirtsiden  og  FjonlHtiilon  {I'hoca 
>'nri),,;ii  ().  Fahr,,  Ph.  (jriinlandioa  O.  Fabr.,  off  Ph.  higpida  .Selir«b.),  og  i  An- 
Iwlnin^;  (Icraf  iioglo  Honiiorkningor  oni  TandHystHiuot  Jios  to  foswilo  Slmgtor 
{llij(vti(iflini  og  Ptrrtxhni).  Af  ProfesHor  Jnpntiis  Stwnstru;,.  Vi<l.  Metld.  fra 
'I'll  naliiili.  I'mMiiiig  i  Kjiibhavn,  im)  (1H(51),  pp.  2r)l-2f)4,  pi.  v. 

'"I'liliutntologiw  SiidruHHlamls,  iv  Abtb.  vorgetr.  in  tl.  Fiiiul.  Soc.  d.  Wiss., 
''•'0,  ])]>.  ',V)6-'6(i'i." — Tho  oi.ly  copy  of  Nordruami'H  work  a;;cus8iblo  to  me  is 
iniperf(>(  t  and  tiiifortunatidy  lacks  th(  iv  Abth. 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  l!i 'il 


1 

m 

a 

'ofll 

■i^' 

■BiWj 

Vl 

.Hj 

^' 

fM 

l[}l 

^ 

J 

1 

III 

III 

m 

u 

l-liii 


If 


Hi 


4S2 


FAMILY    I'HOCIDiE. 


f:i: 


hardt,*  while  Stet'ii.striii) t  further  discussed  that  of  Eriynoihm 
barbatus.  Flo\ver,|  in  ISOt),  liyured  wiid  des(':'il)ed  the  iiiilk- 
teeth  oi'  ''^ Monimja  jtrohoncUlea"'  (=  Mncrorhinim  Iconinm). 

So  far  as  known  to  me  the  observations  here  cited  enihract' 
all  the  orij^inal  descriptions  of  the  milk-dentition  of  the  J'hixida'. 

While  the  nund>er  of  the  milk-molars  is  in  «'ach  case  three  on 
each  side,  both  above;  au<l  below,  their  size,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
other  deciduous  teeth,  varies  in  the<litierent  genera,  beiii;;  very 
small  in  Macrorhinus  iuid  CijufopUora,  and  larj^er  in  Plioca,  ErUj- 
nathus,  and  Halicharns.  Professor  Klowei',  in  describing  tlie 
teeth  of  a  f<etal  specimen  o(  Mttcrorhinus  says:  "The  Jaws  con- 
tained a  complete  set  of  very  minute  teeth,  viz.  i.  t,  c.  j,  m.  f, 
on  each  side,  all  of  the  simplest  character.  The  i:icisors  and 
canines  were  cylindrical,  and  open  at  the  base.  The  ui)])er 
canine,  which  was  the  largest  tooth,  and  of  which  the  whole  of 
the  crown  and  greater  i)art  of  the  root  were  calcified,  measured  in 
length  0.1"  and  in  greatest  thickness  0.04".  The  second  upper 
incisor  was  about  half  this  size,  and  the  first  still  smaller.  The 
molars  consisted  only  of  a  rounded  crown,  about  the  size  of  a 
small  i)in's  head,  the  roots  were  not  calcified.  As  the  crowns  of 
teeth  once  calcified  never  enlarge  in  diameter,  we  may  piesiime 
that  these  mdimentary  teeth  had  attained  their  full  dimensions, 
except  perhajis  as  to  the  root  of  some  of  them."  § 

Professor  Reinhardt's  description  and  figures  of  the  milk-teetli 
of  CyHtophora  cristata  represent  them  as  corre8i)ondingly  small, 
ex(!ept  the  last  molar,  which  is  broader  and  thicker  than  tlit 
others.  With  this  exception  they  ai)pear  to  be  equally  siinpk' 
and  rudimentary. 

The  milk-teeth  of  Erir/natlms  barbatus,  as  figured  by  Stoeii- 
striip,  agree  in  number,  relative  size,  and  form  very  nearly  witli 
those  of  Phoca  fircenlandica,  as  described  and  figured  by  the 
same  author,  with,  however,  one  important  discrepancy,  namely, 
u  large  fourth,  probably  caducous,  upper  mcdar,  many  tiiaes 
larger  and  otherwise  quite  uidike  the  true  ndlk-teetli.  Tl]i> 
has  the  appearance  of  being  an  abnormal  or  siipernuiiicr.iry 

*  Om  Klapmydsens  ufiidte  Unge  og  dons  Melketandsiut.     Af  J.  RtMnhartlt 
Vid.  Medd.  f.  d.  Naturb.  Forening  i  Kjobhavn,  1864  (18(]5),  pp.  248-'2()4. 

t  fdorligere  Bemiurkninger  om  Madketaudsii'ttet  bos  Remniosu'leii  (Ph(0 
harJmlo).     Ibid.,  jtp.  269-274. 

t  Remarks  on  tlie  HomologicH  and  Notation  of  tlu'  Teeth  of  tbo  Mainmiili« 
Joiu-n.  Anat.  and  Phys.,  vol.  iii,  18()i),  pp.  270,  271,  fig.  4. 

i^S  Or,  ratlier,  had  not  the  roots  been  already  absorbed  ?  Sec  rcniarkH  lioloif  j 
uii'lfr  I'hoca/utidu, 


if: 


MILK-DENTITION. 


483 


tooth,*  intermediate  in  size  between  the  peimauent  and  decid- 
uous molars.  The  true  milk-teeth  are  I.  lz%  ^-  \Zv  ^^-  S"-l» 
the  ui»|)er  are  all  much  smaller  than  their  representatives  of  the 
lower  series,  the  canine  and  incisors  torminy  merely  minute 
cylindrical  calcified  points.  The  molars  jire  sdso  very  small, 
consisting'  of  little  rootless  dentinal  caps,  tlu;  middle  one  the 
larger,  with  indications  of  two  roots.  The  lower  molars  are  not 
only  si'Vt'ral  times  larger,  but  have  coni<  :il,  jminted  crowns, 
auil  two  long',  distinct  roots,  esi)ecially  the  tirst  and  se«!ond. 
Steenstrup  gives  the  milk-dentition  of  both  I'lioca  graitland- 

m  laid  P.  fatida  as  1.  ',,~'^,  C.  j^^,  ^I-  jZic  "^^^^^  lower  molars 
and  the  second  and  third  u])per  are  distinctly  two-rooted ;  the 
upper,  however,  are  many  times  smaller  than  the  lower,  the 
liist  iipi)er  consisting  of  merely  a  minute  rootless  <Town. 

Four  f(etal  specimens  oi  Phoca  fcetida,  collectetl  by  Mr.  Lud- 
ffi}.'  Kundien  on  the  late  Howgate  Polar  Expedition,  show  the 
upper,  as  well  as  the  lower,  molars  to  be  all  two-rooted,  but 
thioufih  the  process  of  absorption  the  anterior  fang  of  the  up- 
per molars  early  disappears,  in  one  specimen  the  upper  molars 
consisting  of  mijuite  crowns,  with  an  oblique  posterior  fang. 
The  lower  molars  are  several  times  larger  than  the  correspond- 
iujr  teeth  of  the  upper  series,  and  are  all  distinctly  two-rooted; 
till'  third,  or  posterior,  is  much  the  larger,  and  is  distinctly 
tricuspid,  thei-e  being  a  well-developed  secondary  cusp  on  each 
Mile  of  the  larger  principal  one.  In  the  specimen  in  whi(;h  the 
faiijis  of  the  upper  molars  have  become  partly  absorbed,  the  ca- 
nines and  incisors  are  wholly  wanting.  In  the  others  the  canines 
lire  present ;  one  has  all  the  lower  incisors,  but  only  one  of  the 
upper  incisors.  Most  of  the  incisors,  both  above  and  below, 
hail,  in  the  other  examples,  either  been  wholly  absorbed,  or  were 
lost  in  the  preparation  of  the  specimens.  The  upper  canines  are 
f'irected  horizontally  forward,  forming  a  large  angle  with  the 
iH'rnianent  canines  beneath  them,  and  consist  of  small  cylinders 
two  tenths  of  an  inch  long  and  about  two-one-hundredths  in 
thickness.  The  lower  canines  are  somewhat  larger,  and  are 
directed  obliquely  upward  and  forward. 

In  Ffl/Ze/iflprMs,  according  to  Nordmann,  a  foetal  specimen  gave 
I  the  following  formula:  I.  Izl  C.  \z\,  M.  I^l.    The  milk-molars 

"This  is  the  view  maintained  by  Reiubardt  (Vid.  Medd.  f.  d.  Naturb. 
I  Foreniiig  f.  1864  (p.  259),  and  to   which  Steenstrup  (Ibid.,  pp.  2(59-274) 
»wms  to  f tibstautially  accede. 


ili'l 


I 


'   tr 


«  ■*.< 


J'  :    -     ■';■  V 


^il^lf-K 


484 


FAMILY   PIIOCID^, 


Stand  respectively  over  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  of  the 
permanent  set,  those  of  the  lower  series  being  also  much  larger 
than  those  of  the  upper.* 

GENERAL   HABITS  AND  INSTINCTS. 

The  species  of  the  family  Pfiocidw  agree,  almost  without  ex- 
ception, in  possessing  strong  social  instincts  and  in  being  uhuost 
unsurpassed  in  their  affection  for  their  young.    Many  of  the 
species  are  gregarious,  at  least  during  the  breeding  season,  while 
some  associate  at  all  seasons  in  large  herds.    They  are,  in  gen- 
eral, patient  and  submissive  creatures,  and  harndess  to  man,  to 
whose  power  and  love  of  gain  doubtless  not  less  than  ji  niillion 
to  a  million  and  a  half  fall  victims  each  year.    The  Crested  Seal 
of  the  North  Atlantic  is  one  of  the  few  species  that  ^viU  habitu- 
ally resist  an  attack,  or  whose  power  is  in  any  degree  dangerous. 
As  regards  their  reproduction,  the  female,  as  a  rule,  brings  fonh 
but  a  single  young  one,  and  the  period  of  gestation  is  supposed 
to  range  from  nine  to  nearly  twelve  months.    The  Sea  Elei)haiits 
are  well  known  to  visit,  for  the  purpose  of  reproduction,  partic- 
ular breeding  stations  on  land,  assembling  in  large  numbers  at 
their  favorite  resorts,  and,  like  the  Otaries  and  Walruses,  crawl 
up  some  distance  on  to  sjvndy  shores  or  rocky  islands,  to  re 
main  for  weeks  without  food  and  without  visiting  the  sea. 
Others,  like  the  common  Seal  {Phoca  v^tuU^a),  select  outlying 
rocky  islands  or  rocky  points  of  the  mainland  for  their  breed 
ing  stations,  and  never  congregate  in  large  ni  imbers.  The  Green- 
land Seal  {Phoca  (jrcenlandica)  is  at  all  times  gregarious,  assem- 
bling in  immense  numbers  in  particular  districts  to  bring  forth  its 
young  on  tlie  ice-floes.    The  Caspian  Seal  (Phoca  ca^pica)  pos 
sesses  similar  instincts,  and  is  said  to  be  always  found  in  im- 
mense herds.    While  most  of  the  species  are  confined  to  the 
neighborhood  of  shores  or  firm  ice,  others  are  almost  jialagic, 
though  rarelj^  found  far  from  floating  ice. 

Seals  are  very  fond  of  basking  in  the  sunshine,  and  sjjenda  j 
large  part  of  their  time  on  sand-bars,  locks,  or  on  the  ice,  ucconl- 
ing  to  the  season,  the  species,  or  the  locality.    They  are  verr  I 
voracious,  their  food  consisting  chiefly  of  fishes,  but  in  part  of 
crustaceans  and  moUuftks.    Nearly  all  the  species,  and  in  fa«t  all  j 
the  Pinnipeds,  are  known  to  swallow  small  stones,  often  in  con 

*  This  rffeience  is  based  ou  Hensol's  "Bericht  Uber  die  Ltustungin  indtrl 
Naturgeachicbte  der  Siingethiere  wahrend  des  Jahres  1864,"  iu  Arch,  fflrj 
Naturg.,  I8til,  ii,  pp.  99,  100. 


:-^:Mi-f 


;  I'" 


iiiii'M-. 


GENERAL    HABITS    AND    INSTINCTS. 


485 


sideiablo  quantities,  tlu^  purpose  of  which  habit  is  still  a  matter 
ot  coiijocture.  Sailors,  and  even  some  intelligent  naturalists, 
lii'licve  they  serve  sis  ballast,  and  some  affirm  that  a  larger  quan- 
tity is  swallowed  when  the  animals  are  fat  than  when  they  are 
kan,  and  that  when  tliey  are  very  fat  they  require  them  to  give 
their  bodies  the  proper  specific  gravity  to  enable  them  to  remain 
easily  under  water.  Whatever  m.ay  be  the  cause,  the  strange 
tact  rests  on  abundant  and  trustworthy  evidence.  Most  species 
of  Seals  are  strongly  attracted  by  musical  sounds,  but  whether 
their  interest  is  merely  that  of  curiosity  or  real  fondness  for  such 
souikIs  may  be  fairly  judged  to  be  an  open  question.  That  they 
possess  a  great  deal  of  curiosity  admits  of  no  doubt. 

One  of  their  most  remarkable  traits  is  the  great  length  of 
time  they  are  able  to  remain   under  water.     Mr.  li.  Brown 
states  that  the  average  time  is  five  to  eight  ujinutes,  and  that 
be  never  saw  them  remain  below  the  surface  for  more  than  fif- 
teen minutes,  but  other  observers  give  from  twenty  minutes  to 
half  an  hour.    Various  theories  have  been  offered  in  exi^lana- 
tion  of  this  remarkable  power  in  a  warm-blooded,  air-breathing 
auimal,  but  none  seems  satisfactory.    It  has  by  some  been  sup- 
posed to  be  due  to  the  large  size  of  the  venous  system  of  circu- 
lation; by  others  to  venous  sinuses  in  the  liver  and  surrounding 
parts,  wliich  serve  as  reservoirs  for  the  venous  blood ;  by  others 
to  the  large  size  of  the  foramen  ovale ;  while  still  others  deem 
it  to  be  wholly  physiological  ami  not  structural.     Some  of 
the  Arctic  species  have  the  habit  of  forming  breathing-holes 
throufrh  the  ice,  through  which  they  not  only  rise  to  breathe, 
but  ascend  to  bask  oh  the  ice.    These  are  circular,  with  smooth 
''ides,  and  are  kept  open  by  constant  use,  and  are  believed  to 
be  made  while  the  ice  is  forming.    Other  species  keep  near  nat- 
ural openings  formed  by  the  winds  and  currents  and  never  con- 
struct breathing-holes. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  a  well-established  fact  that  the 
young  Seals  take  to  the  water  reluctantly  and  have  to  be  act- 
ually tauglit  to  swim  by  their  parents.  The  young  of  some 
species  remain  entirely  on  the  ice  for  the  first  two  or  three 
^eeks  of  their  lives,  or  until  they  have  shed  their  first  or  soft 
^•JoUy  coat  of  hair.  Those  that  are  brought  forth  on  land,  as 
'» the  case  of  the  Elephant  Seals,  are,  like  the  Otaries,  timid 
j  01  the  water,  swim  at  first  awkwardly,  and  tire  easily  in  their 
1  first  eflbrts. 
Seals  utter  a  variety  of  cries,  from  which  they  have  derived 


ill 


■nv- 


-m 


h  ^t 


*fii 


f! 


'        M 

;r^ 

■(; 

i 

l.i- 

i: 

H 

i  Ki^g 


486 


FAMILY    I*IIOCID/E. 


such  various  names  as  Sea-dojjs,  Sea-calves,  Sea-wolv»'s,  etc. 
Some  have  a  barkiiiff  note, others  a  kind  of  ten«ler  bleat,  ova 
cry  more  or  less  resemblinj?  that  of  a  child.  The  cry  of  the 
young  is  usually  more  or  less  i)athetic,  while  that  of  the  adults 
is  heavier  and  hoarser.  None  appear  to  i)roduco  the  loud  I  mik- 
ing or  roaring  so  characteristic  of  most  of  the  Sea-Lions  aiul 
Sea-Bears. 

FOOD. 

The  food  of  Seals  is  known  to  consist  largely  of  tish,  but  some 
of  the  si>ecies  are  believed  to  subsist  mainly  u]>on  mollusks  ami 
crustaceans,  i)articularly  the  latter.  Malmgren  states  explicitly 
that  this  is  the  food  of  tht;  Rough  and  Bearded  Seals,  as  ho  has 
found  by  an  examination  of  their  stomachs.  The  Harbor  and 
Greeidand  Seals  are  supposed  to  subsist  almost  exclusively  upon 
fish,  of  which  they  destroy  enormous  «iuantities.  Mr.  Carroll 
estimates  that  not  less  than  three  millions  to  four  millions  of 
Seals  annually  congregate  around  the  island  of  Newfoundland, 
remaining  there  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty  days.  Allowing  that  each  Seal  con>sumes  only  one  cod 
flsh  a  day,  they  would  each  destroy  during  this  interval  not  less 
than  a  quintal  of  flsh,  making  in  the  aggregate  some  three  mil 
lions  to  foui'  millions  of  quintals  of  codfish  killed  by  Seals  duriuir 
about  one-third  of  the  year.  Startling  as  this  may  seem,  it  is 
unquestionably  a  low  estimate.  Indeed,  the  destruction  of  these 
flsh  by  Seals  is  believed  to  account,  in  part  at  least,  for  the  "short 
catch"  of  codflsh  at  the  various  fishing  stations  around  tlie 
island.  They,  however,  do  not  restrict  themselves  to  codtisb, 
but  doubtless  vary  their  fare  as  circumstances  may  favor,  they 
being  known  to  wage  a  furious  warfare  upon  the  white-fisb. 
As  long  as  white-fish  are  "  in  with  the  land,"  in  passing  domi 
from  the  Labrador  coast,  "  so  sure  will  Seals  of  every  descrip 
tion  be  there."  Late  in  autuuui  the  white-fish  always  pass 
through  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  followed  by  "  all  kinds  of  Seals 
known  to  ice-hunters."* 

Mr.  Kobert  Brown  states  that  all  of  the  different  species  of 
Seals  "live  on  the  same  description  of  food,  varying  this  at 
different  times  of  the  year  and  according  to  the  relative  abuii 
dance  or  otherwise  of  that  article  in  ditterent  portions  of  tlu'  | 
Arctic  seas.    The  great  staple  of  food,  however,  consists  nt  i 
various  species  of  Crustacea  which  swarm  in  the  northern  seas. 
*  Canoll,  Seal  .aud  HeiTiug  Fisheries  of  Newtbuudlaud,  \f^'S,  {>.  I'i 


ene:mies  and  migrations. 


487 


Diiiiiif,' the  sealingseason  in  the  Spitzbergen  sea  I  liavo  inva- 
liiildy  taken  out  of  their  stoinaehs  vaiious  speeies  of  Gam- 
mariiH  [0.  aabini,  Leach,  0.  loricutiis,  8ab.,  0.  piriffuis,  Kr.,  0. 
ikiitdfxx,  Kn.,  0.  mnUitm,  Lilljeb.,  ete.),  colleetively  known  to 
tlic  whah'rs  under  the  name  of 'Mountebank  Shrimps,' deriv- 
iiiji  tlie  name  from  their  peculiar  agility  in  the  water.  This 
'seals' f(MHl' is  found  more  plentiful  in  some  latitudes  than  in 
others,  but  in  all  parts  of  the  Greenland  sea,  from  Icehind  to 
Spitsbergen ;  I  have  seen  the  sea  at  sonu*  places  literally  swann- 
iiijiwith  them.  Agahi,  in  the  summer  in  Davis's  Strait  1  have 
found  in  their  stomach  remains  of  whatever  species  of  small 
Fish  happened  to  be  just  then  abundant  on  the  c-oast,  such  as 
the  Mallotus  arctictttf,  Salmo  (various  si)ecies),  etc.  I  have  even 
known  them  to  draw  down  small  birds  swimming  on  the  sur- 
face ;  but  their  chief  food  is  Crustacea  and  Fish.  They  also  feed 
on  ]\ledusa}  and  Cuttlefish  (Squids)."  *  That  Seals  vary  their  fare 
with  an  occasional  gull  or  duck  is  attested  by  numenms  observ- 
ers ;  but  birds  form,  of  course,  but  an  insiguhicaut  portion  of 
their  diet.  Malmgren  also  refers  especially  to  the  occurrence 
iu  the  stomachs  of  EHgnathtis  harbattis  and  other  Seals  of  va- 
rious species  of  crustaceans  and  moUusks,  and  sometimes  of 
tishes.  t 

ENEMIES. 

Man  is  undoubtedly  the  Seal's  chief  enemy,  but  many  fall  a 
prey  to  the  Polar  Bear,  and  doubtless,  also, — particularly  in  the 
case  of  the  young — to  sharks,  and  to  that  carnivorous  Cetacean, 
the  <  )rca.  They  are  also  greatly  subject  to  the  attacks  of  intes- 
tinal parasites.  Many  are  also  destroyed  by  the  elements, 
thousands  being  sometimes  ground  to  pieces  by  the  ice.  They 
are  said  to  avoid  rough  water,  but  when  amidst  the  ice-floes 
are  lref[ueutly  killed  by  the  jamming  together  of  the  ice  in  a 
heavy  sea.  "At  times  during  the  spring,  if  there  is  a  heavy 
sea,  the  Seals  are  sure  to  mount  the  ice,  and  whilst  on  it,  pro- 
vided it  runs  together,  they  are  certain  to  be  jannned",  at  which 
times  many  old  Seals,  as  well  as  young,  are  destroyed.! 

MIGRATIONS  OF   SKALS. 

The  periodical  movements  of  Seals  have  long  been  noticed, 
ami  it  has  been  found  that  a  proper  senu-annual  migration  is    ^ 

'  I'roc.  Zocll.  Soc.  London,  1868,  p.  411 ;  Miin.  Nat.  Hist.  Greenland,  etc., 
Mamuiiils,  187;'),  pp.  40,41. 
tArch.  fiir  Nnturg.,  18()4,  pi».  75-84. 
{Carroll,  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  pp.  19,  20. 


if  PI 

1 

i 

,>,  'f 

I 

!  > 


ita 


ii' 


m 


1,1 


:<•  ill"! 


it! 

1   ,     '. 

i , 

'■     •  f 

t 
1 

1 
■  f 

!  1 

488 


FAMILY    PHOCID-E. 


common  to  several  of  the  species.  Others,  however,  are  sedeu 
tary.  The  common  IlarborSeul  iPhoca  vitidina)  is  so  strictly  nou 
mijiratory  that  wherever  it  occurs  at  all  it  is  reported  to  be 
found  at  all  seasons.  The  Rough  or  Hispid  Seal  (Phoca  foetidu) 
is  to  only  a  small  extent,  if  at  all,  migratory,  and  the  same  hi 
true  of  the  Bearded  Seal  {Erignathus  harhatus).  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Hooded  Saul  {CyHtophora  cr iHtata)  imd  the  Harp  or 
Greenland  Sea]  {Phoca  groenlandica)  move  southward  in  winter 
and  northward  in  summer.  Most  Arctic  explorers  have  noted 
these  movements,  which  in  point  of  regularity  have  been  com- 
pared to  migrations  of  ducks  and  geese  and  other  boreal  water- 
fowl. Their  i)as8age  along  the  Labrador  coast  and  arrival  lii 
the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  and  other  portions  of  the  ^Newfound 
land  coast,  have  long  been  a  matter  of  record,  as  well  as  the 
periodical  departure  and  return  of  certain  species  on  the  west 
coast  of  Greenland.  The  Greenland  Seal  especially  makes 
long  journeys  in  spring  to  its  favorite  breeding-grounds,  aiul 
later  disperses  to  other  haunts.  Drs.  Koldewey  and  Pausch,  iu 
referring  to  the  assembling  in  spring  of  this  species  in  the  icy 
seas  westward  of  Jan  Mayen  and  Spitzbergen,  observe  as  fol- 
lows: "  The  appearance  of  these  Seals  reuunded  us  that  we 
were  now  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Seal-catchers,  that  is,  iu 
that  part  of  the  northern  icj^  seas  where,  from  the  end  of  3Iarcli 
to  the  end  of  April,  the  Seals  come  in  thousands  to  the  smootli 
floating  ice  to  cast  their  young  ones.  These  'Seal-coasts' change 
their  i^osition  somewhat  every  year,  and  range  between  08° 
and  74°  N.  Lat.,  and  from  2°  to  10°  W.  Long.  It  is  a  highly 
Initrcoting  sight  to  see  the  Seals  assendded  from  all  quarters 
at  this  time.  It  is  said  that  they  not  only  come  from  the  coasts 
of  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  but  even  swim  in  flocks  from 
Kova  Zembla."  * 

Mr.  n.  Y.  Hind,  in  referring  to  their  movements  along  the 
eastern  coast  of  !North  America,  says  that  in  autumn,  before 
the  ice  forms,  "they  'hug'  the  shore,  either  of  Labrador  or 
Newfoundland,  i)enetrating  into  all  the  bays  and  never  going 
far  from  land.  During  the  colder  winter  months  they  strike  into 
the  Gulf,  looking  for  ice-floes,  on  which  they  give  birth  to  theii 
young  iu  March,  and  [where  they]  continue  for  two  or  tbnt 
months.  In  Maj-  and  June  they  congregate  near  the  coasts, 
and  return  to  the  main  ocean  for  the  summer."  t 

•German  Anitic  Expcd.,  l>J6l)-70,  English  eil.,  1874,  p.  6L 

tExpI.  iu  tbu  Inti-rior  of  tbc  Labrador  PeniuHula,  vol.  ii,  18C3,  p.  2()2. 


MKiUATIOXS. 


489 


::IH/'i! 


The  jjonoral  snbj«M't  of  Mio  inovoinont  of  Seals  alon^j  our 
iiorthern  Atlantic  coast  haviiij-  been  ])n»s«'iite«l  quite  fully  by 
Mr.  .1.  C  Steavenson,  1  herewith  subjoin  a  transciint  of  his  ac- 
oouiit,  preniisinj;',  ho\ve\'er,  that  his  veniarks  have  a  more  lini- 
itt'd  aj^plication  to  Seals  in  {i'eneral  than  the  writer  appears 
to  h:»ve  supi)ose(l,  Uiey  doubtless  liaviuf^  reference  mainly  to 
the  two  species  already  juentioned  as  beinj-'  preeminently  mi- 
gnitory. 

"  Independe-'tly  ot  his  constant  motion  in  i)ursuit  of  his  prey, 
the  nnp:rations  of  the  Seal  are  most  extensive.     Durinj;  the 
sniiuner  and  autumn  numbers  of  those  creatures  are  met  with, 
scattered  in  small  parties,  in  all  i)arts  of  the  Northern  Ocean 
visited  by  the  whalers  and  other  fishermen,  where  they  remain 
until  the  severity  of  the  Arctic  winter  warns  them  to  retreat 
southward.    INIariners  who  have  been  beset  amonj;;-.t  the  ice,  or 
for  otlu^r  reasons  have  passed  the  winter  in  these  hyperborean 
seas,  remark  that  few  Seals  are  met  with  during  the  winter, 
and  some  of  them  chronicle  the  time  at  which  they  first  ap- 
peared on  their  return.    Our  information  with  regard  to  their 
{jcncral  motions  is  not  limited  to  these  somewhat  vague  records. 
Tlu'  habits  of  the  genus  (for  it  consists  of  many  species)  are  so 
visible  that  we  must  conclude  the  scattere«l  Seals  met  with 
(luring  the  dark  winter  of  the  Pole  are  only  stragglers  [in 
reality,  the  non-migratory  si)ecies]  left  behin<l  when  the  main 
body  moved  southward.    As  the  seventy  of  the  weather  in- 
creases it  is  evident  that,  like  swallows,  an  instinctive  move 
ment  iimst  commence,  <;ommunicated  to  and  understood  by  the 
whole  family,  like  a  nm^^onic  sign,  prompting  a  general  assem- 
bly of  the  clans  at  some  long-frequented,  well-known  spot  of 
their  wide  domain,  where,  it  is  to  be  supposed,  they  enjoy  their 
sport  until  the  gathering  is  comi)leted.    At  length  the  frost 
connnences,  and  the  army  is  set  in  motion.    This  proceeding  is 
keenly  looked  forward  to  and  watched  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
toast,  whose  interest  is  much  involved  in  their  passing  visit, 
and  who  fail  not  to  levy  tribute  in  kind.    A  fisherman,  posted 
as  sentinel  on  some  headland  commanding  an  extensive  sea- 
view,  communiciites  to  the  hamlet  the  first  indication  of  the 
apitroaching  host,  the  vanguard  of  which  invariably  consists  of 
small  d«>tachment8  of  from  half  a  dozen  to  a  score  of  Seals ; 
sueh  parties  continue  to  pass  at  intervals,  gradually  increasing 
in  frequency  and  niunbers  during  the  first  two  or  three  days  of 
the  exodus,  by  the  end  of  which  time  they  are  seen  in  companies 


n 


I'  3 1 


!'  ! 


I*  >< 


l»;   I 


V      - 


490 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


of  one  or  more  hundreds.  The  imiin  body  is  now  at  liand,  and 
dnriug  the  ^'reater  part  of  the  next  two  fhiyn  one  eontiinums, 
uncountable  crowd  Ls  constantly  in  Miy;ht.  The  whole  procos 
sion  roasts  along  at  no  great  distance  from  the  shore,  pic- 
seuting  to  an  eye-witness  a  most  extraordinary  scene,  in  all 
quarters,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  carry,  nothing  is  visible  hut 
Seals — the  sea  seems  paved  with  their  heads.  Some  idea  may 
be  formed  of  the  vast  multitude  when  we  consider  the  tiiiit; 
occupied  in  passing,  and  the  rate  at  which  the  animals  are 
hurried  along  by  the  ceaseless,  rapid  stream  which  forms  the 
highway  of  their  long  though  ex])editious  voyage.  The  rear  is 
brought  up  l)y  small  parties,  such  as  formed  the  leading  detach- 
ments. In  one  short  week  the  whole  host  passes,  consisting  of 
njany  hundreds  of  thousands.  The  current  of  which  these 
sagacious  voyagers  take  advantage  is  the  well-known  polar 
current  whi(!h  proved  so  inimical  to  the  success  of  our  Xortli- 
West  Passage  discoverers,  and  which  sets  through  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  sweeps  the  coast  of  Labrador  in  a  southeast  direc- 
tion ;  running  at  all  seasons  at  the  rate  of  several  knots  an 
hour,  hurling  with  it,  during  the  winter  and  spring,  quanti- 
ties of  ponderous  field -ice,  together  with  numerous  icebergs  of 
various  size,  and  frequently  of  most  grotesque  shapes.  By  it 
the  Seals  continue  their  passage  steadily  on  in  one  unbroken 
course  until  the  island  of  Belleisle  presents  an  obstacle — situ- 
ated in  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Belleisle,  into  which 
a  branch  of  the  current  sets,  carrying  with  it  a  portion  of  the 
force  towards  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The  main  body  con- 
tinue onward  until  they  reach  the  Gulf  Stream,  on  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland.  Here  they  arrive  about  the  end  of  Decein 
ber  or  early  in  January,  and  halt  for  a  time  in  the  more  still 
and  warmer  waters  of  that  locality,  resting  until  the  time  for 
bringing  forth  their  young  arrives;  nor  is  the  rest  of  long 
duration.  About  the  end  of  January  it  becomes  necessary  to 
turn  northward.  During  the  southerly  migration  no  ice  en- 
cumbered the  way — all  circumstances  were  favorable ;  but  now 
the  new  projected  movement  is  undertaken  under  many  im- 
l)ediments;  the  anii.  als,  heavy  with  young,  nuist  stem  the 
strong  current;  the  bed  on  Avhich  their  snow-white  cubs  are  to 
be  laid  is  solid  ice.  Onward  they  struggle  until  they  fall  in 
with  the  immense  continent  of  this  material — one  part  of  which 
is  formed  on  the  shores  and  a  much  larger  portion  hurried  for 
ward  by  the  Polar  Stream.    This  now  covers  the  identieal  sea 


LOCOMOTION    ON   LAND. 


491 


iiloii^'  which  they  so  recently  j)assed,  ami  \h  to  be  their  home 
until  the  (lutieH  of  the  nursery  are  performed,  and  their  sleek 
prof^eny  are  stronj?  enoujfh  to  accompany  the  herd.  The  tle- 
tiichments  which  we  left  on  their  way  nj)  the  Straits  of  IJelle- 
isle  [havoj  met  their  own  dittlcultitis :  the  fishermen  waylay  them 
here  most  assiduously — net  after  net  awaits  the  toiliny  emi- 
grants, which  are  turned  to  {,'ood  purpofse.  Several  thousands 
are  taken  at  the  many  stations  planted  on  all  parts  of  the  shore 
from  (Jape  Charles  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  Gulf 
many  of  them  pass  tue  winter  and  brinj;  forth  on  the  ice  formed 
near  the  shores  of  this  sea ;  a  few  of  the  youn;^  are  taken  by 
tla^  inhabitants  of  the  Maj,'daleno and  other  islands;  but  a  con- 
siderable section  of  the  original  stock  circumnavigate  New- 
foundland, and  join  the  great  body  on  the  banks.  Those  which 
winter  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  quit  their  quarters  hi  that 
sea  about  the  end  of  June,  and  on  their  way  down  the  Straits 
of  Belleisle  reward  the  watchful  fishermen  with  a  few  additional 
thousands  of  their  much-iirized  carcasses.  These  are  now  ac- 
companied by  their  young,  all  but  as  round  and  bulky  as  their 
parents.  After  clearing  the  Straits  little  more  is  seen  of  them. 
It  is  believed  that,  in  order  to  avoid  the  adverse  current,  thty 
make  their  passage  north  to  their  old  summer  haunts  at  a  mucli 
greater  distance  from  the  land."  • 


LOCOMOTION  ON   LAND. 


As  first  pointed  out  by  Dr.  Murie,t  the  Pinnipeds  present  three 
distinct  modes  of  terrestrial  locomotion.  The  common  or  Ear- 
less Seals  are  usually  described  as  progressing  belly- wise,  by  a 
wriggling  motion  of  the  body,  with  the  hind-limbs  directed  back- 
ward and  held  in  opposition,  and  the  fore-limbs  drawn  close  to 
the  body.  This  seems  to  have  been  hitherto  commonly  consid- 
ered as  the  only  mode  of  progression  on  land  or  ice  possessed  by 
any  member  of  this  group,  |  the  Elephant  Seal  perhaps  excepted. 
The  plantigrade  walk  of  the  Otaries  and  the  Walruses  has  of 

'  J.  C.  Steavcnson,  in  the  "Field"  of  November  28,  1863;  qnotert  in  (and 
lure  transcribed  from)  the  "  Zoologist,"  vol.  xxii,  1864,  pp.  8873,  8874. 

♦  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  London,  1870,  p.  005,  pi.  xxxii. 

t  Bell,  writing  of  the  Phocw  in  1837  says,  "Their  movements  on  land  are 
Indicroiisly  awkward.  They  make  j  o  use  of  their  feet  in  terrestrial  pro- 
gnssioii,  bnt  throw  themselves  forward  by  plunges,  the  anterior  part  of  the 
lioily  and  the  posterior  being  alternately  applied  to  the  ground.  In  this  way 
tliey  make  their  way  at  a  moderate  pace  along  a  tolerably  even  surface." — 
Hist.  Brit,  quad.,  p.  257. 


1     'i   I 


f|P'! 

■      : 

"  ''^' 

;ii 

iii.* 

i 

[i 


{'■■ 


492 


FAMILY   THOCID^. 


late  been  repeatedly  described,  while  their  considerable  power 
of  locomotion  on  k.nd  has  been  known  for  a  century.  Dr.  Murie, 
however,  in  18V  0,  described  a  mode  of  progression  among  the 
common  Seals  intermediate  in  character  between  that  usua'y- 
recognized  as  characteristic  of  these  animals  and  that  of  the 
Otaries  and  Walruses.  From  observations  made  on  a  living 
Greenland  Seal  or  "Saddle-back"  {Phoca  grcenlandiea)  in  the 
Gardens  of  the  London  Zoological  Society,  Dr.  Murie  has  de- 
scribed this  "third  sort  of  land-movement,"  and  given  figures  of 
the  various  attitudes  assumed  by  this  Seal,  i)articularly  when 
moving  on  land.  The  Greenland  Seal,  he  says,  "  very  often  uses 
its  fore  limbs,  placing  these  ou  the  ground  in  a  semigrasping 
manner,  and  by  an  alternate  use  of  them  drags  its  body  along. 
The  hind  legs  meantime  are  either  trailed  behind  slightly  apart, 
or  with  opposed  plantar  surfaces  slightly  raised  and  shot  stiffly 
behind.  On  uneven  ground,  or  in  attempting  to  climb,  a  pecu- 
liar lateral  wriggling  movement  is  made ;  and  at  such  times,  be- 
sides alternate  palmar  action,  the  body  and  the  hind  limbs  de- 
scribe a  sinuous  spiral  track."  He  also  states  that  he  has  seen 
the  Crested  Seal  {Cystophora  cristata)  assume  similar  attitudes, 
and  says  that  in  the  Harp  Seal  {Phoca  grcenlandiea),  as  well  as 
the  Crested  Seal,  "  the  fore  legs  and  paws,  and,  to  a  very  mod- 
erate extent,  the  hind  limbs  are  freely  brought  into  a^'tiou," 
while  in  the  common  Seal  {Phoca.  vitulma)  the  "limb-append- 
ages on  land  are  of  slight  subservience  to  progression,  the  fore 
paws  only  oc  casionally  being  used  among  rocks."* 

Other  observers  report  that  other  kinds  of  Earless  Seals  pos- 
sess a  considerable  power  of  locomotion.  Michael  Carroll,  in  his 
account  of  the  Harp  Seal,  sayst  that  when  Seals  get "  embayed" 
and  cannot  get  into  the  water  owing  to  the  ice  being  jammed, 
"they  begin  to  travel  out  in  a  direct  line  for  the  water.  .  .  . 
Much  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  ice  they  have  to  travel 
on,  as  to  their  rate  of  speed ;  they  travel  principally  by  night. 
I  have  killed  them  with  the  hair  and  skui  worn  off  the  fore  flip- 
pers and  bleeding.  Were  it  not  for  the  fore  flippers  they  could 
not  mount  the  ice  or  travel  over  it.  All  kinds  of  Seals  known  in 
Newfoundland  travel  to  that  degree  so  as  to  overheat  themselves ; 
then  the  fur  or  hair  is  loosened  and  the  skin  becomes  almost 
valueless.  In  a  cool  night  Seals  will  « verage  about  one  mile  per 
hour.    Much  depends  oh  the  character  of  the  ice  they  have  to 

*  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Loiidou,  1870,  p.  606. 

t  Seal  aud  Herriug  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  1873,  i)p.  24,  25. 


LOCOMOTION    ON   LAND 


493 


travel  on ;  they  travel  by  lifting  themselves  from  off  the  ice  on 
their  fore  legs  or  fore  flippers  and  hitching  their  body  after  them 
with  a  kind  of  sidelong  loping  gallop.  An  old  Seal  when  on 
level  ice  will  outstrip  a  smart  fellow  in  a  distance  of  sixty  yards, 
provided  the  Seal  is  ten  or  twelve  feet  ahead  of  him."  This  ac- 
count, though  couched  in  rather  untechnical  latiguage,  indicates 
a  speed  and  manner  of  progression  in  the  common  Phocine  Pin- 
nipeds not  as  yet  generally  recognized,  and  certainly  surprising 
from  its  rapidity. 

Scoresby  also  long  since  observed  that  although  tlie  Seals 
"cannot  be  said  to  walk,  as  they  do  not  raise  their  bodies  oft'  the 
ground ;  yet  they  shuffle  along,  especially  over  the  ice,i^'ith  sur- 
in-ising  speed."* 

Mr.  H.  W.  Elliott  has  recorded  a  similar  mode  and  rate  of  pro- 
gression on  land  in  the  common  Seal  of  Alaska  {Phocn  vituHna) 
that  has  not,  to  my  knowledge,  been  noted  by  other  observers. 
Says  Mr.  Elliott,  "  I  desire  also  to  correct  a  common  error,  made 
in  comparing  Phocifia;  with  Otariidai,  where  it  is  stated  thfit,  in 
consequence  of  the  peculiar  structure  of  their  limbs,  in  the 
former,  their  progression  on  land  is  '  mainly  accomplished  by  a 
wriggling,  serpentine  motion  of  the  body,  slightly  assisted  by 
the  extremities.'  This  is  not  so ;  for,  when  excited  to  run  or 
exert  themsidves  to  reach  the  water  suddenly,  they  strike  out 
(luickly  with  both  fore  feet,  simultaneously  lift  and  drag  the  whole 
b(Kly,  without  any  wriggling  whatever,  from  6  inches  to  a  foot 
aliead  and  slightly  from  the  earth,  according  to  the  violence  of 
the  effort  and  the  character  of  the  ground ;  the  body  then  fails 
flat,  and  the  fore-flippers  are  fre  for  another  similar  action,  and 
tl>is  is  done  so  earnestly  and  rapidly  that  in  attempting  to  head 
off  a  young  nearhpah  from  the  water  I  was  obliged  to  leave  a 
brisk  walk  and  take  to  a  dog-trot  to  do  it.  The  hind  feet  are  not 
used  when  exerted  in  rapid  movement  at  all,  and  r.re  dragged 
along  in  the  wake  of  the  body,  perfectly  limp.  They  do  use 
their  posterior  parts,  however,  when  leisurely  climbing  up  and 
over  rocks,  or  playing  one  with  another,  but  it  is  always  a  weak 
effort,  and  clumsy.  These  remarks  of  mine,  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind,  apply  only  to  the  Phoca  vitulina,  that  is  found  around 
these  islands  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  but  in  very  small  num- 
bers." Mr.  Elliott  adds  that  he  thinks  this  mode  of  locomotion 
oi;  land  will  be  found  to  characterize  all  the  species  of  the  genus 
PhocaA 


'Account  of  the  Arctic  Regious,  vol.  i,  p.  509. 
t  Condition  of  Afi'airs  in  Alaska,  p.  lli'i. 


*f 


tSs, 


I    th 


W 


s 

1. 

M      ti 

j' 

p^    ' 

III 

( 

If 

494 


FAMILY    PIIOCIDiE. 


iU 


\W"' 


i.  '-' 


Mr.  Lloyd  i-elates  sovcral  well-attested  iiu^tances  of  Seals  mak- 
ing long  Jiairnei^  s  on  la'iid,  the  mcst  remarkable  of  which  is  the 
following :  He  saj's,  " '  Dnrir.^  the  winter  of  1829,'  so  we  read  in 
Jagare  FdrhundetH  TkJshift  of  1832 — and  the  truth  of  the  story 
la  certified  by  the  signature  of  several  moat  respectable  indi- 
viduals— '  a  young  Graj-  Seal  took  to  the  land  from  the  SkiirgarU, 
near  the  village  of  Grono,  and,  striking  into  the  forest  in  a 
southerly  direction,  passed,  in  its  way,  the  hamlets  of  Sund  and 
Wahlnas,  the  chui'ch  and  iron-forge  of  Leufata,  ami  the  hamlets 
of  Elinge  and  Fahlandbo.  Xear  the  last-named  it  met  with  a 
small  river,  then  haid  frozen  over.  This  it  followed  for  a  while, 
but  was  enable  to  find  an  openmg  in  the  ice.  It  then  took  to  the 
forest  in  a  south-westerly  direction  to  the  Flo  Lakes,  in  the  par- 
ish of  Tegelsmora,  where  it  was  also  unsuccessful  in  obtaining 
access  to  water.  Hence  it  proceeded  south-east,  crossing  in  its 
progress  the  Lake  Wika,  in  the  parish  of  Film,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  which  it  pgain  entered  the  forest,  and  finally  entered  the 
hamlet  of  Andersbo,  situated,about  three  (English)  miles  from 
Dannemora  (the  celebrated  iron-mines),  where  it  was  overtaken 
by  its  pursuers  and  killed.  The  peregrinations  of  this  Seal  are 
believed  to  have  occupied  nearly  a  week,  it  being,  as  is  imag- 
ined, without  nourishment  of  any  kind ;  and  during  which  period 
it  must  have  gone  over  at  least  thirty  (English)  miles  of  country. 
The  ground,  it  should  be  remarked,  was  then  covered  with  a 
foot  and  a  half,  or  more,  of  newly  fallen  suow,  which,  no  doubt, 
very  greatly  facilitated  the  animal's  movements.'"* 

The  Sea-Elephants  (genus  Macrorhinus)  are  well  known  to  re- 
sort to  the  land  for  reproduction  very  much  in  the  manner  of 
the  Otaries  or  Eared  Seals,  but  I  ha\  e  met  with  no  very  clear 
statement  of  their  manner  of  progression.  Captain  Scammon, 
in  his  history  of  the  Sea-Elephant  of  the  California  coast  (M.  an- 
gmtirostrw,  Gill)  gives  the  following  account  of  their  power  of 
movement  on  land :  "  When  coming  ui>  out  of  the  water  thoy 
were  generally  first  seen  near  the  line  of  surf;  then  crawling  up 
by  degrees,  frequently  reclining  as  if  to  sleep ;  again,  moving 
up  or  along  the  shore,  appearing  not  cont.ent  with  their  last  rest- 
ing-place. In  this  manner  they  would  ascend  the  ravines,  or 
'low-downs,'  half  a  mile  or  more,  congregating  by  hundreds. 
They  are  not  so  active  on  land  as  the  seals ;  but  when  excited 
to  inordinate  exertion,  their  motions  are  (]uick,  the  whole  body 

•  The  Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl  of  Sweden  aud  Norway,  1867,  p.  Wi. 


■w 


t^  t 


n 


LOCOMOTION    OX    LAND. 


495 


qiiivt'iiug  with  their  craw  liny,  seniiviuiltiug  gait,  aiul  the  iiuimal 
at  such  times  mauifestiufj  great  fatigue.  Notwithstanding  their 
unwioldiness,  we  have  sometimes  found  them  on  broken  and  ele- 
vated ground,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  sea."* 

In  describing  the  "  Leopard "  Seal  of  the  California  coast 
('•I'liova  peulei  ?  Gill  "=P.  vituUna),  the  same  author  says:  "Its 
terrestrial  movements,  however,  are  quite  different  from  those  of 
the  Sea  Lion,  having  a  quick,  shuffling,  or  hobbling  gait,  only 
Uising  its  pectorals  to  draw  itself  along  with,  while  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  animal's  belly  alternately  rests  upon  the  ground,  the 
posterior  part  of  the  body,  including  the  hind  flippers,  being 
turned  a  little  upward.  The  head  and  neck  are  slightly  ele- 
vated, ilso,  when  the  animal  is  in  its  land-traveling  attitude,  but 
the  creature  is  not  so  erect  as,  nor  does  it  i)resent  the  imposing 
appearance  of,  the  Sea  Lion,  in  its  habits  upon  shore."  +  No 
direct  statement  is  made  as  to  the  extent  of  its  land  journeys, 
but  one  is  led  to  infer  that  it  is  not  often  seen  far  from  the 
water. 

From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  the  Phocine  Seals  gener- 
ally have  considerable  power  of  movement  upon  land,  though 
using  only  the  fore  limbs  in  terrestrial  locomotion;  and  that  not 
only  the  Sea-Elephauts,  but  the  (.'ommon  Seals  of  the  North  At- 
lantic are  capable  of  moving  quite  freely  when  out  of  the  water ; 
and  that  their  nmnner  of  progression  at  such  times  ditt'ers  mainly 
from  that  of  the  other  Pinnipeds  in  their  using  only  the  fore 
limbs,  and  in  their  not  being  able  to  raise  the  body  fully  from 
tlie  ground  or  ice. 

The  Walruses  and  the  Otaries,  as  mentioned  in  the  account 
ot  tliese  animals,  not  only  use  their  hind  limbs  as  a  means  of 
locomotion  on  land,  turning  them  freely  forward,  but  move  the 
tore  limbs  alternately,  actually  "stepping"  with  them,  as  one 
writer  terms  it.  while  the  hind  limbs  are  carried  forvard  simul- 
taneously by  archuig  the  biu'k  and  "  hitching"  them  up  beneath 
the  body.  In  the  Fur  Seals,  and  in  some  of  the  smaller  Sea 
Lions,  the  walk  is  not  only  plantigrade  with  all  the  feet,  but  the 
body  is  raised  clear  of  the  ground.  The  same  is  generally  true 
also  of  the  larger  Sea  Lions  and  the  Walruses,  but  according 
to  some  writers  the  latter  partly  lose  this  power  in  ohl  age, 
either  from  indolence,  obesity,  or  decrepitude.  The  larger  spe- 
cies appear  to  be  simply  less  agile,  both  in  the  water  and  out, 

*Mai'iuu  Muiiiuiulia,  p.  117. 
t  Ibid.,  1).  106. 


S*!     J 


'.#*' 


*in: 


-*^-!T' 


1 


496 


FAMILY    TllOni)^.. 


than  their  smaller  aflflnes,  and  do  uot  volimtarilj-  retire  so  far 
inland. 

SEAL-HUNTING. 

The  jjursuit  of  Seals  for  their  commercial  products,  forms,  as 
is  well  known,  a  highly  important  branch  of  industry,  giviri"^ 
employment  for  a  considerable  part  of  each  year  to  hundreds  ot 
vessels  and  thousands  of  seamen,  as  well  as  to  many  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Seal-frequented  coasts  of  NewiVmndland,  Green- 
land, and  Northern  Europe.    Althoutfh  these  animals  are  desti- 
tute of  the  line  soft  coat  of  under-fur  that  gives  to  the  Fur  Seals 
their  great  economic  imjmrtance,  their  oil  and  skins  render  them 
a  valuable  booty.     Seals  have  been  hunted  from  time  immemo- 
rial, but  until  within  the  last  hundred  years  their  pursuit  was 
limited  to  the  vicinity  of  such  inhabited  coasts  as  they  were 
accustomed  to  frequent.     For  nearly  a  century,  however,  a 
greater  or  less  number  of  vessels  have  been  const.antly  emi)loyed 
in  their  capture  on  the  ice-lloes  of  the  Arctic  seas,  or  on  the 
uninhabited  coasts  and  islands  of  the  far  North.    This  industry, 
therefore,  plays  an  imi)ortant  i)art  in  the  history  of  the  species 
here  under  consideration,  and  is,  moreover,  of  such  high  com- 
mercial importance  as  to  render  a  somewhat  detailed  account 
of  the  g<'neral  subject  indisi)ensable  in  the  present  connection. 
As  all  the  species  hunted  in  the  northern  waters  belong  to  the 
North  American  fauna,  the  consideration  of  the  subject  involves 
other  hunting-grounds  than  those  geographically  connected 
with  the  North  American  continent.    Although  the  ju-incipal 
sealing-grounds  are  in  the  North  Atlantic  and  Arctic  Oceans, 
there  were  formerly  other  important  sealing-stations  on  the  coast 
of  Lower  California  antl  in  the  Antarcticj  waters.    Here,  how- 
ever, the  business  was  mainly  limited  (aside  from  the  Fur-Seal 
fishery,  already  considered)  to  Sea-Elephant  hunting,  which  has 
of  late  greatly  declined  in  importance  in  consequence  of  the 
well-nigh  practical  extermination  of  the  species  hunted,  through 
indiscriminate  and  injmlicious  over-hunting.    Yet  some  notice 
of  what  Sea-Elephant  hunting  has  been,  as  well  as  its  present 
status,  may  not  be  out  of  i)lace  in  the  present  general  cousidei- 
atiou  of  the  subject. 

Seal-hunting  Districts  in  the  North  Atlantic  and 
Arctic  Waters. — The  principal  "Sealing-grounds"  in  tlie 
North  Atlantic  and  Arctic  Oceans  are:  (1)  the  West  Greenland 
coasts;  (2)  Newfoun<llaud,  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  the  islands 


SEA  L-ITI^NTINO NEWFOUNDLAND    DISTRICT. 


407 


and  sluiros  of  tlie  (riilf  of  S.iint  Lawroiice,  but  cspocially  tlie 
i(r-lln«\s  to  the.  eastwiird  of  tliose  coasts;  (;.{)  tlio.  SL)itzberjfon 
and  -Ian  Mayenseas;  (4)  Nova Zeinbla and  the  adjacont  waters; 
('))  tlie  VVliito  8ea.  In  achlition  to  these  <listricts  (<»)  the  Cas- 
pian Sea  allbi'ds  an  important  s(;alli slier j'. 

1.  West  Grccnlaii<L — Ah)n}^  the  West  (Jreenland  coasts  seal- 
Imiitiiij;'  is  mainly  ])ros(rcnted  by  tin;  natives  of  th<^  conntry, 
and  is  their  chief  means  of  sii|)j)ort.  Dr.  llink  states  that  the 
avei'ii};!?  annual  catch  ajiiounts  to  abont  89,000  Seals.  Of  these 
2.00(1  to  .'5,000,  belonf^iii};'  mainly  to  the  larj:er  species,  are  con- 
smiicd  as  food;  the  remainder  consist  chiefly  of  II arp  Seals 
[Phocd  ffr(enlan(Um),  but  embrace  many  Kinfjed  Seals  {Fhoca 
fwtitld),  and  Harbor  Seals  {Phocn  vitulina).  Rather  more  than 
ouclialf  of  the  skins  taken  are  ex])orted,  while  the  rest  are 
used  by  the  inhabitants  of  Greenlaiul.  TIu'  (rreeidanders, 
hiintinf^  chielly  with  the  harpoon  and  kayak,  or  the  ritle,  are 
coiitined  in  their  operations  to  the  iinniediatc  vicinity  of  the 
coast.* 

2.  Newfoundland  District. — Many  Seals  are  taken  ,at  the  Mag- 
dalen and  other  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  Saint 
Lawrence  as  well  as  along  the  shores  of  Newfoundland,  in  nets 
or  with  the  gun,  but  by  far  the  greater  part  are  captured  on 
the  floating  ice  to  the  eastward  of  Newfoundland,  to  which  sev- 
eral hundred  vessels  annually  repair  at  the  proper  season,  and 
wliere  ah)ne  the  yearly  catch  aggregates  about  half  a  million 
Seals.  This,  indeed,  is  the  sealing-ground  par  excellence  of  the 
world,  twice  as  many  Seals  being  taken  here  by  the  Newfound- 
laud  fleet  alone  as  by  the  combined  sealing- fleets  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, Germany,  and  Norway  in  the  icy  seas  about  Jan  Mayen,  or 
the  so-called  "  Greenland  Sea"  of  the  whalemen  and  sealers. 

According  to  Charlevoix  (see  beyond,  p.  554)  thousands  of 
Seals  were  taken  along  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Saint  Law- 
rence as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  but  a  high 
authority  on  the  subject — Mr.  Michael  Carroll,!  of  Bonavista, 
Xewt'onndland — states  that  the  seal-fishery  was  not  regularly 
prosecuted,  at  least  in  vessels  especially  equipped  for  the  pur- 
I'ose.  prior  to  the  year  17G3.  As  early  as  1787  the  business  had 
aUeady  begjui  to  assume  importance,  during  which  year  nearly 
tivt>  thousand  Seals  were  taken.    Twenty  years  later  (1807) 


1;     !-ii. 

ii 

I'iil 

1' 

Irt' 

>«.;  j 

.'■'1 

11 

■  M  ■'IP 

J  |J'J:1..1| 

■   -ll 

m 

'  Daiiisli  Greenland,  its  People  and  its  Products,  pp.  129,  130. 
t  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  1873,  p.  7. 

-Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 32 


.:u 


m'^: 


41)8 


TAMIIA    I'lluCID^:. 


thirty  vessels  from  Newfoiuullimd  alone  were  en^ajied  in  ilie 
])r<)seciitii>n  of  s«*alilij;  voyages,  and  snbsc'nu  iiily  tli«'  nnmlicr 
becanu'  <;r('atl.v  increased.     In  tiie  year  1S;!1  one  Inindred  ;iii(l 
twenty-live    vesseis,   manned   by  three    thonsand    men,  siiIUmI 
from  the  sinj;le  i«>rt  of  St.  John's;  two  hnndred  and  eijilitccii 
vessels,  with  nearly  live  thonsand  men,  from  Concept  io;i  IJiiy. 
and  nineteen  iV(»m  Trinity  Hay,  besides  many  otheis  liom  oilitr 
ports,  makin;;  in  all  not  less  than  three  bundled  an<l  sesciuy. 
live,  with  crews  nundK-iin-A'  in  the  aji'^rej^ate  about  nine  thou- 
sand UHMi.*     To  these  are  to  be  addecl  a  eonsideiable  niniilKr 
from  Nova  Scotia   (<'liielly   iVom    llalit'ax),  and   the  iMajiKliilt'ii 
Islands.     In     1S."»7    tin*   Xewfoundland    sealin;^-lleet   exceeded 
three  hundred  an«l  se\-enty  vessels,  their  "united  crews  iiiiiii 
berinj;'  i;i,(I(K)  men.''    The  total  catch  of  Seals  Ibr  that  year  wiis 
five  hundred  thousand,  value«lat  <£425,(K)0,  i)rovincial  currency.^ 
The  busiui'ss  at  this  date  seems  to  have  attained  its  ma.vinniiii 
so  far  as  tlu'  nundter  of  men  and  vessels  are  concerned,  tln' 
number  of  vessels  subsecjuently  employeil  falling'  to  below  two 
hundred,  which  has  since  still  further  decreased.     Yet  the  niiiii 
ber  of  Seals  aniuially  cajJtured  has  not  apparently  diminished, 
the  business  beinjj^  i)rosecuted  in  larger  vessels,  which  seciuc 
larj>er  catches.    Ae<.'(vsdin<;'  to  statistics  furnished  by  (loveiiioi 
Hill,  C  H.,  of  Newfonndland,  to  the  home  ;i-overnment,|  it  ap' 
pears  that  in  1871  the  whole  nnnd)er  of  vessels  (^mijloyed  in 
sealinjf  was  one  hundretl  and  forty-six  sailing;- vessels  and  tiftet'i) 
steamers,  manned  by  8,850  men.    The  exi)orts  of  Seal  products 
for  that  year  from  Newfoun<lland  were  0,1)4.'{  tuns  of  oil,  vnlueil 
at  $972,020,  and  48(5,202  skins,  valued  at  $480,202,  the  catoli 
for  the  year  being  about  000,000  Seals,  which  were  sold  for  tlic 
aggregate  sum  of  $l,4o8,282.    The  single  steamship  "Coinmo- 
dore,"  of  Harbour  (irace,  brought  in  .{2,000  Seals,  valued  at 
£24,000  sterling.     While  the  inunbe)'  of  vessels  emph)ye(l  in  tin 
-Newfoundland  Seal  slaughter  had  at  this  time  declined  v   v 
than  one-half,  and  the  number  of  men  engagt'd  was  one-tliini  | 
less,  it  appears  that  the  annual  catch  was  ecpud  to  that  oi'uvir 
age  seasons  twenty  years  earlier. 

Prior  to  about  18(5(1  the  sealing-tleet  consisted  wholly  of  sail 
ing-vessels,  but  since  that  date  a  snndl  but  steadily  increasiug| 

*  IJomiytastic,  Ncwloimdlaiirl  in  1842,  vol.  i,  p.  ir>l». 
t  Carroll,  Seal  ami  Herriiij;  FiHli'-ricH  of  Ncwi'oiiiMlland.  p.  7. 
t  I'apers  relatiiij?  to  Her  Majesty's  Colonial  PoHseKsions.  part  ii.  1*"'.  I'P| 
143,  145. 


SF.AL-IirNTlNi; JAN    MAYKN    SKALINMi-liWOUNDS.       499 


'i'W 


iiiiinlx'i' of  stciiinsliips  liiivc  hccii  added.  In  1S7.'5,  oC  tlio  one 
liuiiiiictl  iind  seven  sralinji' vessels  titfed  out  IVoiii  llie  ports  of 
New  roiiiidlaiid,  iieiiily  one-lirtli  were  steamers.  Notw  itlistand- 
iii;i.  ho\v»'ver,  this  eoiiiparatively  small  niimlicr  of  vessels,  the 
••iMtcli''  foi-  that  year  is  said  to  have  been  .~)LM ;,(»(»(>.* 

Till'  mimbei- of  vessels  sailiii;i  IVom  <»ther  proviiieial  ports  i.s 
iiMinlly  small  in  e»»mparisoii  with  the  niindxT  from  N«'\vfonnd- 
l;iii(l.  and  they  are  j;enerally  of  smaller  size.t 

.'!.  ■Itiii  Mdj/en  or  '■'•(iirriiJftnd'^  ISois. — The  iey  seas  about  Jail 
Miiyt'u  are  the  sealinji-^-rounds  pt(r  c.vcclkniv of  the  Knj;iisli  and 
(•(iiitinental  s«'al-hunters.  Aceoidin^  to  Aloritz  Lindeman,  the 
diit'f  sealin^i-distriet  is  a  eircular  area  four  hundred  miles  iu 
(liaiii('t«u',  theeentral  i)oint  of  whieh  is  the  island  of  .Ian  Mayeu, 
Imt  it  varies  .somewhat  in  dilfereiit  years  in  conseiiuence  of  the 
uiist;il)le  position  of  the  ice-lield.s.  The  i)oint  Miiere  the  yreat- 
ist  slaujihter  o(HMirs  is  a  small  area  on  the  meridian  of  (Ireeu- 
wicli,  between  7U^^  and  7."P  X.  lat.,  about  two  hundred  miles 
iiititlicast  of  Jan  Mayen.f  In  this  limited  distri<',t  are  taken  an- 
nually about  L'(K>,()()()  Seals. 

Lindeman,  in  his  history  of  the  Arctic  Fisheries,§  has  .sketched. 
ill  considerable  detail  the  f>entTal  history  of  the  whale-  and  seal- 
tisju'ries  of  the  North  Atlantic.  From  this  exceedingly  inter- 
I'stiiijj  and  important  memoir  we  learn  that  .scalinji'  was  jn'ose- 
ctitod  as  early  as  1720  from  the  i)orts  of  the  Weser,  and  that  in 
till  year  17(i()  nineteen  sailing- vessels  from  Qamburj>'  took  -14,- 
u':'  Seals;  and  that  in  1790  the  Hamburg  tleet  took  4r),000.  In 
lS."iO  twelve  vessels  returned  with  48,800.  Few  statistics,  how- 
ever, can  be  gathered  resjieeting  the  early  history  of  the  seal- 
tisliery,  tho.se  given  relating  generally  to  the  amount  and  value 
ot  the  cargo  rather  than  to  the  nund)er  of  Seals  taken.  The  ves- 
sels wore  engaged  priiunpally  in  the  whale-fishery,  imrsuing, 
liowi'vcr,  either  Seals,  Whales,  or  Walruses,  as  op])ortunity  fa- 
viirwl.    Lindeman  gives  a  few  detailed  statistics  relating  to  the 


im 


'Cainill,  Soiil  anil  Honiiin  Fisberit^s  of  Nowfoiiudland,  p.  7. 

*Iii  l':'r)(l,  iilH>ut  livi'  thimHaiid  Seals  woni  taken  l)y  vessels  from  the  Mag- 
Naliii  Isl;iii(ls;  in  1807,  attinK  tlirec  thousand  two  hundred,  and  the  follow- 
'"^'ytMidnlyalioiit  eighl  hinidred  and  liCty. — Ann.  Rvp.  of  Depart,  of  Marine 
I nml  FiHhcriiHfor  1S()H. 

:P't.nti.  Miitlieil.,  ErgiinznnKslieft  Nr.  2f).  lH(iO.  Taf.  1,  '>. 

'»r)it.Avktis(heFisehoreiderl)eutachenSee8tildtel6'20-18»)8.  In  Verjjloich- 
Ifinltr  Daisicllnng  vonMoritz,  Lindeman,  Ergiinznngs  heft  Nr.  2(5,  zn  Peter- 
lni:mn'srt(ograi>hisclien  Mitthoilungou,  pp.  vi,  III^,  niit  zwei  liaiten  von  A. 
l''''trniiiiiiii,  IStiK. 


W. 


.    l! 


600  FAMILY    I'HOCID^. 

capture  of  Seals  in  later  years.    The  results  of  the  seallishory 
for  the  year  1808,  he  states  as  follows : 

Taken  by    o  Gerniau  ships 17.  OflO 

Taken  by    5  Danish  shii>s  5, 00(1 

Taken  by  15  Norwegian  ships    03,  7.jO 

Taken  by  22  British  shi])s TjI,  (IIX) 

makin;;  a  total  of  130,7.10,  while  100,000  nion^  were  taken  in 
Greenland.  Great  numbers  are  also  killed  about  Nova  Zeiiilila 
by  the  Russians,  whose  sealin^f-Ueet  in  1805  is  said  to  have  imiii- 
bered  twenty-six  vessels.  According  to  Sjjorer,  three  hundml 
Seals  were  taken  at  Nova  Zenibla  in  three  days  in  three  nets.* 
Lindeman  gives  a  tabular  statement  of  the  number  of  vessels 
engaged  iu  seal-hunting  from  the  ports  of  Southern  Norway  for 
the  Ave  years  ending  with  1808,  together  with  their  tonnage,  size 
of  the  crews,  value  of  theshii)s,  number  of  Seals  taken  by  each, 
etc.,  from  which  I  compile  the  following : 


■  ,■«'  <■ 

t 

'■  ' 

1 

ij 

1 

i 

[■ 

i 

■'',■-     i 

1. 

Year. 


1 

Number  of 
ships. 

Number  of 
men. 

Number  of  Seals  taken. 

Value  In 
tlmlcre. 

Young. 

GUI. 

16 

714 

23,304 

24,  7^3 

132,  OM 

16 

714 

41,758 

18,724 

172,0(Ki 

16 

728 

30, 576 

8,106 

144,00(1 

16 

688 

50, 031 

23,202 

247,000 

15 

684 

40, 533 

14,224 

184,284 

From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  the  number  of  Seals  talien  | 
by  the  same  fleet  in  different  years  is  exceedingly  variable, 
ranging  from  about  48,000  iu  1804  to  upward  of  83,000  in  1861, 
and  that  while  in  1864  more  old  Seals  were  taken  than  youiigj 
ones,  there  were  taken  in  1866  five  times  as  many  young  ones  I 
as  old  ones.    In  1870,  according  to  Captain  Jakob  Melsom.t  of  I 
Tonsberg,  eighteen  vessels  (three  of  them  screw-steamships)  j 
from  Southern  Norway  captured  55,375  young  Seals  and  30, 
390  old  ones,  or  85,765  in  all.    The  greatest  number  brought  in  I 
by  a  siugle  vessel  was  9,400.    This  year  and  the  year  18G7  are! 
said  by  Captain  Melsom  to  be  the  best  years  the  Norwei,ian  Seal  | 
hunters  had  experienced  up  to  that  date. 

The  British  sealing- vessels  are  mainly  from  Dundee.    Accord  I 
ing  to  statistics  given  by  Mr.  Robert  Brown  the  number  fromj 


•  Pctennann's  Mitthcil.,  Nr.  21,  1867. 
tPetermanii'8  Googr.  Mittheil.  17  Band,  1871,  p.  340. 


SEAL-IIL'XTING .TAN    MAYEN    SEALING- GROUNDS.       501 


this  i>ort  varies  {jreatly  in  dift'ereiit  years,  being  only  fonr  in 
ISO'),  .\m\  twelve  in  1808,  bnt  notwithstanding  the  foot  that  the 
uuinbor  of  vessels  was  three  times  greater  in  1808  than  in  1865, 
the  catch  was  less  tlian  one-third  as  large  as  in  1805.  Mr. 
Brown  gives*  the  following  statistics  relating  to  the  Dundee 
sealers : 


Tear. 

Numberof 
vuhbuIh. 

Number  of  Seals 

t«kl!U. 

1865 

4 

7 

11 

12 

11 

9 

6 

6.'?,  000 
58, 000 
50,000 
10, 070 
45,000 
90,450 
62,000 

1866 

1867 

1888 

1869 

1870 

I  I871t 

1 

In  1874,  the  Dundee  sealers  are  said  to  have  taken  40,252 
Seals  ;t  in  1875,  45,295  Seals,  valued  at  £27,026;  and  in  1876, 
53,770  Seals,  valued  at  £34,332.  § 

Tbe  Si)itzbergen  sealing-tleet  from  British  ports,  says  Mr. 
Brown,  "meets  about  the  end  of  February  in  Bressa  Sound  ofif 
Lerwick,  in  Zetland ;  it  leaves  for  the  north  about  the  first  week 
iu  March,  aud  generally  arrives  at  the  ice  in  the  early  part  of 
that  month.  The  vessels  then  begin  to  make  observations  for 
tile  purpose  of  finding  the  locus  of  the  Seals,  and  this  they  do 
l\v  frawling  along  the  edge  of  the  ice,  and  occasionally  pene- 
tratiiifj  as  far  as  possible  between  70°  and  73°  N.  lat.;  then 
coutiime  sailing  about  until  they  find  them,  which  they  generally 
do  about  the  first  week  of  April.  If  they  do  not  get  access  to 
tliem,  they  remain  until  early  in  May,  when,  if  they  intend  to 
I  pursue  the  whaling  in  the  Spitzbergen  sea  that  summer,  they 
I  go  north  to  about  74°  N.  lat.  to  the  'old  sealing,'  or  further  still 
(eveu  to  Sio  ;n.)  to  the  whaling.  Most  of  them,  however,  if  not 
I  siu'cessful  by  the  middle  of  April,  leave  for  home  to  comi)lete 
their  supplies  in  order  to  be  ofif  by  the  first  of  May,  to  the 
iDavis's  Strait  Whale  fishery.    ... 

''The  number  of  Seals  taken  yearly  by  the  British  and  Con- 
|tiiieutal  sliips  (principally  Norse,  Dutch,  and  German)  in  the 

*Maii.  \iit.  Hist.,  Gcol.,  etc.,  of  Greeulaud,  1875,  Mam.,  p.  68,  footnote. 
''l  l>  t'(  thf  11th  of  April,"  and  bonce  including  only  part  of  the  catch  of 

|th;it  yoar. 

iGw.frraiih.  Mag.,  vol.  i,  1874,  p.  386. 

i^Baira's  Ann.  Rcc.  Sci.  aud  Inclust.,  1876,  p.  389. 


•!<1  If 


II 


s  ^ 


I  % 


m 


.fi 


■i\ 


602 


FAMILY    PIIOCIDiE. 


Grociiland  sea,  wlion  thoy  yef  iiinniifr  tlicin,  will  averayc  up. 
wanls  ol"  2(M>,(KM>,  the  ^fical  Itiilk  of  uliicli  arc  youn^' 'Saddle- 
backs',  or,  in  tlu'  lan^iuaf-c  of  tlic  .s<'al('r,  'wliitc-coats'".* 

A<!C()rdiiijr  to  liiiHlciiian  (I.  c,  ]>.  81)  tlic  scalliiintcrs  lonvp 
the  ])ortM  of  the  VVescr  and  1  he  lOIltc  about  the  end  of  Kebruiiiv, 
or,  at  latest,  by  the  bejiiniiinji' of  .March,  and  i<'ach  tlie  huntiii;'- 
t-Touuils  about  the  tliinl  W(  4'k  of  March,  sail iiif-'  to  the  iKtrth. 
westward  between  tlu'  .Shetland  Islands  and  Norway,  and 
thence  throu<;h  the  "funnel"  (''Trechter")  of  the  "Spanish  Scir. 
and  eastward  to  Jan  Mayen,  varying-  their  cuurse  accordin;;'  to 
the  winds  and  tlu-  ice,  n-achin;;'  tliis  rocky  island  iu  from  ei;;lit 
days  to  four  weeks,  according:'  to  tlie  faxorablcness  of  the  sea- 
son. The  steamships  delay  their  voyaj^es  so  as  to  reach  the  seal- 
infj-jfrouuds  at  the  same  time  as  the  sailiny-vessels. 

About  the  ISth  of  March,  as  a  rule,  the  "bay  ice"  ("pan-iee" 
of  the  Enj^lish)  bej^ins  to  form,  at  about  which  time  the  sliiiis 
reach  this  latitude.    The  bay-ice  first  takes  the  form  of  small 
round  tlakes,  of  the  size  of  a  tea-plate,  varying-  in  thickness 
from  an  inch  to  a  foot.    In  it  the  ships  find  protection  from 
storms,  it  considerably  lesseninfj  the  force  of  the  sea,  and  serv- 
ing to  keep  down  the  waves.    Where  the  bay-ice  has  formed  the 
surface  of  the  sea  looks  as  if  oil  had  been  ponred  over  it.    The 
flakes  increase  in  size,  and  if  sharp  cold  ensues  they  become 
united  the  following  day  into  masses  six  feet  broad.    The  uext 
two  or  three  weeks  are  devoted  to  seal-hunting  and  seal-killing. 
This  is  the  time  when  the  males  and  females  are  seeking  their 
food  of  small  fishes,  raoUusks,  and  crustsiceans.    Frequently  uo 
bay-ice  forms,  and  then  the  Seals  must  be  sought  on  the  hard 
polar-ice.    About  the  22d  to  the  24th  of  March,  the  Seals  resort 
to  the  ice  and  the  femsiles  bring  forth  their  young.    Later  they 
seek  by  preference  for  this  purpose  the  somewhat  firmer  bayioe. 
At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  the  young  the  males  are  found  witli 
the  females,  and  sometimes  two  males  to  one  female.    As  a  rule 
the  female  has  but  one  young,  which,  if  she  be  not  disturbed, 
she  suckles  for  about  seventeen  to  eighteen  days.    The  young 
develop  with  extraordinary  rapidity,  and  after  three  to  four 
weeks  are  fat  enough  to  yield  a  good  booty.    The  whelping  I 
time  continues  till  about  the  5th  of  April ;  four  to  five  days  [ 
later  the  males  leave  the  "school"  ("Stapel")  or  "shoal,"  and  I 
depart  in  a  northeasterly  direction.    The  females  still  remaiu 


•  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.  1868,  pp.  438,  439;  Mau.  Nat.  Hist.,  etc.,  Gmu-M      J 
land,  Mam.,  p.  67.  ■    ^^ 


sr.AI.-lirNTIMJ — JAN    MAYFA'    SKAMNO-CSROINDS, 


503 


l((r  11  sliort  time  with  tlic  .voiin}^';  tlicn  tlicy  alsa  j-o  oH'  in  tlio 
(liitctioii  tiilvcii  hy  the  males.  'I'lic  yttiiii;;,  left  to  tlu'ir  iat«', 
still  I'cinaiii  soinc  days  without  noiirishiiiciit,  and  then  also 
take  to  the  watn-.  II'  tin'  wratlier  hv  soiiu'wliat  I'avorabK?, 
and  t'S|i('<'ially  if  no  sn(»w  is  falling',  iinnu'diati'ly  CoUows  the 
••Ijitcilall",  as  tlu'  (h'stiiiction  of  the  Seals  upon  the  ice  hy 
tlic  seal  killeis  (IJohhensehliij^ci's*)  is  ealled.t 

Tlic  /^reat  destruction  of  8cals  in  the  icy  seas  about  -Ian  Ma- 
ycii  lor  many  years  prior  to  1<S70  bi'ji'an  to  show  its  etl'eets  so 
stroiijily  at  this  timt^  as  to  raise  «;rave  fears  for  the  results.  At- 
It'iitiiiu  w.>s  sti-on^ily  drawn  to  the  matter  in  1S71  by  (Captain 
Jakob  Melsoin,  of  /("insberj"',  in  an  article  published  that  year 
ill  I'eternuinn's  "(Jeoj;ra})hische  Mittheilungen,"  entitled  "J)er 
Secliundsfanf,'  im  nordlichen  Eisineore."  In  this  memoir  he 
ilisciissed.  at  length  the  immediate  causes  tlmt  \vi\  to  the  de- 
pletion, ;  I  suggested  a  remedy  for  it  which  has  since  been 
adopted,  Msimely,  an  international  agreeuu'ut  for  a  "close-sea- 
son"  for  the  Seals.  He  traces  the  decrease  in  great  part  to  the 
iiitrodu(;tion  of  steamships  into  the  sealing-lleets,  and  the  too 
early  arrixal  of  vessels  at  the  sealing-grounds.  Captain  Mel- 
som's  paper  throws  so  much  light  upon  the  general  subject  that 
I  (U'oin  it  of  interest  to  give  a  translation  of  the  more  especially 
important  portions  of  his  memoir. 

Says  Cai)tain  Melsom:  "There  is  good  evidence  that  steam- 
lKtw<'r  is  «letrimental  to  the  sealing  business.  Respecting  this 
point  1  will  mention  only  the  fact  that  steamships  have  it  in 
their  ])ower  to  reach,  nearly  every  year,  the  breeding-grounds 
of  the  Seals  so  early  that  the  young  are  scarcf  ^y  born  before 
the  mothers  are  killed.  The  young  are  then  orthless ;  the 
real  (iapital,  if  I  may  so  speak, — the  old  Seals, — is  imprudently 
expended,  and  the  profits  are  entirely  lost.  If  in  this  way  great 
iiuiiihcrs  of  old  female  Seals  are  destroyed  without  being  re- 
plaeed  by  a  i)roportionate  number  of  young  ones,  every  one 
can  see  what  must  be  the  result.f 

'Ht  may  be  asked  why  the  English,  who  are  still  our  teach- 
ers in  this  flehl,  have  introduced  steamships.  This  I  will  allow 
myself  to  answer.    TJntil  the  year  1847  the  competitors  of  the 

*  The  (rciiuans  very  appropriately  term  the  biitchory  of  tlie  young  Seals 
niHMi  111!'  ico  Hoal-slanjtbter  ("RobbcMi-schliig"),  and  the  bntcherH  wiil- 
slinijilitcrcrs  ("  RobbenscliliigerH  "). 

tPctonnann'sGeogr.  Mitth.,  ErgUnzuiigs  heft  Nr.  2C,  1869,  p.  81. 

t"Ii  is  well  known  that  the  Seal  brings  forth  young  only  once  a  year, 
and  only  ouo  at  a  time." 


m 


ir^":':f^: 


i  !         I      f 

iT         111 


504 


FAMILY    i'llOClDyK. 


J     1 

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fi'HPc 


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, 

1           ■     i'.- 

■  '"   wv 

■   1 

,    '■ .  ■;■ 

■ 

English  in  HCiil-liuiitiiig  in  the  Arctic  Soii.s  were  some  Daiii.sh 
ami  Gernian  vessels,  wliieh  (certainly  were  rarely  an  Inipedi- 
nient  to  these  masters  of  the  seu;  but  n«)W  came  also  the  Nor- 
we^iians,  led  by  llerrn  Sventl  Foyn ;  and  however  unskillful 
they  may  have  been  at  Ibst,*  it  was  not  lonjjf  before  they  beyiiii 
to  prove  troublesonu!  to  their  old  teachers,  and  as  the  Norwe- 
gians some  years  later  began  to  nuike  use  of  the  rifle,  shoot- 
ing the  full  grown  nuile  Seal,  they  by  this  means — thanks  to 
our  good  marksmen — were  freciuently  more  succjssful  than  the 
English  themselves ;  then  it  occurred  to  the  latte"  that  by  tlie 
aid  of  artificial  power  they  could  triumph  over  the  poor  Nor- 
wegians who  had  oidy  natural  forces  at  their  command  and 
soon  floated  colossi  with  powerfiU  steam-engines  and  dingy 
sails  upon  the  waves  of  the  icy  seas,  terrifying  alike  the  sailin}^- 
vessels  aud  the  Seals. 

"The  English  have  yet  another  reason  besides  that  already 
given  for  the  introduction  of  steam-power,  namely,  that  their 
voyages  to  Davis's  Strait  for  Whales  absoluiely  require  the 
use  of  steam,  this  enabling  them  very  easily  to  join  in  thecatcli 
in  the  northern  ice-seas;  the  ships,  returning  home  at  the  close 
of  the  seal-catching  season,  discharging  their  cargoes,  etc.,  then 
proceeding  on  the  voyage  to  Davis's  Strait,  wiiere  they  arrive 
in  time  to  engage  in  whaling;  in  this  way  they  find  employment 
tor  their  steamships  the  greater  i)art  of  the  year. 

"It  IS  my  opinion  that  the  aliove-mentioned  reasons  have  led 
the  Eng  '  '>  to  employ  steam  in  seal-hunting ;  they  surely  saw 
the  hu  ;s  of  it,  but  to  the  stronger  belongs  the  lion's  share 

as  '  acre  is  anything  to  have.    Meanwhile  the  Germans, 

1  is  the  Norwegians,  grew  tired  of  competing  with  sailiiig- 

i  \^  jis  against  the  English  steamships,  and  therefore  these  na- 
tions built  steamships  in  order  to  obtain  an  equal  mooting  in  this 
hitherto  unequal  struggle. 

"The  English  are  not  at  all  blind  to  the  fact  that  their  goldeu 
time  in  the  Arctic  Seas  is  apparently  over,  for  they  well  know 
that  now  in  Norway,  as  well  as  in  Germany,  steamships  are 
built  for  seal-hunting.  1  had  evidence  of  this  last  winter  in  a 
conference  with  one  of  the  before-mentioned  [in  an  earlier  part 
of  his  paperj  English  steamship  captains ;  it  was  not  less  in- 


*  "I  hav»'  lifiird  that,  as  when  Foyn  for  the  first  time  participatc<l  in  tlic 
hunt,  tlic  uu'u  can'ied  tlie  young  Seals  on  board  alive  on  their  backs ;  later 
they  wi're  convoyed  on  sledges  drawn  by  four  ine^n, — ^all  of  which  naturally 
gave  great  satisfaction  to  the  practical  Englishmen." 


Pll 


SKAL-HUNTING — JAN    MAYEN    SKAMNO-liHOUNDS.       505 


•  M 


I    I 


ti'icstiiiy"  that  it  ut  the  .snmo  timo  iiulicuted  the  businciss  feeliuf»' 
ol'thc  Eii^^li.sh. 

"  He  iirji'ed  me  to  try  to  unite  the  Norweyiaii' ami  tlennan 
.siii|i()\viu'i'.s  ill  an  a{;reeii)ent  that  in  the  futnii'  they  wouUl  not 
take  th«^  younji'  Heals  before  the  1st  of  April,  till  which  time  the 
ii'iiiah's  should  remain  undisturbed  ;  he  would  then,  on  his  |)art, 
endeavor  to  briny  about  a  siniihir  ajirreement  on  the  part  of  the 
Kii;;lisli  shipowners.  In  passhi^',  I  will  renuirk  that  this  idea 
is  a  sound  one,  and  that  if  the  close-time  shotdd  be  extended  till 
the  4th,  or  better  still,  till  the  (»th  of  Ai»ril,  it  would  be  espe- 
cially favorable  for  the  catch,  and  it  will  surely  be  necessary, 
.sooner  or  later,  to  unite  upon  a  preserve-law ;  but  the  strange 
part  of  the  mattur  is  that  the  English  never  drew  the  rein  so 
loiif''  as  they  were  the  only  ones  who  emi»loyed  steamships,  but 
only  when  they  feared  that  they  should  lose  their  supremacy. 

"iVs  for  the  rest,  it  is  still  a  i)recarious  matter  how  to  arrive 
at  the  agreement  proposed  by  the  Englishman.  The  Norwegi- 
aus  must  flrst  be  granted  cqinil  privileges  with  the  English  in 
the  use  of  steam-i)ower ;  I  doubt  not  that  the  English  would 
then  have  not  less  reason  to  fear  this  agreement.  Perhaps  it 
will  result  in  bringing  about  the  advantage  of  a  close-tim  i,  as 
already  projjosed  by  the  Englishman. 

"There  appeared  some  time  since  in  Dammen's  Journal  an  ac- 
€ount  of  the  construction  of  two  steamships  built  for  use  i.  seal- 
buutiug,  and  it  expresses  great  hope  for  the  continuance  of  the 
same.  The  i<',e-sea  fleet  from  here  (Tonsberg)  has  considerably 
increased  this .-  ^ar,  and  next  year  will  be  still  further  augmented. 
So  far  as  I  have,  thus  far  been  able  to  determine,  the  ice-sea  fleet 
from  Southern  i!forway  for  the  year  1872  will  consist  of  eight- 
een sailing-vessels  and  eight  steamships,  besides  one  sailing- 
vessel  and  two  steamships  owned  by  foreigners,  which  ought  to 
be  ('(|uipi)ed  and  nmnned  here.  I  must  call  this  for  our  small 
share  in  a  single  fleld  a  great  expansion ;  indeed,  so  magniticeut 
that  it  is  time  to  cry  Halt ! 

"  The  last  four  fortunate  years  have  unquestionably  aroused 
so  strongly  the  spirit  of  speculation  that  the  loss  fortunate  years 
which  preceded  them  are  meanwhile  wholly  overlooked  or  quite 
forgotten.  If  I  mistake  not,  it  is  the  same  with  the  seal  hunt- 
ing as  with  the  herring  fishery — it  is  periodical. 

"  The  catch  of  young  Seals  has  considerably  diminished  dur- 
ing late  years ;  scarcely  a  doubt  prevails  as  to  that.  If  in  spite 
of  this  the  Norwegians  in  the  last  four  consecutive  years  have 


'Mi 


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606 


FAMILY    PHOCIl)^. 


obtained  such  favorable  results,  tbis  good  fortxme  is  in  i^art  due 
to  tbe  fact  that  a  considerable  nninber  of  old  Seals — owiny  to  the 
peculiar  situation  of  the  ice— have  sought  refuge  on  the  sIkucs 
of  the  neighboring  islands,  where  our  accomplished  niarksmcn 
with  their  improved  rifles  have  killed  great  numbe'-'^.  But  to 
kill  in  this  way  year  after  year  the  old  Seals  means  ultimately 
the  destruction  of  the  business ;  and  as  a  consequence  of  the  in- 
creasing nuuiber  of  voyages,  and  the  introduction  of  stcaii' 
power  into  the  Norwegian  sealing  ves'^els,  the  hunt  has  become 
now  more  than  ever  a  war  of  extermination  instead  of  a  judi- 
cious hunt.  But  the  icesea  voyages  were  during  a  series  of 
years  a  great  blessing  to  our  coiintry  nd  especially  to  the  poorer 
class  of  our  people ;  should  we  not  tnen  exert  ourselves  and  do 
all  in  our  power  to  preserve  the  same  ?  Should  our  ships  '^o 
continually  in  the  old  track,  visiting  always  the  usual  huntiu;,' 
places,  and  there  continue  the  already  long- waged  war  of  exter- 
mination ?  Is  it  not  high  time  that  we  went  to  the  assistance  of 
our  less  favorably  situated  countrymen  of  Northern  Norway  with 
one  or  two  of  our  well-equipped  and  excellently  adapted  steam- 
ships, to  aid  them  in  their  praiseworthy  eflbrt  to  discover  new 
hunting-grounds,  not  only  in  the  Kara  Sea  and  on  the  shores  of 
Nova  Zembla,  but  also  eastward  of  White  Island  (at  the  mouth 
of  the  Obi)  along  the  coast  of  Siberia  f  The  rarely  traversed 
stretch  between  Spitzbergen  and  Nova  Zembla,  to  tbe  north- 
ward, should  especially  be  explored  with  great  perseverance, 
where  there  is  good  hope  that  unknown  land  and  good  huntiujf 
places  may  be  found,  of  which  wealth  one  can  now  scarcely  have 
a  presentiment. 

"  In  order  to  prevent  the  loss  of  our  ice-sea  v  oyages  and  with 
them  the  capital  that  now  is  or  may  yet  be  invested  in  ice-sea 
ships,  I  venture  to  call  the  attention  of  my  countrymen  to  the 
experiment  here  proposed,  as  I  likewise  pray  for  a  hearing  iu 
reference  to  the  before-mentioned  proposition  for  a  close-time 
for  the  Seals,  not  only  on  the  part  of  the  Norwegians,  but  also 
of  the  Germans  and  English. 

"  I  have  read  with  great  interest  Mr.  Carl  Petersen's  conunu- 
nication  *0n  our  Huntinr  ields  in  the  Arctic  Sea,'  ['  0ber  unser 
Fangsfeld  aut  d.  ,n  Eismeer'],  and  another  in  the  'Finnuuks- 
post.'  It  appears  from  these  articles  that  we  are  indebted  to 
Consul  Finckenhagen,  of  Hammerfest,  for  the  extension  of 
the  hunting-field  to  Nova  Zembla.  His  vessel,  commanded  l',v 
Captain  Carlsen,  of  Tromso,  took  a  new  course  and  made  ii 


SEAL-HUNTINO JAN    »IAYEN    SEALING-GROUNDS.      507 

very  fortunate  trip,  since  wliieli  other  hunting  expeditions  have 
been  made,  both  from  Tromso  and  Hammerfest.  These  enter- 
prising people  may  not  only  rejoice  in  the  discovery  of  new 
hunting-grounds,  but  in  the  accumulation  of  a  considerable 
aiuount  of  scientific  information,  as  Professor  Mohn,  Director 
of  the  IMeteorological  Institute,  of  Christiania,  can  attest.* 

"  Ought  Soutiiern  Xorway,  which  furnishes  nuich  more  cap- 
ital than  our  friends  in  the  North,  and  has  in  its  proud  Arctic 
tleet  several  steamships,  look  passively  upon  the  praiseworthy 
efforts  of  our  less  favorably  situated  countrymen  ? 

"The  Swedish  Government  again  equipped  last  year  two 
ships  of  war  for  an  expedition  into  the  Arctic  waters — natui'ally 
for  exclusively  scientific  purposes ;  for  the  Swedes,  who  have  no 
interest  in  the  northern  ice-seas,  yet  sacrifice  large  surus  for  the 
honor  of  their  country  and  the  advancement  of  knowledge. 
We  can  with  relatively  less  expense  not  only  bring  honor  to 
our  own  country,  preserve  our  reputation  for  seamanship,  and 
serve  science,  but  can  indulge  the  highest  hopes  of  finding  rich 
fif^lds  for  the  employment  of  our  costly  Arctic  iieet,  which  per- 
haps in  the  old,  it  may  be  too  quickly  despoiled,  hunting-fields 
will  be  without  especially  remunerative  business."  t 

From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  the  decrease  of  the  Seals 
in  the  Jan  Mayen  seas,  and  the  improvident  slaughter  that  was 
yearly  waged,  had  already  begun  to  attract  serious  attention, 
as  a  threatening  evil  of  no  small  magnitude.  Captain  Mel- 
soni's  strong  protest  seems  not  to  have  been  without  salutary 
eftect.  Subsequently  the  proposition  for  a  close-time  for  Seals 
received  more  and  more  attention  each  year,  not  only  in  ]!^or- 
way  but  in  Germany  and  England,  with  finally  the  happy  result 
of  an  international  agreement  on  the  part  of  these  countries 
fa\'orable  to  the  preservation  of  the  Seals. 

As  regards  the  general  history  of  the  subject  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  transcribe  in  the  present  connection  a  communication 
from  Mr.  Lovenskiold  to  Mr.  Colam,  Secretary  of  the  British 
"Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals",  as  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Frank  Buckland  in  "  Land  and  Water,"  in  the 
issue  of  August  28,  1875.  This  communication  is  of  special 
int(  rest,  not  only  from  its  containing  a  report  of  a  series  of  res- 
olutions adopted  by  the  shipowners  of  Southern  Norway  re- 
specting a  ch  se-time,  but  also  much  statistical  information 

*Gi'0{>;r.  Miith.,  1670,  \t\).  194  et  seq.  ;  1871,  Heft  i,  pp.  ;J5  ct  seq..  Heft 
iii.  ]»p.  i»7  ot  seq.,  Heft  vi,  pp.  'IM  ot  seq. 
t  PotormaDu's  Gooj:rr.  Mitth.,  17  Baud,  1871,  pp.  341-343. 


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508 


FAMILY    niOVWJE. 


concerning  the  sealing  bnsiness  as  carried  on  from  tlie  single 
port  of  Tonsberg,  and  especiallj'  as  relating  to  the  decline  of 
the  trade  since  1871,  foreshadowed  in  Captain  Melsom's  above- 
quoted  paper. 

Says  Mr.  Lovenskiold :  "  I  am  sorry  that  I  am  not  very 
familiar  myself  with  the  proceedings  in  Xorway  as  to  seal-flsh- 
ing,  and  the  protection  of  that  trade.  But  as  I  have  been  hon- 
oured by  an  invitation  to  attend  this  meeting  of  the  committee, 
I  should  think  it  the  best  way  of  giving  the  committee  some 
knowledge  of  those  proceedings  to  give  you  the  substance  of 
some  resolutions,  carried  in  a  meeting  of  shipowners  the  17th 
of  February  of  this  year  [1875].  That  meeting  was  kept  at 
Tourberg  [Tonsberg],  a  town  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Nor- 
way, the  centre  of  the  seal  trade,  and  of  the  shipjHng  concern- 
ing that  trade.    The  contents  of  those  resolutions  is  this : — 

"  1.  A  term  should  be  fixed,  within  which  the  fishing  of  Sta.i8 
in  the  Arctic  Seas  should  be  prohibited. 

"  2.  The  1st  of  April  would  be  a  suitable  term  for  the  begin- 
ning of  the  seal-fishing.  The  term  of  the  beginning  ought  not 
to  be  fixed  later  than  the  3d  of  April.  The  fishing  should 
not  be  continued  after  the  5th  of  June. 

"3.  If  the  protection  of  the  seals  shall  be  of  any  use,  it 
needs  to  be  enforced  by  an  international  treaty,  valid  for  all 
nations,  engaged  in  shipping  and  fishing  (all  sea-faring  nations). 
If  such  an  interaational  treaty  can  be  concluded,  we  dissuade 
any  protection. 

"4.  Any  violation  by  any  ship,  of  the  laws  conceraing  the 
protection  of  the  seals,  should  be  punished  with  the  confisca- 
tion of  the  whole  cargo  caught  by  that  ship. 

"  Those  resolutions  were  carried,  the  three  first  ones  by  all 
votes  but  two,  and  the  fourth  one  by  all  votes  but  three. 

"As  it  might  be  of  interest  for  the  committee  to  know  the 
imi)ortance  of  the  seal  trade,  carried  on  from  Norway,  I  shall 
give  you  the  following  numbers  in  rouiul  figures : 

"  In  the  fifteen  years,  18G0-74,  the  tonnage  of  the  ships  em- 
ployed in  the  °'>al  trade  from  the  southern  part  of  Norway,  by 
far  the  most  important,  has  increased  from  5,000  tons  in  18G0, 
to  0,000  in  1874.  The  value  of  the  same  ships  has  increased 
from  £77,500  in  18G0  to  £175,500  in  1874.  In  those  fifteen  yea)  s 
the  ships  engaged  in  the  seal  trade  caught  together  624,000 
young  seals,  and  370,000  old  ones,  or  at  an  average  per  year  of 
41,600  young  seals,  and  25,000  old  ones.    The  aggregate  value 


SEAL-HUNTINO JAN    MAYEN    SEALING-GR0UND8. 


509 


of  the  seals  eanyht  in  those  fifteen  years  was  £050,000,  or  at  an 
average  per  year  of  £43,3.10,  and  the  aggrefjate  net  gain  (snr- 
phis)  of  the  tra<le  for  the  shipowners  was  £OJ,L*00,  or  at  an 
average  per  year  of  £7,150. 

'*  In  tlie  last  three  years  from  the  same  part  of  Norway  were 
employed  in  the  seal  trade: — 

"  1872.  Ten  steamers  an<l  sixteen  sailing-ships,  with  an  aggre- 
gate tonnage  of  abont  7,000  tons,  and  manned  with  1,200  saihms. 

"  1873.  Sixteen  steamers  and  eleven  sailing-ships,  with  an 
aggregate  tonnage  of  about  8,500,  manned  with  1,500  sailors. 

"1874.  Sixteen  steamers  and  nineteen  sailing-ships,  with  an 
aggregate  tonnage  of  about  9,000  tons,  and  manned  with  1,000 
sailors. 

"In  these  three  years  all  the  ships  together  caught  142,500 
young  seals,  and  128,000  old  ones,  or  at  an  average  per  year  of 
47,500  young  seals,  and  42,700  old  ones. 

"  The  value  of  the  seals  caught  in  three  years,  1872-74,  was 
£10,000,  or  at  an  average  per  jear  of  £00,300  [nic].  The  steam- 
ers engaged  in  the  trade  gave  in  those  three  years  a  net  gain 
(surplus)  for  the  shipowners  of  £9,500;  the  sailing-ships  a  loss 
of  £27,500;  steamers  and  saiUng  vessels  together  a  loss  of 
£18,000. 

"  I  give  you  the  numbers  pursuant  to  a  rei^orl  iu  a  Norwegian 
newspaper  {Morfienbladt)  of  the  20th  April  this  year.  If  you 
comi)ar''  hese  numbers  concerning  the  fifteen  years  (1800-74) 
and  the  last  three  years  (1872-74),  you  will  see  that  the  catch- 
ing of  the  old  seals  has  considerably  increased,  but  that  the 
catching  of  the  young  seals,  altho'igh  the  tonnage  and  the  value 
of  the  ships  employed  in  the  trade  has  been  almost  doubled,  has 
only  been  maintained  at  the  r,ame  rate,  and  that  the  small  sur- 
plus of  former  years  has  been  changed  into  a  consitlerable  loss 
in  the  last  three  years.  '* 

These  statistics  show  the  actual  occurrence  of  what  Melsoin 
four  years  before  clearly  showed  must  happen  under  the  then 
prevalent  system  of  indiscriminate  slaughter.  With  the  rapid 
increase  of  the  sealing-fleet  was  a  corresponding  decline  in  the 
profits  of  the  trade,  which  soon  changed  to  a  considerable  an- 
nnal  loss.  The  relatively  small  catch  of  young  Senls,  and  the 
disproportionate  increase  in  the  number  of  old  Seals  killed  show 
plainly  the  state  of  the  business,  and  expose  clearly  the  ruinous 
way  in  which  it  was  prosecuted.    As  Melsom  figuratively  ex- 

*  Laud  and  Water  (uewspaper),  August  28,  1875,  p.  160. 


*  \ 


r  If 


510 


FAMILY   PHOCID^. 


I)res8e<i  it,  liio  rciil  eiij»ital  was  being  ruinously  expended,  and 
the  profits  iiad  wlioUy  disapi)eared. 

Steps  were  now,  liowever,  promptly  taken  to  remedy  the  evil, 
but  apparently  years  must  elapse,  even  with  the  stringent  ex- 
ercise of  every  precaution  lor  the  due  preservation  of  the  Seals, 
before  the  golden  harvests  of  the  previous  decade  can  again  be 
realized. 

In  June,  1S75,  as  appears  bj'  the  British  "Law  Eeport"  for 
that  year,  the  British  government  passe<l  a  statute  known  as 
the  "  Seal  Fishery  Act,  1875,"*  which  prohibits  any  liritisli  sub- 
ject from  killing  or  captiuing,  or  att^empting  to  kill  or  capture, 
auy  Seal  within  the  are  '  icluded  between  the  parallels  of  07<^ 
and  75°  north  latitude,  und  the  Greenwich  meridians  of  5°  east 
longitude  and  17°  west  longitude,  under  a  penalty  not  exceed- 
ing £500  for  each  ottense,  one-half  to  go  to  the  prosecutor.  In 
this  act  the  term  "  Seal "  is  defined  as  meaning  "  Harp  or  Saddle- 
back Seal,  the  Bladder-nosed  or  Hooded  Seal,  the  Ground  or 
Bearded  Seal,  and  the  Floe  Rat,  and  includes  any  animal  of  the 
Seal  kind  which  may  be  specified"  by  au  "Order  in  Council" 
under  the  act.  The  beginning  of  the  close-time  was  left  to  be 
determined  by  the  Order  in  Council.  The  act  was  made  opera- 
tive by  the  Queen  m  Council  the  5th  of  February,  187G,  the  3d 
day  of  April  of  every  year  being  fixed  as  the  time  when  Seala 
may  first  be  captured. 

A  few  months  later  a  similar  act  was  passed  by  the  Norwe- 
gian government,  fixing  the  limits  of  the  protected  district  by 
the  same  boundaries,  and  prescribing  the  same  date  for  the  be- 
ginning of  the  hTiut.  The  penalty  for  the  violation  of  the  act 
is  200  to  10,000  'jrowns.  The  law  received  the  King's  signature 
the  28th  of  October,  1876,  and  was  to  become  operative  on  the 
25th  of  the  following  April,  upon  condition  that  the  other  in- 
terested governments  agree  to  join  with  Norway  in  the  enforce- 
ment of  similar  protective  legislation.! 

*  Tho  following  is  a  transcript  of  a  portion  of  the  act  in  question: 
"...  Tb<'  miistcr  or  person  in  charge  of  or  auy  person  belonging  to  auy 
British  ship,  or  auy  British  subject,  shall  not  kill  or  capture,  or  attempt  to 
kill  or  capture  any  seal  within  the  area  numtioncd  in  tho  schedule  to  this 
act,  or  the  part  of  the  area  specified  in  tho  order,  before  such  day  in  any  year 
as  may  be  fixed  by  the  order,  and  the  master  or  persou  in  charge  of  a  Brit- 
ish ship  shall  not  permit  such  ship  to  be  employed  in  such  killing  or  captur- 
ing, or  permit  any  persou  belonging  to  such  ship  to  act  iu  breach  of  tliis 
section. " 

t  See  Acts  of  1876,  Nos.  13  and  32.  For  coi)ies  of  1  heso  acts  I  am  indebted 
to  Professor  S.  F.  Baird,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 


mm 


SEAL-HUNTING    AT   NOVA   ZEMBLA,    ETC. 


511 


J  liave  been  unable  to  determine  whether  ainiilar  legishitive 
action  1ms  been  taken  by  Germany,  but  in  all  probability  such 
is  tlie  case,  rendering  the  protective  act  a  thoroughly  interuur 
tional  one  so  far  as  the  three  goveniments  chiefly  interested 
are  concerned. 

4.  Xora  Zemhla  <inil  the  Kara  Sea. — Captain  ]\relsom,  as  above 
indicated  {aniea,  p.  .jO(>)  believed,  in  1871,  that  the  Kara  Sea  and 
tlic  shores  ofKova  Zend)la  oilered  new  and  prolitable  hunting- 
fjrounds  for  the  Norwegian  sealing-fleet,  and  relates  that  already 
st'\  (Mill  su<;cf>ssful  voyages  had  been  made  to  Nova  Zembla  from 
Troiiiso  and  Ilannnerfest.  According  to  Schultz,  the  Russians, 
btftween  the  years  1830  and  1840,  brought  "rich  cargoes  of  sal- 
iiioii  or  trout,  of  seals  and  walruses"  from  Nova  Zembla,  but  he 
states  that  later  "the  product  of  the  fishenes  and  of  the  chase 
(liiiiinished;  the  animals  left  their  usual  places  of  abode  and  re- 
moved to  others  less  accessible.  The  lishermen  consequently 
ceased  going  to  Novaya-Zemlya,  so  that  in  1850  and  1800  only  five 
vessels  sailed  for  that  group  of  islands. 

"  The  northern  island  of  Novaya-Zemlya  is  most  frequented  by 
tisliermen,  while  those  who  have  strong  and  well-equipped  ves- 
sels venture  as  tar  north  as  Matoschkiue.  The  arrangements 
are  ma<le  so  as  to  arrive  toward  the  end  of  June  at  Novaya- 
Zemlya,  where  the  fishermen  commence  their  work  by  hunting 
tlic  seals  aTid  the  walrus,  and  afterward  devote  themselves  to 
fishing  for  the  common  trout,  the  variety  called  Salmo  alpimin, 
which  the  Russians  call '  golets.'  "• 

5.  White  Sea. — Many  Seals  are  taken  in  the  White  Sea,  where 
they  have  been  hunted  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring 
coasts  since  numy  hundred  years.  Now,  a?  formerly,  seal-hunt- 
iii};  is  here  mainly  prosecuted  by  the  Russians.  According  to 
Schultz,  the  species  chiefly  hunted  is  the  Phova  grcenlandk'a, 
wliicli  is  killed  on  the  ice.  The  hunt  is  carried  on  principally  along 
the  eastern  shore  (which  is  called  the  "  Winter  Coast "),  and  "  in 
the  hays  of  the  Dwina  and  Mezeue,  and  on  the  coastof  Kanine." 
During  summer,  or  from  May  till  Sej^tember,  these  animals  re- 
pair to  the  more  remote  Arcti(i  Seas,  but  later  make  their  appear- 
ance in  the  gulfs  and  bays  of  the  Arctic  Coast.  They  pair  on 
the  ice  in  the  White  Sea  about  the  beginning  of  February,  espe- 
cially in  the  Gulf  of  the  Dwina,  at  which  time  the  females  give 

*Aci'ouut  of  the  Fisheries  and  iSeal-huutiug  iu  the  White  Sea,  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  and  the  Caspian  Sea.  Rep.  U.  8.  Com.  of  Fish  and  Fisheries,  pt.  ill,  for 
l«!T;{-74  and  1874-76,  originally  published  (in  French)  at  St.  Petersburg  in 

187:t, 


1.  It 


f  I 


I  . 


\lfi 


>.V- 


m 


l;'f 


512 


FAMir.Y  PTionn^E. 


birth  to  their  younfj.  The  hunt  on  the  "  "Winter  Coast "  bcfrins 
at  this  time,  and  continues  till  the  end  of  ^Farch.  The  chase 
extends  over  a  district  two  liundred  an<l  thirty  miles  in  len^itli ; 
here  numerous  huntsmen  assemble  "  from  the  districts  of  xVrcli- 
anfi'el,  IMnej^a,  and  Mezene.  Tln^  jmncipal  ])lace  of  meeting',  and 
at  which  {jfenerally  two  thousand  huntsmen  assemble,  is  called 
Kedy,  and  is  located  twelve  '  versts'  (about  seven  miles)  from 
Cape  Vonmov.  The  huntsmen  have  built  at  this  place  iiboiit 
one  hundred  liuts,  where  there  is  constant  excitement  from  l'\'b- 
ruai'y  till  the  end  of  March,  while  during  the  rest  of  the  year 
these  huts  are  deserted. 

"Alxmt  the  mi<ldle  of  March,  the  young  phociB  are  large 
enough  to  leave  the  ice  and  swim  toward  the  open  sea,  whither 
the  old  ones  do  not  follow  them.  They  assemble  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mezene,  where  they  rest  on  the  ice  and  pair.  Tbe  pieces  of  ice 
in  the  gulf  are  sheltered  from  the  wind,  and  arc  not  carried 
about  by  the  waves,  although  they  melt  a  little,  especially  dur- 
ing the  rainy  periods. 

"  Numerous  societies  of  huntsmen  assemble  in  the  beginning 
of  April  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Kouloi,  in  order  to  follow  for 
several  weeks  the  chase  of  the  phociB  on  the  ice.  They  use  sail- 
ing-vessels 22  feet  long,  with  an  iron-plated  bottom.  Every 
vessel  is  manned  by  several  huntsmen,  is  comi^letely  equipped, 
and  furnished  with  provisions  and  fuel.  The  huntsmen  all  l(^a\e 
the  shore  at  the  same  time ;  and  having  reached  the  Hoating  ice, 
they  draw  their  vessels  on  the  ice,  and  there  establish  a  vast 
encampment.  The  younger  and  more  active  huntsmen  are  sent 
out  to  reconnoiter.  Provided  with  snow-shoes,  they  hasten  in 
all  directions  to  search  for  the  phocsB.  As  soon  as  they  observe 
a  flock,  they  advise  the  other  huntsmen  of  the  fact,  and  then 
all  run  towanls  the  spot,  drawing  their  boat*  after  them.  Hav- 
ing arrived  vfithin  gunshot  distance,  the  most  expert  arei)la('ed 
in  the  front  rank  and  commence  the  chase;  for  every  shotnnist 
kill,  and  not  merely  wound,  lest  the  cries  of  the  wounded  pliuciB 
frighten  the  whole  tlock  and  make  them  speed  away.  The  ani 
mals  which  are  killed  are  then  placed  in  the  boats,  and  tbe 
huntsmen  return  to  the  shore — sometimes  on  the  ice,  sometimes 
in  the  oi)en  sea — to  deposit  there  the  result  of  the  chase,  and 
bring  new  ])rovisions  to  the  comrades  who  had  been  left  tbero. 

"The  huntsmen  usually  receive  from  their  master,  provisions 
and  clothing  for  the  whole  season,  and  must  give  him  in  return 
half,  or  even  two-thirds  of  all  the  animals  which  have  been  killed. 


ife 


I!ltl<'l 


SEAL-nUNTING— CASPIAN   SEA. 


513 


Tlic  more  hardenort  and  expert  a  huntsman  is,  the  Uirger  \»  hia 
sliare.  Every  society  of  twenty  huntsmen  elects  a  '  starosta,' 
(th(^  old  one,)  whose  duty  it  is  to  guard  the  coast  and  prepare 
the  food,  without  receixing  for  this  a  larger  share  than  the  other 
huntsmen. 

''  On  the  western  coast  of  the  White  ^^ea,  (called  the  Terski 
coast,)  the  phocuichase  is  not  as  producti\"e  as  on  the  eastern 
coast,  because  the  pieces  of  ice,  driven  toward  the  north,  float 
along  the  shore.  Scarcely  more  than  15,000  *  ponds '  (540,000 
])oun(ls)  of  i>hocie  are  caught  there  every  year. 

"in  tiiese  latitudes,  the  principal  meeting-i)lace  of  the  hunts- 
men is  sixteen  '  versts'  (about  nine  Uiiles)  north  of  the  river 
Pouoi,  and  is  called  Deviataya.  Huts  are  built  here,  and  about 
flvebuudred  huntsmen  assemble,  who  form  themselves  into  socie- 
ties. Every  society  is  composed  of  a  nuistor  and  three  hunts- 
men. While  one  of  the  members  of  the  society  remains  on 
shore  with  his  sleigh  and  his  reindeer,  the  other  three  xenture 
on  the  pieces  of  ice  to  discover  the  phocte,  wldch  are  sleeping 
there.  Every  huntsman  wears  over  his  clothes  a  short  cloak 
of  reindeer  skin,  called  '  sovik,'  and  has  on  his  feet  large  boots 
lined  with  fur.  At  the  end  of  a  long  stnip  passed  over  his 
shoulder  he  draws  a  small  boat,  weighing  20  kilograms.  A 
game-bag  with  provisions  is  attached  to  his  belt.  His  gun  on 
his  shoulder,  and  having  in  his  hand  a  long  stick,  with  an  iron 
point,  he  rapidly  and  skillfully  advances,  by  means  of  his  snow- 
shoes,  over  the  vast  fields  of  snow  and  ice.  He  acts  as  guide, 
and  his  two  comrades  follow  him  in  single  file,  drawing  their 
boat  after  them.  When  they  have  arrived  at  an  expanse  of 
water  where  phocfB  are  swimming,  two  of  the  huntsmen  fire, 
while  the  third  pushes  the  boat  into  the  water  in  order  to  take 
up  the  d(!ad  animals,  which  he  hoists  into  the  boat  by  means  of 
a  boat-hook. 

"  The  chase  commences  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  hunts- 
men do  not  return  to  their  hut  till  evening;  a  flag  hoisted  on 
the  shore  indicating  to  them  its  position." 

(I.  VdHpian  Sea. — Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  Caspian  Sea, — 
an  inland  brackish  lake,  with  no  natural  comnumication  with  the 
'X'eans,  utid  »pute  far  removed  from  any  other  considerable  body 
(if  water — is  the  seat  of  a  sealing  industry  only  second  in  im- 
portance to  that  of  the  so-called  "  Greenland  "  or  Jan  Mayen 
Seas.  Many  more  Seals  are  taken  here  than  Dr.  Rink  reports 
the  annual  catch  to  be  in  Greenland,  and  the  number  is  rather 
.Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 33 


I   iii 


*: . 


j;* 


\m  m 


514 


FAMILY    I'lIOCIPiE. 


i .»' ' 


J- 


tip  i  r'/i  .      ;   !'!•(  ij  1^ 


more  than  half  a.s  large  as  that  taken  by  the  combined  seahiig 
fleet  of  Western  Europe  in  the  icy  seas  about  Jan  Mayeu.  The 
number  of  skins  annually  taken  during  the  sLx  years  ending 
with  1872  is  given  by  Schultz  as  follows :  in  18G7,  131,723 ;  in 
1808,  150,047;  in  18{J9,  128,701 ;  in  1870,  137,030;  in  18;i, 
90,408 ;  in  1872,  150,759,  or  a  yearly  average  of  about  13(),()()0, 
The  species  here  hunted  is  the  Phoca  caspica  of  Nilsson,  which 
by  some  authors  has  been  regarded  merely  as  a  synonym  of 
Phoca  ritulina.  Its  habits,  however,  indicate  a  species  (iiiite 
distinct.  It  is  said  to  be  from  three  to  six  feet  long,  and  to 
weigh  from  72  to  144  pounds.  They  gather  in  large  herds  on 
the  shore,  where  thousands  are  sometimes  killed  in  a  single 
hunt. 

In  1873  M.  Schultz,  in  his  report  upon  fishing  and  seal- 
hunting  in  the  Caspian  Sea,  described  in  considerable  detail 
the  habits  and  haunts  of  the  Caspian  Seal,  and  the  methods 
employed  for  its  capture.  He  says,  "  The  seals  love  the  cold ; 
and,  in  summer,  they  seek  the  deep  sea,  leaving  it  in  the  au- 
tumn for  their  favorite  place  of  abode,  the  northeastern  basin 
of  the  Caspian  Sea,  which  is  the  portion  first  covered  with  ice, 
and  where  the  ice  breaks  up  latest.  Numerous  herds  of  seals 
gather  on  pieces  of  floating  ice,  to  rest  or  to  pair.  The  pairing 
season  lasts  from  the  end  of  December  till  January  10.  The 
female  every  year  gives  birth  to  one  young,  seldom  to  two.  The 
young  have  a  shining  white,  silky  fur,  but  after  ten  days  it  be- 
comes coarse  and  turns  gray.  Then  the  tender  solicitude  of 
the  mother  ceases,  for  the  little  one  has  to  go  into  the  water 
and  swim.  Seals  that  are  one  year  old  have  gray  fur,  speckled 
with  black  spots. 

"The  seal  is  hunted  down  the  western  coast  of  the  Caspian 
Sea,  at  the  mouths  of  the  Volga  and  the  Ural,  and  in  its  south- 
ern part,  especially  on  the  islands  of  the  Gulf  of  A])ch6ron. 

"The  principal  meeting-places  of  seal-^hunters  are  on  the 
seven  islands  situated  north  of  the  Peninsula  of  Mangyshlak, 
called  the  '  Seals'  Islands,'  on  account  of  the  large  number  of 
these  animals  found  there.  Other  islands  also  abound  in  pho- 
C£e.  Thus  there  have  been  years  when  about  40,000  seals  were 
killed  on  the  island  of  Peshnoi,  before  the  mouths  of  the  Ural, 
and,  in  184G,  1,300  were  killed  in  6ne  night. 

"The  seals  are  hunted  in  three  different  ways:  they  are 
killed  with  clubs  on  the  islands  where  they  gather ;  or  they 
are  shot  with  guns ;  or  they  are  caught  in  nets.  The  flrst-uieu- 
tioned  way  is  the  grandest,  and  yields  the  best  results. 


fSflfl 


SEAL-HUNTING CASPI> N    SEA. 


515 


"The  groat  mectinf?-plaoe  of  tlic  Imntsmen  is  Konlali,  tlie 
larfrcst  of  the  Seal  islands,  having  a  length  of  thirty-five 
'vcrsts,'  (about  twei.ty  miles,)  and  a  breadth  of  three  'versts,' 
(al)()ut  one  and  tNvo-thirds  miles).  The  hunters,  who  winter 
there  every  year,  have  built  wooden  houses,  huts,  and  sheds  on 
this  island.  The  tishiug  authorit  ies  at  Astrachan  send  every 
year  one  of  their  oflieers  to  Konlali  to  superintend  the  chase 
aud  the  hunters,  where  he  renuiins  from  October  till  the  mid- 
dle of  May.  On  account  of  the  bustle  and  noise,  the  seals 
have  deserted  this  island  for  a  number  of  years,  and  selected 
for  their  place  of  gathering  tlie  islands  of  Sviatoi  and  Pod- 
goriioi. 

"In  the  spring  and  autumn  the  seals  seek  the  shore  to  rest 
in  tlie  sun,  one  herd  arriving  after  the  other.  Scarcely  has  the 
first  settled  when  a  second  comes  yelling  and  showing  their 
teeth  to  drive  it  away,  followed  soon  by  a  third,  to  which  it  in 
turn  has  to  lose  its  j^lace ;  so  that  the  last  herd  arriving  always 
(Irivt's  tlie  first  farther  bjick  on  the  coast.  The  invasion  ter- 
minates by  the  arrival  of  some  isolated  stragglers. 

"Now  is  the  time  for  the  hunters  to  commence  the  chase. 
They  carefully  observe  in  what  place,  and,  approximately,  in 
what  numbers,  the  seals  have  gathered ;  and  then  elect  as  their 
chief  the  most  experienced  and  skillful  among  them.  The>  ap- 
proach the  rookery  in  boats,  either  at  dusk  or  during  the  night, 
always  going  against  the  wind,  to  conceal  their  approach. 

"  After  their  arrival  on  shore,  the  hunters  disembark  noiso- 
k'ssly,  form  a  line  in  order  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  seals, 
ami  thus,  creeping,  advance  quite  near  to  the  herd,  which  is 
sleeping  and  suspects  no  danger.  On  a  signal  from  the  chief, 
the  hmiters  all  rise  at  once  and  pitilessly  attack  their  unfortu- 
nate victims,  killing  them  by  a  single  blow  on  the  snout  with 
the  club.  The  bodies  are  piled  up  by  means  of  gafts,  and  after 
a  few  minutes  form  a  rampart,  depriving  the  survivors  of  every 
chance  of  regaining  the  sea.  The  seals  howl,  groan,  bite,  and 
defend  themselves,  but  the  hunters,  eager  for  gain,  go  on  kill- 
iii;;  them  without  mercy,  and  soon  the  whole  herd  is  massacred. 
It  is  no  infrequent  occurrence  to  see  15,000  dead  seals  cover  the 
batih'-lleld  of  a  single  night. 

"After  the  killing, the  dressing  of  the  seals  commences,  usu- 
ally about  daybreak.  The  head  is  cut  off,  the  belly  is  oj)ened, 
and  the  .skin  is  taken  off  with  the  thick  layer  of  fat  adhering 
to  it.    These  skins  are  piled  up  on  the  boats,  which  take  them 


>lli 


I 


lit;  .'li 


Ill 


III 


-t  < 


mit 


616 


FAMIT-Y    rHOriDiE. 


1 

Jgl 

^   :  if 

Ml 

W 

I 

m 

to  large  sailing  vessels,  anchored  some  'vcrsts'  from  th-  slioro, 
on  Miiieh  they  are  heaped  up,  each  layer  being  eovereo  with 
salt.  These  vessels  sail  witli  their  eargo  to  Astraehan.  wiiile 
th<^  hunters  return  totln^  coast  to  earefuUy  cle;in  tliebattle-ticid. 
They  bury  the  bodies  and  entrails,  at  some  distance,  deej)  in 
the  gronn<l,  or  throw  them  into  the  sea,  far  from  the  shore,  iiiid 
carefully  obliterate  evei-y  trace  of  blcMxl,  so  lliat^wlien  aiiotlit'i- 
herd  of  seals  arrives,  tlu^sc  animals  do  not  see  any  marivs  of 
the  shuight<'r  which  has  taken  place;  for  experience  has  shown 
that  tln'y  never  select  for  their  rookery  a  place  from  wliicii 
every  trace  «)f  the  slaughter  has  not  been  carefully  removed. 

"Two  hundred  seal-hunters,  emjdoyed  by  wealthy  merchants 
or  lisjiermen,  usually  winter  on  the  island  of  Koulali.  Numer- 
ous boats,  besides,  go  there  every  year  to  ])artieipate  in  the 
chase.  The  masters  of  these  boats  secure  permits*  from  tiie 
lishing  authorities  and  give  them  to  their  workmen,  who  re- 
ceive their  wages  in  money.     .     .     . 

"'Another  way  of  hunting  the  seals  is  to  take  them  in  nets. 
Immense  nets  are  stretched  out,  into  which  the  hunters  en- 
deavor to  chase  tlieni  by  yelling  and  making  a  noise.  This  way 
of  hunting  is  chiefly  employed  in  the  maritime  district  of  the 
Ural  Cossacks  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Sindy(5  IMortso,  from  October 
till  the  sea  is  covered  with  ice.  The  nets,  called  '  okhaui,'  are 
6  'sagenes'(42  feet)  deep,  and  have  meshes  of  seven  and  a 
half  inches. 

"  The  following  is  the  manner  of  proceeding :  Forty  boats 
join  together  and  elect  a  chief  and  an  assistant  chief.  Tlieu 
the  boats  sail  out  to  sea  with  a  fair  wind,  or  use  their  oars,  go- 
ing in  a  line,  thus  forming  a  sort  of  chain.  In  every  boat  there 
are  three  nets.  The  chief,  followed  by  twenty  boats,  is  on  the 
lookout  for  a  herd  of  seals,  which  he  endeavors  to  cut  oft",  while 
his  assistant  remains  with  the  other  half  of  the  fleet  nt  sctiiio 
distance  from  the  shore.  When  the  chief  thinks  that  the  time 
for  action  has  come,  he  gives  the  signal  by  throwing  into  the 
sea  a  bale,  to  which  a  flag  is  fastened.  At  this  signal  the  boats 
simultaneously  cast  their  nets,  which  are  all  tied  together  so  as 
to  form  a  wall  of  meshes,  bj'  which  the  seals  are  soon  com- 
pletely surrounded.  Then  the  hunters  begin  to  yell  and  to 
strike  the  water  with  their  oars,  in  order  to  frighten  ^hem. 
These  seek  to  avoid  the  danger  by  phmgiug,  but  they  rush 

*  Tho  Eussiau  goveriimeut  derives  au  average  annual  iucome  of  about 
|700  from  the  sale  of  permits  for  scal-huutiug  in  the  Caspian  Sea. 


.SKAL-HUNTINO — NORTH  I'AC'IFIC  AND  SOUTHERN  8KAS.    517 


iiliiiinst  tlio  l>MiTi«M'  of  nets,  and  an^  caufjht  in  the  moshes,  so 
tliiit  tlicy  ciin  1m'  kilh'd  witliont  ditlirnlty.  This  way  of  linnt- 
iiij;  JM  proliihitod  in  thoso  parts  of  the  soa  wlion^  it  injures  the 
tisliinfj  or  obstructs  the  first  manner  of  liuntinfj.  The  ehaseon 
tlu'  ice  is  fraufjfht  with  many  dangers,  and  is,  therefore,  at  i)res- 
out  prohibited.  Tiie  liunters,  sittinj;  on  litth>  sh'dges  drawn  by 
stronjf  and  hardy  liorses,  and  provided  with  food,  continue  on 
for  s«n'eral  weeks  to  slioot  ohl  seals,  and  kill  youn^,'  ones  while 
tlicy  still  have  their  white  and  silk-like  fur.  Those  hunters 
brav(^  all  danjjers ;  an«l  it  has  sometimes  ha])pened  that  the 
sniitli  or  southwest  wind,  haviuff  deta<;hed  larj,^'!  masses  of  ice 
from  the  shore,  has  driven  them  out  into  the  open  sea,  where 
they  have  floated  in  all  directions,  with  the  adventurous  hunts- 
men on  them.  These  unfortunate  hunters  usually  perish  from 
cold  an«l  hunjjer  on  these  masses  of  ice,  or  find  their  death  in 
tlie  waves."  * 

7.  Xorth  Pacific, — In  the  North  Pacific  the  capture  of  seals 
lor  commercial  purposes  is  mainly  restricted  to  the  pursuit  of 
the  Hea- Elephant  {MncrorhinuH  angustirostris),  on  the  coasts  of 
Western  Mexico  and  Lower  California.  This,  although  at  oue 
time  a  business  of  no  small  importance,  was  nearly  abandoned 
inaiiy  years  since,  and  for  the  best  of  reasons,  namely,  the  well- 
nigh  complete  extinction  of  the  species  in  consequence  of  indis- 
criminate and  reckless  slaughter.  As  the  history  of  the  subject 
falls  more  naturally  into  the  account  of  that  species  (to  be  given 
later),  little  further  need  be  said  respecting  it  in  the  present 
couiiection.  Many  Seals  are,  of  course,  annually  killed  by  the 
natives  of  the  Alaskan,  Kamtschatkan,  and  other  coasts  of  the 
Xorth  Pacific,  but  I  am  not  aware  that  sealing  is  there  carried 
on  anywhere,  either  by  the  natives  or  foreign  sealing-vessels,  to 
any  noteworthy  extent. 

8.  Anta  otic  Seas. — In  the  southern  hemisphere  no  Seals  occur 
that  are  the  strict  representatives  of  the  Greenland  aud  other 
Seals  which,  in  the  uortheru  hemisphere,  aftbrd  the  seal-hunter 
80  lucrative  a  booty.  In  the  colder  south  temperate  aud  Ant- 
arctic seas  is  found  their  commercial  representative  in  that  mam- 
mrtii  of  tlie  Seal  tribe,  the  Sea-Elephant,  or  so-called  Elephant 
Seal  {Macrorhinus  leoninus).  Here  Elephant  Seal  hunting  was 
for  i)  time  prosecuted  v:ith  great  vigor,  especially  during  the 
early  part  of  the  present  century.  The  species  was  hunted  almost 
exclusively  'or  its  oil,  and  so  easily  were  the  animals  taken,  and 

*Rep.  U.  S.  Co:^\.  Fish  and  Fisheries,  part  iii,  1873-74  and  1874-75,  pp.  93, 95. 


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FAMILY    PnOCIDJE. 


SO  iiuliNcriininatcly  and  injiulioiously  were  they  slaughtered, 
that  in  comparatively  a  few  years  it  became  i>ra<!ti(!ally  exter- 
minated alonj;  all  those  coasts  and  islands  that  atlbrded  safe 
harbors  for  the  vessels  enyajjed  in  this  exceedinj^ly  proHtaltle 
ent«'ri>rise.  At  one  time  aboundinj;  on  many  of  the  islands  urt" 
the  southern  portion  of  the  Soutli  American  (continent,  on  both 
the  Atlantic  and  Pa<uflc  sides,  alonj;  favorable  stretches  of  tlie 
Patajjonian  <roast,  in  Terra  <lel  Fneffo,  the  Falkhmd,  South  Sliet- 
land,  South  (leorjjfian,  and  otliernei^jfhborinj^ishmds,  as  well  iis 
at  the  Orozet's,  Kerj^uelen,  and  Heard's  1. -lands,  they  ar(!  siild 
to  be  now  fouml  in  inimbers  oidy  on  the  more  inaccessjiilo 
l)ortion  of  tiie  last-named  jjroup  of  islands.  It  is  ditlicult,  in- 
deed imi)()ssible,  to  f;ive  ev(!n  a])iU'oximate  statistics  respecting 
the  nundu'rs  of  the  animals  killed,  or  the  amount  of  Elepiiaiit 
Sea)  oil  obtained.  For  many  years  s«iveral  shij)s  annually  ob- 
tained partial  or  complete  carjjoes  from  the  various  localitii'!* 
already  mentioned,  new  stations  being-  sought  when  the  old 
ones  had  become  exhausted,  but  the  vessels  engaged  in  Sea- 
Elephant  hunting  w^ere  mostly  also  engaged  in  Fur  Seal  hunting 
and  in  whaling,  and  generally  no  separate  reports  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  each  being  given,  the  statistics  of  the  business  .are 
consequently  not  easily  obtainable. 

Kespecting  the  history  and  the  present  status  of  Elephant 
Seal  hunting  at  Kerguelen  Land  and  Heard's  Island  I  quote 
the  following  from  Dr.  J.  H.  Kidder's  recent  report  on  the  nat- 
ural history  of  Kerguelen  Island :  "  In  former  years  the  Ker- 
guelen group  of  islands  was  noted  as  a  favorite  breeding-place 
for  the  sea-elephant  {Macrorhimis  leoninun  L.).  On  this  ac- 
count it  has  been  much  frequented  by  sealers  for  the  last  forty 
years,  and  resorted  to  also  by  whalers  as  a  wintering-place,  on 
account  of  the  great  security  of  Three  Island  Harbor.  The  sea- 
elephants  have  been  so  recklessly  killed  off  year  after  year,  uo 
precautions  having  been  taken  to  secure  the  preservation  of  tlie 
species,  that  now  thejj^  have  become  very  rare.  Only  a  single 
small  schooner,  the  Roswell  King,  was  working  the  island  dur- 
ing our  visit,  two  others  and  a  bark  working  Heard's  Island, 
some  three  hundred  miles  to  the  south,  where  the  elephants  are 
still  found  in  considerable  numbers.  Probably  they  would  lonjr 
since  have  abandoned  the  Kerguelen  Islands  altogether  bill 
for  a  single  inaccessible  stretch  of  coast.  Bonfire  Beach;  where 
they  still  'haul  up'  every  si)ring  (October  and  November)  and 
breed  in  considerable  numbers.    The  beach  is  limited  at  each 


HKAl.-mJNTIXO .SOUTHERN    HEAS. 


519 


(11(1  l).v  precipitous  clin's,  acrosa  which  it  is  (piite  iini>ossiblo  to 
tniiisptut  oil  ill  (;asks,  nor  can  boats  land  from  the  sea,  or  v«'s- 
scls  lie  at  anchor  in  the  otlinjf,  from  the  fact  that  the  beach  is 
on  the  west,  or  windward  coast,  an<l  exposed  to  the  full  violence 
(if  the  wind.     .     .     . 

'•'riie  increasinj;'  scarcity  of  the  sea-elephant,  and  (lonsequent 
iiiiccrtainty  in  huntiiij;'  it,  toj,'etln'r  with  the  diminished  demand 
I'ortlieoil  siiute  the  introduction  of  coal-oil  into  {jfeiieral  use, 
liiu  ('  caused  a  ^I'cat  falling!:  off  in  the  business  of  elejdiant-hunt- 
iii^i.  Tim  Crozet  Islands,  for  (^\am[)le,  had  not  been  'w(U'ked' 
tor  live  y«'iirs,  and  at  Keryuelen  there  was  only  one  small 
scliooner  eii^ajjed  in  this  jjiirsuit,  two  others  making  Three  Isl- 
iiikI  Harbor  their  headcpiarters,  but  si)ending  the 'season' at 
Heard's  Island,  three  hundred  miles  to  the  southward.  It  may, 
tlierefore,  be  reasonably  hojie*!  that  these  singular  animals,  but 
liitclv  far  on  the  way  toward  extinction,  will  have  an  opportu- 
nity to  increase  again  in  numbers,  and  that  sealers  may  iearn 
tiom  past  experience  to  carry  on  their  hunting  operations  w'^h 
iiiori' Judgment,  sparing  breeding  feinales  and  verj' young  cubs. 
When  the  Monongahela  visited  the  Crozet  Islands  on  Decem- 
licr  1,  they  found  th(^  sea-elephant  very  numerous,  although  left 
undisturbed  for  only  live  seasons."* 

At  the  Falkland  Islands,  where  at  the  beginning  of  the  pres- 
ent century  the  Sea-Elephants  occurred  in  great  troops,  they 
lonfj  since  became  virtually  exterminated,  as  has  been  the  case 
at  most  of  the  early  sealing-grounds.  In  this  work  of  destruc- 
tion American  %  essels  have  taken  a  prominent  part,  and  for 
many  years  have  "maintained  a  monopoly  of  the  business," 
most  of  them  sailing  from  New  London,  Ct. 

As  an  interesting  reminiscence  of  the  palmy  days  of  Sea-Ele- 
pliiuit  hunting,  and  as  ctmveying  a  vivid  picture  of  the  scenes 
and  iiKudents  of  the  business,  I  quote  the  following  from  a  re- 
I'ont  account  by  Mr.  Charles  Lannian,  based  on  the  unpublished 
jouvniils  and  log-books  of  some  of  the  chief  participants.  Says 
Mr.  banman : — "But  it  is  of  Ileard's  Island  that  we  desire  espe- 
'iiilly  to  speak  in  this  paper.  It  is  about  eighteen  miles  long 
iiiid  i»erhaps  six  or  seven  wide ;  and  by  right  of  discovery  is  an 
Amciioan  possession.  For  many  years  the  merchants  of  New 
London  cherished  the  belief  that  there  was  land  somewhere 


*(!ontribntion8  to  the  Natural  History  of  Kcrgiielen  Island,  made  in  con- 
nection with  the  United  States  Trausit-of-Vcnns  Expedition,  1874-75.  Bull. 
U-  S,  Nat.  Mus.,  No,  3,  pp.  39,  40,  187U. 


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520 


FAMILY    PIIOCID^. 


illKill- 


f"f'^i! 


south  of  Kerguelen's  Islaud,  for  in  no  other  way  could  their  cap- 
tains account  for  the  continuous  supply  of  the  sea-elephant  ou 
its  shores.  As  long  ago  as  1849  Captain  Thomas  Long,  then  of 
the  Charles  Carroll,  reported  to  the  owners  of  his  ship  that  be 
had  seen  land  from  the  masthead,  while  sailing  south  of  Keryu- 
elen's  Land ;  but  Captain  Head  has  received  the  credit  of  the 
discovery,  although  he  did  not  land  upon  the  island.  The  iiiau 
who  first  did  this  was  Captain  E.  Darwin  Rogers.  He  was  on 
a  cruise  after  sperm  whale;  his  ship  was  the  Corinthian,  and  be 
had  three  tenders ;  and  his  employers  were  Perkins  and  ISinitb 
— the  same  Smith  heretofore  mentioned.  Captain  Eogers  com- 
memorated his  success  by  an  onslaught  upon  the  sea-elephants, 
which  he  found  very  numerous  on  the  shore ;  and  after  secuiin;,' 
four  hundred  barrels  of  oil,  improved  the  first  opportunity  to 
inform  his  emjdoye'.s  of  what  he  had  done,  urging  them  not 
only  to  keep  the  information  secret,  but  to  dispatch  another  ves- 
sel to  the  newly  discovered  island The  firm  purchased  ii 

ship  at  once,  Cai>tain  Smith  took  command,  and  sailed  for  Heard's 
Island.  With  Captain  Darwin  Rogers  as  his  right-hand  mau  be 
fully  explored  the  island,  named  all  its  headlands  and  bays 
and  other  prominent  features,  made  a  map  of  it,  and  succeeded 
in  filling  all  his  vessels  with  oil.  Two  exploits  which  he  per- 
formed with  the  assistance  of  his  several  crews,  are  worth  m  u- 
tioning: — At  one  point,  which  he  called  the  Seal  Rookery,  tbey 
slaughtered  five  hundred  of  these  animals,  and  as  was  after- 
ward found,  thereby  exterminated  the  race  in  that  locality ;  and 
they  performed  the  marvelous  labor  of  rolling  three  thousand 
barrels  of  elephant  oil  a  distance  of  three  miles,  across  a  neck  of 
the  island,  from  one  hore  to  another,  where  their  vessel  was 
anchored.  The  ship  which  he  himself  commanded  returned  in 
safety  to  New  Lon<lon  with  a  cargo  of  oil  valued  at  $130,000, 
one-half  of  which  was  his  own  property." 

Continuing  the  account  he  says : — "  The  number  of  the.se  aui 
mals  which  annuallj-  resort  to  Heard's  Island,  coming  from 
unknown  regions,  is  truly  immense.  In  former  times  the  men 
who  hunted  them  invariably  spared  all  the  cubs  they  met  with, 
but  in  these  latter  days  the  young  and  old  are  slaughtered  in 
discriminately.  We  can  give  no  figures  as  to  the  total  yield  of 
elephant  oil  in  this  particular  locality,  but  we  know  that  tlic 
men  who  follow  the  business  lead  a  most  fatiguing  an<l  wild 
life,  and  well  deserve  the  largest  profits  they  can  make.  Wliilo 
Kerguelen's  Land  is  the  place  where  the  ships  of  the  elephant 


■■■<  tVi 
:  If'. 


SEAL-HUNTING — SOUTHERN  SEAS. 


521 


hunters  spend  the  snniPier  months,  whicli  season  is  htenilly  the 
^viiiter  of  their  discontent,'  it  is  upon  Heard's  Ishuid  that  the 
niainnioth  game  is  chiefly,  if  not  exchisively,  found.  Then  it  is 
tliiit  the  gang  of  men  have  the  hardihood  to  huikl  themselves 
rude  cabins  u])on  the  ishuid,  and  there  spend  the  entire  winter. 
Among  those  wlio  first  exiled  themselves  to  this  land  of  fogs 
and  snow  and  stormy  winds,  was  one  Ca^  tain  Henry  Rogers, 
then  serving  as  first  mate,  and  from  his  journal,  which  he  kept 
during  this  period,  we  may  obtain  a  realizing  sense  of  the  lone- 
liness and  hardshi])s  of  the  life  to  which  Americans,  for  the 
love  of  gain,  willingly  subje.t  themselves  in  the  far-off  Indian 
Ocean. 

'^  Having  taken  a  glance  [in  previous  portions  of  the  paper  not 
here  (pioted]  at  the  leading  men  who  identified  themselves  with 
the  Desolation  Islands,  and  also  at  the  physical  peculiarities  of 
those  islands,  we  proi)ose  to  conclude  this  paper  with  a  run- 
ning account  of  Cai)tain  Henry  Rogers'  adventures  during  his 
winter  on  Heard's  Island. 

"  He  left  Xew  London  in  the  brig  Zoe,  Cai)tain  Jas.  Rogers, 
master,  Oct.  20,  1850,  and  arrived  at  their  place  of  destination 
February  13,  1857.  For  about  five  weeks  after  their  arrival  the 
crew  was  kept  very  busy  in  rafting  to  the  brig  se^•eral  hundred 
barrels  of  oil,  which  had  already  b'  'u  prepared  and  left  over 
by  the  crew  of  a  sist<n'  vessel,  and  on  the  22d  of  March,  the 
wintering  gang,  with  Capt.  Henry  Rogers  as  their  chief  leader, 
proceeded  to  move  their  plunder  to  the  shore,  and  when  that 
worlc  was  completed,  the  brig  sailed  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Tlie  gang  consisted  of  twenty-live  men,  and  after  building  their 
house,  which  was  merely  a  square  excavation  in  the  ground, 
covered  with  boards  and  made  air  tight  with  moss  and  snow, 
they  proceeded  to  business.  Those  who  were  expert  with  the 
lance  did  most  of  the  killing ;  the  coopers  hammered  away  at 
tlieir  barrels ;  and,  as  occasions  demanded,  all  hands  partici- 
pated in  skinning  the  huge  sea-elephants,  or  cutting  off"  the  blub- 
ber in  pieces  of  about  fifteen  pounds  each,  and  then  on  their 
back  or  on  rude  sledges,  transporting  it  to  the  trying  works, 
wlicre  it  was  turned  into  the  precious  oil.  Not  a  day  was  per- 
mitted to  pass  without  'bringing  to  bay'  "^  ^Htle  game,  and  the 
number  of  elei)hants  killed  ranged  from  tl  rue  to  as  high  a  figure 
as  forty.  According  to  the  record,  if  one  day  out  of  thirty  haj)- 
pened  to  be  bright  and  pleasant,  the  men  were  thankful ;  for  the 
I'cguJarity  with  which  rain  followed  snow,  and  the  fogs  were 


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FAMILY    PHOCID^.. 


blown  about  by  high  winds,  was  monotonous  beyond  concoi) 
tion.  .  .  .  Month  after  month  passi!d  away,  and  there  in  no 
cessation  in  the  labors  of  the  elephant  hunters.  Mist  and  snow 
and  slaughter,  the  packing  of  oil,  hard  bread  and  sad  beef, 
fatigue  and  heavy  slumbers — these  are  the  burthen  of  their  soug 
of  life."* 

METHODS  OF  CAPTURE,  ETO. 

The  methods  employed  in  capturing  Seals  vary  according  to 
circumstances  of  locality  and  other  contingencies.  In  the  fore- 
going pages  some  of  the  ways  and  devices  used  have  been 
given  incidentally  at  some  length  in  connection  with  the  ac- 
counts of  certain  important  sealing  districts,  but  the  general 
subject  of  Seal  capturing  claims  further  and  more  methodical 
treatment.  Although  no  very  rigid  classitication  of  the  methods 
employed  will  be  attempted,  a  convenient  division  may  be  made 
under  the  two  heads  of  "Shore  Sealing"  and  "Ice-Hunting", 
in  accordance  with  whether  the  Seals  are  taken  on  or  near  tbe 
land,  or  upon  the  ice-floes  of  the  high  seas.  While  the  former 
may  be  carried  on  partly  in  boats,  the  latter  requires  vessels 
especially  equipped  for  protracted  voyages. 

I.  Shore- Hunting. — The  capture  of  Seals  on  or  near  the 
land  is  accomplished  in  various  ways,  as  by  the  use  of  nets,  the 
rifle,  the  sealing-club,  the  lance,  the  harpoon,  etc.  While  the 
use  of  nets  is  necessarily  restricted  to  the  shore,  the  club,  the 
rifle,  and  the  lance  are  the  common  implements  of  destruction 
used  also  on  the  ice-floes.  The  metliods  employed  in  shore- 
hunting  vary  also  with  the  species  pursued  and  with  the  sea 
son  of  the  year.  The  capture  of  Seals  by  use  of  the  harpoon  is 
mainly  i)ractised  Ly  the  Esquimaux  and  other  northern  tribes, 
and  may  be  termed — 

J .  The  Greenland  method. — In  Greenland  about  one-sixth  of 
the  catch  is  taken  in  nets,  and  the  remainder  with  the  harpoon 
and  giui.  The  Esquimaux  method  of  capturing  Seals  with  the 
harpoon,  has  been  often  described  by  arctic  voyagers,  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  which,  as  still  practised  by  the  Greenlanders, 
is  here  transcribed  from  Dr.  Rink's  late  work  on  "Danish  Green 
land".  He  says,  "The  art  of  catchii.g  seals  by  the  harpoon 
and  bladder  is  still  pursued  in  Greenland  exactly  in  the  same 
way  as  before  Europeans  had  settled  there,  without  the  least 

*  Forest  and  Stream  (iH'W8pai)or),  vol.  xi,  pp.  437,  4H8,  Jan.  2,  1S79.  A  vi'iy 
good  account  of  8oa-EU'i)hant  hnutiiig  iiiUiy  also  be  found  in  Cii]»taiii  Sriuii- 
moil's  "Marine  Maiumals  of  tlio  NoitU-Wfsteru  Coast  of  Noilli  Aim  ilea.'' 
pp.  119-12;$. 


V: 


METHODS    OF    CAPTURE SEAL-NETS. 


523 


chiiuge  01*  improvement;    and  though  some  other  means  of 

ca])tiire  have  been  added,  ^nz,  the  rifle  and  the  twine-made  net, 

tlicre  is  some  reason  to  believe  that  the  abolition  of  the  ancient 

manner  of  hunting  seals  would  prove  fatal  to  the  welfare,  if  not 

the  (existence,  of  the  present  race  of  inhabitants.     Still  more  in- 

(lisi)enHable  to  them  is  the  kayak  or  skin  canoe,  fitted  out  espe- 

ciiilly  for  this  pursuit.     It  measures  upwards  of  18  feet  in  length 

and  about  li  feet  in  breadth,  and  weighs  about  55  pounds,  so  that 

tlu'  mau  on  landing  can  take  it  in  one  hand  and  carry  it  along 

with  him  up  the  beach.     .     .     .     When  the  kayaker  intends  to 

strike  a  seal  with  his  harpoon,  he  advances  within  a  distance 

ol  id)out  25  feet  from  it,  then  throws  the  harpoon  by  means  of 

a  jtiece  of  wood  adapted  to  support  the  harpoon  while  he  takes 

aim  with  it,  and  called  the 'thrower'.    At  the  same  time  he 

loosens  the  bladder  and  throws  it  off  likewise.    The  animal 

struck  dives,  carrying  awaj*  the  coiled-up  line  with  great  speed; 

if  in  this  moment  the  line  happens  to  become  entangled  with 

some  part  of  the  kayak,  or  if  the  bladder  is  not  discharged  quick 

enough,  the  kayaker  in  most  cases  will  be  capsized  without  any 

chance  of  saving  his  life  by  rising  again.    But  if  the  operation 

lias  been  entirely  successful,  the  bladder  moving  on  the  surface 

of  the  water  indicates  the  track  of  the  animal  underneath  it, 

and  the  hunter  follows  it  with  the  large  lance  which  he  throws 

like  the  harpoon  when  the  seal  appears  above  the  water,  repeat- 

iug  the  same  several  times,  the  lance  always  disengaging  itself 

and  floating  on  the  surface.    Finally,  when  the  convulsions  of 

the  animal  are  subsiding,  he  rows  close  up  to  it  and  kills  it 

witli  the  small  hand-spear  or  knife."  * 

2.  By  means  of  nets. — The  capture  of  Seals  in  nets  is  mainly 
limited  to  the  periodical  visits  of  the  migratory  species  to  the 
shore,  and  occurs  chiefly  during  spring  and  fall.  At  some 
points  on  the  northern  shores  of  Europe,  and  particularly  in  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia,  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  Lake  Baikal,  sealing 
nets  have  been  in  use  for  centuries,  and  are  set  either  from  the 
shore  or  beneath  the  ice.  Cneiff,  in  his  account  of  Seal-hunt- 
ius  in  East  Bothnia,t  published  originally  in  1757,  describes, 

'Dfiuish  Greeuland,  its  People  ami  its  Products,  1877,  pp.  113,  114. 

tlicricht  voiii  Seekiilberfange  ill  Ostb  )tbuii!u.  Vom  Proviiiciulschaffuor, 
Hcnn  .loliaiin  David  Km-ilf,  eingpgcbcu.  Dt-r  Kouigl.  Seliwedisclicn  Akad. 
il<  r  Wissi'iisc'h.  Abliandl.,  ans  der  Naturlohre,  Hausbaltinigskuiiat  iiiul  Me- 
t'liiinik.  aiif  das  Jalir  1757.  Ans  dem  Schwediscbcu  iibersftzt,  vou  Abra- 
liam(i()ttludf  Kiijjtuer,  etc.  19  Baud,  1759.  pp.  171-18().  This  is  a  detailed 
and  very  interesting  account  of  Seal-hunting  as  practised  in  the  Gulf  of 
Boiliiiia  alidiit  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 


■vt' 


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ill' 


524 


FAMILY    IMIOCIU^E. 


among  other  mctluMls,  the  use  of  th(!  net.  The  nvX,  he  nays,  is 
from  sixty  to  ninety  leet  in  h-ngth,  and  twelve  meshes,  or  about 
six  feet,  deep.  It  is  made  of  Unen  yarn,  spun  from  good  hemp,  as 
coarse  as  strong  sail-yarn,  except  the  lower  meshes,  whieh  arc 
mad(!  from  poor  hemp,  so  that  when  a  Heal  enters  the  net  and 
begins  to  press  against  it,  the  lower  meshes,  if  entangled  among 
stones,  will  easily  tear  out,  and  the  Seal,  feeling  the  net  yield 
before  him,  will  not  turn  about  and  go  out.  The  net  is  provided 
with  iloats  of  charred  fir-wood,  pointed  at  both  ends,  flattened 
beneath  and  rounde<l  above,  and  about  a  foot  long.  These  are 
plaeed  about  a  foot  apart  along  the  ui)per  edge  of  the  net,  to 
which  they  are  tirmly  bound.*  The  nets  are  set  in  the  autumn, 
from  Bartholomew's  day  till  the  ieo  closes,  and  are  used  for  the 
cajiture  of  what  he  calls  the  Bay  Sea-Calf,  whieh  is  tloubtle.ss 
the  coumion  Harbor  Seal  {Phoca  vitulina).  In  setting  the  nets 
two  are  commonly  fastened  together,  and  are  ])lace<l  near  rocks 
to  which  the  Seals  are  known  to  resort.  One  end  of  the  net 
is  usually  fastened  by  a  small  cord  to  a  large,  stone,  whieh  is 
placed  on  the  Seal  Rock,  the  other  end  of  the  net  being  ke])t  ni 
place  by  an  anchor  formed  of  large  stones  suidi  in  the  water. 
When  the  Seal  enters  the  net,  thinking  to  scrand)le  ui)on  the 
rocks,  he  immediately  thrusts  his  head  through  some  of  the 
meshes ;  when  he  finds  the  net  hanging  loostily  in  the  water,  lie 
winds  himself  about  in  it,  believing  he  is  still  free,  but  in  turn 
ing  about  to  go  back  he  finds  his  head  again  through  another 
mesh  at  the  other  end  of  the  net,  whereupon  he  thus  draws  the 
net  around  him,  and  so  becomes  completely  wound  uj)  in  it,  and 
is  held  a  prisoner  by  the  anchor-stone  and  line  till  morning', 
when  he  is  killed.  The  nets  are  placed  only  where  the  Seal 
Rocks  lie  to  the  leeward  of  the  li«nd.  otf  rocky  points  or  islands. 
If  the  rocks  lie  to  the  northward,  the  nets  are  laid  -hen  the 
wijid  "s  south,  and  not  when  it  is  north,  for  the  Seal  seeks  the 
sheltered  side  where  the  sea  is  smooth. 

Mv.  Lloyd,  in  his  "  Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl  of  Sweden 
and  Norway"  (pp.  420-424),  who  gives  an  illustration  of  the 
"  Stand-Niit "  from  Rosted  (I.  c.,  p.  420),  states  that  the  way  of 
setting  the  net  varies,  the  net  being  sometimes  placed  near  a 
''Skiil-Sten"  (Seal  Rock),  and  at  other  times  "across  a  narrow 
strait,  leading  to  a  bay  or  inlet  of  the  sea  that  is  resorted  to  by 


*  A  shorter  aud  Moniowliat  ciirlior  (li^Hcriptioii  of  th<^  Rt'ul  iitst  in  ^ivtii  by 
Liun<?,  ill  his  history  of  liis  joiinmy  through  Ooiaiid  an<l  Gothlaud,  in  1741. 
See  tho  German  translatiuii,  liallu,  17()4,  p.  2*^1. 


MirniODS    OF    CAPTUllE SEAL-NETS. 


525 


soiils.  Generally,"  eoiitinues  Mr.  Lloyd,  "  its  iunorinost  imd 
is  seciUHMl  by  iiieaiis  of  a  stout  roi)e  to  a  liea\'y  stone,  or  to  sea- 
weed, on  the  'Skiil-Sten'  itself,  wiiilst  its  onterniost  end  has  no 
other  fastejiinj"'  than  a  small  stone  of  Just  snlliei«Mit  weij^ht  to 
k('(']>  it  in  its  place,  that  is,  sunk  in  the  deep  water  beyond.  At 
otiiei'  times  the  reverse  is  th(M;ase.  Thi;  innei-  end  of  the  net  is 
iiltaehed  t()  the  'Skiil-Sten'  by  a  mere  thread,  whilst  its  outer 
extremity  is  seetired  to  the  bottom  by  a  hinivy  stone.  In  eitln'r 
case  the  inner  or  outer  end  of  the  net  is  left  in  a  measure  free, 
so  that  when  th«^  seal  strikes  it,  the  meshes  on  all  sides  may 
more  readily  collapse  about  the  animal,  and  tln^  more  violently  it 
struy^les  the  more  inextricably  will  it  be  fixed  in  the.  toils. 

"The  'StatHl-Nilt'  is  usually  set  in  theeveninj^-,  and  taken  up 
a^iiiin  at  a  i)retty  early  hour  on  the  following;'  day.  If  placed 
near  a  'Skiil-Sten'  it  should  b(!  to  leeward,  because!  the-  seal 
usually  mounts  the  stone  on  the  weather  side  at  night,  and  in 
tlie  morninj;-  takes  to  the  water  in  the  opposite  direction.  The 
('lian(!es,  therefore,  are  that  in  making  its  plunge  into  the  sea, 
more  (^sptH'.ially  if  its  movements  be  (piiekened  by  a  blank  shot, 
wliich  is  olten  tired  for  the  pur2)ose,  it  will  be  made  (taptive. 

"  It  oceasior  '1y  happens  that  the  seal  is  taken  in  the  net  of 
ail  (evening  when  about  to  mount  the  'Skiil-Sten,'  as  prior  to 
so  doing  it  is  in  the  frequent  habit  of  making  several  circuits 
round  the  «tone  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  if  all  be  safe, 
and  shoul'  it  not  observe  the  net,  it  runs  its  head  into  one  or 
other  of  the  meshes. 

"The  '  Stiin<l-Xiit,'  it  should  be  observed,  ought  not  to  be  set 
iiiih'ss  the  weather  be  fine*  for  if  the  wind  and  waves  beat  on 
tlic  ro<rk,  seals  will  not  take  up  their  night  quarters  there.  To 
lur((  these  animals  into  the  net,  various  expedients  are  resorted 
to.  Hright  lights,  as  is  known,  greatly  ex<rite  their  curiosity. 
A  tire  is  therefore  mad(i  on  the  shore,  or  on  a  rock,  in  rear  of 
the  'Skiil-Sten,'  which  has  the  effect  of  attracting  tiiem  to  the 
spot;  and  as  a  further  in«lucement,  their  olfactory  nerves  are 
ti('Id(>d  by  the  fumes  of  bones  and  other  strong-s(;ented  sub- 
stances, which  are  cast  into  the  tlames.  At  other  times  Kntar, 
or  s('al-f5ubs,  are  tied  to  a  line  within  the  net,  the  cries  of  which 
oftt'ii  attract  old  ones.     .     .     . 

"The  ' Sti\nd-Niit '  would  app«'ar  to  be  a  very  destructive 
•  iiinine.  We  read  of  as  many  as  fourteen  seals  ha\ing  been 
tak(iii  at  a  single  'haul.'  It  is  chiefly  the  young  ones,  however, 
that  are  uia<le  j)risoners.    The  old  ones,  let  the  night  be  dark  as 


li: 


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526 


FAMILY    PIIOriD^. 


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pitch,  would  seem  by  scout  or  otherwise  to  discern  the  toils ;  and 
even  should  they  get  entangled  in  the  meshes,  their  strength  is 
such,  especially  in  the  case  of  the  Grey  Seal,  that  it  mnst  be 
a  very  strong  net  to  retain  them  within  its  folds.  Odman  tills 
us,  indeed,  that  they  at  times  carry  away  the  net  altogether. 
*  A  man  of  my  acquaintance,'  ho  goes  on  to  say,  'related  to  ine 
that  he  once  captured  an  old  seal  with  portions  of  ten  ditfereiit 
nets  attjiched  to  its  bt)dy,  which  was,  however,  finally  se(!ured 
by  the  eleventh.  On  flaying  the  animal,  a  i)art  of  one  of  the 
nets  was  found  to  have  grown  into  the  skin,  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  others  were  in  a  state  of  decomposition.'  When 
within  the  folds  of  the  net,  the  struggles  of  the  seal  are  most 
violent,  and  as  it  constantly  endeavors  to  'go  ahead',  never  to 
retrace  its  course,  it  soon  becomes  so  entangled  that  the  captor 
has  difficulty  in  disengaging  it.  What  with  the  animal's  great 
exertions,  however,  in  its  endeavors  to  escape,  and  the  want  of 
air,  it  soon  becomes  exhausted,  and  when  taken  out  of  the 
water  is  often  found  quite  dead." 

On  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  larger  nets  than  those  above 
described  are  used.  Mr.  Carroll  says:  '<A  seal-net  is  usually 
fifty  fathoms  long  and  seventeen  feet  deep.  The  twine  they 
are  made  of  is  about  three  times  the  size  of  salmon-net  twiue; 
it  will  require  sixty  pounds  of  such  twine  t<»  make  a  seal-net. 
The  net  is  made  on  an  eight  and  a  half  inch  card."  Each  net 
requires  twenty  pounds  of  good  cork  cut  into  oval  pieces, 
pointed  at  each  end,  seven  inches  long  and  two  and  a  half 
inches  wide  at  the  widest  part.  These  are  placed  one  fathom 
apart  on  the  head  rope.  The  net,  with  all  its  attachments,  will 
weigh  about  two  hundred  pounds.* 

The  manner  of  using  these  nets,  or  "  seal-frames,"  is  thus 
described  by  Mr.  Eeeks :  "  Three  long  nets  of  strong  seal  twine 
are  required  to  construct  a  frame.  One  net  is  firmly  secured  by 
anchors  parallel  with  the  shore,  and  at  such  a  distance  that  the 
remaining  nets,  i)laced  one  at  each  end,  will  just  reach  the 
shore,  thus  forming  a  kind  of  oolong  figure,  the  longest  net 
being  on  the  outside.  If  in  the  spring,  when  the  Seals  migrate 
from  the  westward,  the  net  nearest  that  point  is  sunk  to  the 
bottom;  but  if  in  the  fall,  when  the  Seals  migrate  hi  the  reverse 
direction, — the  shores  of  the  island  running  nearly  N.  E.  and 
S.  W., — the  eastern  net  is  sunk.  Two  men  are  required  to  con- 
stantly watch  the  nets.  As  soon  as  a  herd  of  Seals  has  been 
•  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Nowfouuillaiid,  p.  155. 


METHODS   OF   CAPTURE — SEAL-NETS. 


527 


seen  to  cross  the  suukon  uot  the  top  of  it  is  immediately  raised 
to  the  sui'faoe  of  the  water  by  means  of  a  pulley,  and  so  fast- 
I'ut'd  iu  that  position ;  the  men  then  commence  shouting  and 
liiiiiff  off  guns  loaded  only  with  powder,  to  keep  the  Seals 
uikUt  water  and  cause  them  to  'mesh'  in  the  nets;  otherwise 
they  would  spring  over  the  nets  and  escape.  When  it  is  seen 
that  no  Seals  ris(5  to  the  surface  the  men  launch  their  boats  into 
till'  i)ountl  and  take  the  Seals  from  the  nets,  most  of  them  being 
drowned,  while  the  others  have  to  be  killed. 

•'  As  soon  as  the  Seals  are  got  on  shore  the  net  is  again  sunk, 
aiul  the  men,  or  others  employed  for  the  purpose,  occupy  them- 
vsi'h  es  '  pelting,'  or  skinning,  the  Seals  until  another  herd  is 
iuii»ounded.  In  a  successful  season  as  many  as  eighteen  hun- 
dred Seals  have  been  (!a])ture<l  in  one  of  these  frames."* 

In  the  Caspian  Sea  the  nets,  instead  of  being  anchored  to  the 
slune,  are  suspended  from  boats  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
litiid,  as  has  already  been  fully  described  in  the  account  of  the 
Caspian  Sea  Seal-hunting  (quoted  from  Schultz  {anted,,  p.  516). 
Lhtyd  also  states  that  in  Norwaj',  in  winter,  when  the  sea  is 
frozen  over,  the  seal-nets  a  3  set  under  the  ice.  "  Small  circu- 
lar holes  at  stated  intervals  are  first  cut  in  the  ice,  and  after- 
wards the  hauling  lines  attached  to  the  net  are  passed,  by  means 
of  long  and  forked  poles,  from  the  one  aperture  to  the  other."  t 
A  similar  use  of  nets  in  Seal-catching  prevailed  in  Lake  Baikal 
a  century  and  a  quarter  ago.  Bell,  writing  in  1702,  describes 
the  process  as  follows :  "  The  seals  are  generally  caught  in 
winter,  by  strong  nets  hung  under  the  ice.  The  method  they 
use  is,  to  cut  many  holes  n  the  ice,  at  certain  distances  from 
one  another,  so  that  the  fishermen  can,  with  long  poles,  stretch 
their  nets  from  one  hole  to  another,  and  thus  continue  them  to 
any  distance.  The  seals  not  being  able  to  bear  long  conflne- 
uieni  nnder  the  i(!e,  for  want  of  air,  seek  these  holes  for  relief, 
and  thus  entangle  themselves  in  the  nets.  These  creatures, 
indeed  commonly  make  many  holes  for  themselves,  at  the  set- 
ting in  of  the  frost."  t 

According  to  Bybowslci,  nets  are  still  employed  for  the  cap- 
tnre  of  Seals  beneath  the  ice  in  Lake  Baikal,  but  apparently  in 
a  somewhat  dift'erent  manner.    He  states  that  stxong  nets, 

'  Zooldfri.st,  2d  Ser,,  vol.  vi,  p.  2542. 

tTlic  Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl  of  Sweden  aud  Norway,  p.  42^. 

t  John  Bell,  Travela  from  Saint  Petersburg  iu  RuBsia  to  varioua  parts  of 
Asiii,  vol.  1  (Edinburg  ed.  of  1788),  p.  320.  (An  earlierGlasgow  edition  was 
published  iu  1763.) 


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FAMILY    PTIOCIDiE. 


iiiiide  of  horsehair,  are  iuscrted  through  the  Seals'  breathiuj,'- 
holes  in  the  ice,  and  that  iu  these  nets  the  Seals,  in  attempting 
to  reach  the  surta(!e,  become  imi)ris(nie<l.* 

•Mr.  Lloyd  describes  and  limues  another  kind  of  net  used  in 
the  cai)ture  of  Seals,  which  he  calls  the  "Li<;g-Nat".  His  de- 
scrijitiou  of  the  "Lifi-g-Niit",  borrowed,  as  is  his  ligure,  from 
Liun6,t  is  as  follows: — "It  is  attached  to  two  wooden  frames, 
one  at  each  end,  which  are  secured  to  the  bottom  of  a  '  Slciil 
Steu.'  To  the  uj)i)er  bar  of  the  innennost  of  the  frames  is  fast- 
ened a  Umg  line  reaching  to  the  shore.  When  one  pulls  at  this 
line,  the  net  is  brought  to  the  surface,  but  when  the  line  is  slack- 
ened, it  sinks  to  the  bottom.  The  net,  \  hilst  there,  is  altogether 
unseen,  and  the  seal,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  creeps  up,  tliere- 
fore,  on  to  the  'Skiil-Sten'.  When  the  peasant  sees  that  it  is 
asleep,  he  i)ulls  gently  at  the  line,  which  brings  the  net  to  the 
surface,  and  surrounds  the  stone  in  the  manner  of  a  quadrangu- 
lar fence.  The  aninnil,  on  awakening  from  its  slumber,  casts 
itself  headlong  into  the  water,  but  cannot  extricate  itself  from 
the  toils  before  the  man,  with  his  harpoon  or  other  implement 
of  destruction,  reaches  the  spot  and  puts  an  end  to  its  exist- 
ence."! 

3.  The  Seal-Box. — Mr.  Lloyd  also  describes  another  ingenious 
device  for  the  capture  of  Seals,  used  ii.  Xorway  and  Swedeu. 
He  says  it  is  called  the  ^^Skal-Kista^\  or  Seal-box.  "In  princi- 
ple it  is  the  same  as  the  so-called  Wo tten- Oilier,  the  expedient 
commonly  adopted  to  catch  rats  and  mice,  viz.,  a '  balance- board,' 
placed  across  a  tub  of  water.  It  is  constructed  of  logs,  and 
square  in  form,  as  seen  in  the  above  diagram  [referring  to  a  iig- 
ure  of  the  "  Skiil-Kista"],  and  is  sunk  in  the  water  up  to  the  let 
ter  Y  [about  the  basal  third  being  submerged].  Large  stones 
are  afterwards  heaped  up  around  and  about  it,  especially  at  both 
ends,  so  as  to  make  it  resemble  a  'Skal-Sten'  as  much  as  possi- 
ble. The  trap-door  T  consists  of  an  oblong  flat  stone,  or  of  ])lauk 
ends,  and  swings  on  an  iron  bar,  the  extremities  of  which  rest 
on  the  side-walls  of  the  '  Skiil-Kista'  itself.  To  prevent  the  trap- 
door T  from  falling  too  low  there  is  a  spring  or  stop,  so  that  ou 
the  pressure  <?easing  it  at  once  resumes  its  horizontal  position. 
This  device,  a«  will  be  readily  understood,  is  covered  with  sea 

*  Arch,  t'iir  Anat.  n.  Phys.,  1873,  p.  124. 

tReiscn  (lun;h  Oelauil  niid  Gothland,  (^fc.    Aiis  dem  schwodisclieu  iiber- 
setzt.     Hallo,  1764,  pi).  20;^,  -^04,  pi.  1,  fig.  G. 
t  Gamo  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl,  etc.,  pp   424,  425. 


ii 


METHODS  OF  CAPTURE ---seal-hook;  "  SKRACKTa".   529 

weod,  and  when,  therefore,  the  seal,  tired  of  contending  with 
the  \vuv(is,  seeks  in  all  innocence  to  rest  its  wearied  limbs  on 
what  it  takes  to  be  a  rock,  the  trap-door  swings  on  its  axle,  and 
the  yawning  gulf  beneath  presently  receives  the  poor  animal; 
ami  as  the  aperture  through  which  it  falls  is  at  once  closed  again, 
the  trap  is  in  readiness  to  receive  others  of  its  comrades  who 
may  allow  themselves  to  be  similarly  beguiled."  * 

4.  The  Seal-Hook. — In  certain  parts  of  the  Norwegian  coast, 
aud  ])robably  elsewhere  in  Scandinavia,  the  writer  last  (luoted. 
tells  us  that  Seals  are  captured  by  means  of  barbed  hooks,  and 
he  depicts  the  manner  of  theii*  use.  The  hooks,  he  says,  quot- 
ing from  Kosted,  should  be  made  of  tough  iron  or  steel  of  at 
least  the  thickness  of  one's  finger,  with  shanks  some  eighteen 
inches  in  length.  These  are  fastened  by  a  half-hitch  to  a  strong 
horse-hair  or  hempen  line,  which  is  stretched  completely  around 
the  base  A  a  "Skal-Sten"  or  Seal  Rock,  to  which  its  ends  are 
firmly  attached,  ^'he  hooks  are  set  at  low  water,  and  in  mod- 
erate weather,  for  in  stormy  weather  the  Seals  do  not  usually 
repair  to  the  rock.  At  half-ebb  of  the  following  tide  the  rock 
should  be  reconnoitered  with  a  telescope.  "  If  any  of  these  ani- 
mals are  then  observed  to  be  lying  on  it,  a  blank  shot  (when 
the  boat  has  approached  sufficiently  near)  should  be  discharged, 
which  will  at  once  arouse  them  from  their  slumbers,  and  cause 
them  to  plunge  headlong  into  the  sea,  in  their  progxes^  to 
which  one  or  more  of  the  company  are  commonly  '  brought  up 
by  the  run';  for  though,  when  ascending  the  'Skal-  Sten,'  they 
are  not  in  the  slightest  degree  impeded  by  the  hooks,  which  point 
upwards,  and  are,  moreover,  slightly  cove'ed  with  sea-weed, 
yet  in  their  passage  to  the  water  they  can  hardly  pass  them 
unscathed."  i 

5.  The  ^^SkracTcta^K — Mr.  Lloyd  also  describes  and  figures  an- 
other ingenious  implement  adopted  in  Scandinavia  for  the  de- 
struction of  Seals.  This  consists  of  a  harpoon  enclosed  in  a  tube. 
The  tube  is  made  of  thick  sheet-iron,  two  feet  long  and  two  and 
a  half  inches  in  diameter,  with  two  fixed  heads,  one  at  the  lower 
and  the  other  near  the  upper  end.  At  the  bottom  is  fixed  a 
strong  spiral  spring,  which  propels  the  harpoon,  and  at  the 
upper  end  is  a  projecting  trigger,  pressure  against  which  serves 
to  discharge  the  harpoon.  Several  of  these  destructive  imple- 
ments are  inserted,  by  the  aid  of  an  auger,  in  a  "Skal-Sten" 


Misc. 


•Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowlj  etc.,  pp.  4iJ5,  426. 
tibid.,  pp.  4-26,  427. 

Pub.  No.  12 34 


•4 1  1 , 


fri! 


I :  tf  <  * 


HiPif  in 


530 


FAMILY    riloCIDiE. 


•  ;';• 


. .    r 


{ 


*.  1  i^-  ' 


■  -■■  '  •: 


f 


known  to  hi'  tlu'  H'sort  of  Heals,  aiid  di'tvr  Ix'iii;^  si't  an-  lij^lilly 
covered  willi  sea-wc^ed.  VVlicii  (he  Seal,  in  creepinj;'  np  on  tlit- 
r(M!k,  comes  in  (;onta<'t  witli  the  tii;;j;'er  tiie  liarpoon  is  released 
and  beeoMies  lodged  in  the  body  of  the  unlneky  animal.* 

(i.  OUicr  mrlhoih;. — In  shore-hiinliu^' the  lilleis  (tl'len  resorted 
to  when  other  means  are  nnavailin;;',  or  the  Seals  cannot  he 
a|»pr(taelied  .■^nllieienlly  near  to  l)e  dispatched  in  other  ways, 
'i  he  nsc!  of  the  harpoon  and  bladder,  as  employed  by  I  he  (iieeii- 
hinder,  has  already  been  (h'seril»e(l ;  bnt  the  hariMion  is  iilsn 
used  in  other  ways,  not  only  by  the  lOscpiimanx,  but  i»y  the 
inhabitants  of  Northern  ICnrope,  especially,  in  former  times,  in 
S(;andinavia.  it  is  employed  ma.iidy  in  winter,  when  the  hunter, 
usually  attired  in  white, steals  u]>on  the  Seal  while  asleep  on  tlic 
i(!e,  or  lies  in  wait  for  it  at  its  breathinj;-hole,  stiikinjuit  when  it 
«'omes  to  tin'  surface  to  breathe  The  Seal,  when  sti'n<'k  with 
the  harpoon,  is  allowed  to  descend  oeneath  the  ice,  bein;;  held 
by  the  line  atta<dn'd  to  th<^  harpoon.  Tim  Seal  soon  becoiiifs 
weak  from  its  struj-'jiles  and  is  (juickly  eom])elled  to  (!onn'.  to  the 
KurtiU'c  to  breathe,  wIumi  it  is  easily  dispatched  ami  secured. 

The  seal-club  can  of  conrs(^  be  employed  in  .shore-hunt in;; 
only  when  {\w  S<'als  can  be  su!'j)rised  at  their  faviU'ite  landing' 
pla(!es,  to  which,  as  alrea<ly  detailed,  they  .sometinies  re|)aii'  in 
herds  of  thousands.  At  such  ])oiuts,  S<'hult/  tells  us,  hundreds 
of  seal-hunters  <;onj;re^ate  by '  juearran cement  and  make  n 
cond)ined  attack  upon  the  assend)h'(l  lu'ids  (»f  Seals,  a|)proa(li 
in<4-  them  stealthily  from  the  s(?a  un(h'r  covei-  of  darkm^ss,  iind 
by  cuttiiif?  off  their  retreat  to  the  water  make  a  wlndesidc 
butchery  of  the  unsuspecting  multitude,  sometimes  desti'ON  iii^, 
it  is  said,  as  immy  as  fifteen  thousand  Seals  iu  ti  single  night. 
(See  anted,  \).  515.) 

II.  ICE-IIUNTlNft.  1.  Tn  the  (hiJf  of  Bothnia. — The  prosccu 
tion  of  sealing  voyages  in  ves.sels  es])ecially  (Hpiipj)e(l  for  tiic 
]mrpose  <lates  back  to  at  least  the  b(!ginuing  of  the  .seventeenth 
century,  l)ut,  as  already  stated,  attaincnl  no  great  impoi  tiincc 
until  near  the  close  of  that  century.  A  few  vessels  only,  evtii 
then,  visit'Ml  the  great  Arctic  .sealing- grounds,  but  in  the  Maltit: 
sealing  voyages  a])pear  to  have  been  for  a  long  time  i)rose(;nti'(l 
with  considerable  regularity.  Cneiff  has  left  us  a  very  partic 
ular  account  of  the  sealing  business  as  carried  on  about  I'JO 
in  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia ;  it  also  forms  one  of  the  earliest  (k 
tailed  histories  of  ice-huuting  to  which  I  have  seen  refercwc 

•Guuii;  Birds  iiiul  Wild  Fowl,  etc.,  pp.  \-Z7,  428. 


Si:AMN(i    IN    TlIK    (Jl'M'    OF    IU>TIIMA. 


TkU 


Tlic  spocit'H  filially  liiiiitc*!  scciiih  to  liiivc  boen  tlie  fiiiiy  Si'iil 
illidiclKiriis  jiri/intN),  this  Im'Jiij;-  IIm'  only  larj;(^  Sciil  IoiiikI  in 
iihiMHliUKH'.  in  tlios(^  wiitcrs.  A(;rorilin;;  to  this  writer  tlic  liunt- 
cis  were  accnslotned  lo  make  llicir  voya;;«',s  in  open  boats, 
iiiiiitc  li^lit  and  sti'on^',  and  al)out  tilty  tcct  in  length.  Tiio 
keels  were  sliod  willi  iron,  and  IIk^  boats  were  provided  with 
iiiiists  and  sa'ls.  I'hey  w<'re  aeenstonied  (<>  start  on  tiieii-  voy- 
ii;;(s  about  the,  L'r)tii  ol'  I''ebrnary,  several  boats  nsindly  keeping; 
ill  eoiiipany,  so  that  ifoneof  them  met  with  an  acrcidiMit  thej>eo- 
lileeouid  be  Nave<l  by  the  other  boats.  Ea(;h  boat's erinv,  says 
CiieilV,  nniid>ered  eij^ld  peisons, ainouf;  whom  were  a  (juptain  or 
master,  a  lielinsMian,  and  also,  in  oi'der  to  have  the  Ibod  (piiekly 
jirepared,  two  cooks,  the  one  to  provid*'.  water,  theother,  wood, 
(if  wliieh  they  take  very  litth;,  in  oi'der  to  keep  the  boat  lijiiit, 
the  wood  taken  consist  inj;'  of  a  sinj^le  lii'  sti<!k  about  a  foot  thick 
;iii(l  six  le(^t  lony.  Their  provisions  <'onsiste«l  chiefly  of  sour 
iireiid,  to  whi<!h  were  added  butter,  elu'cse,  smoked  meat,  and 
.silted  fish.  lirandy  was  also  taken,  but  tlie  chief  drink  was 
the  salt  or  brackish  water  of  the  f;ulf,  with  which  meal  was 
niiiiiiioidy  mixed  to  make  it  more!  palatable.  Kuvh  man  also 
inovided  himself  with  two  fidl  suits  of  elotlu's,  so  thath«M!ould 
(iiuiijic  in  case  he  fell  throuf^h  the  ice,  the  wet  (dothes  being 
ilried  lr»- sittiuf-'  on  them. in  the  boat.  The,  most  notewoithy 
iiitielc  of  clothinj-',  says  our  author,  is  a  skin  of  calf  leatlu^" 
witli  tiie  hairturiKMl  outwaid.  It  must  be  made  of  the  skin  of  a 
wiioliy  white  calf,  ho  that  the  Seals  may  not  so  readily  distin- 
nuisli  the  wearer  from  the  ice. 

Wluiu  the  time  for  dei)arture.  arrived  they  i)ut  into  the  boat 
ill!  Llioir  various  im])lementsand  {.-oods  and  launched  it  with  its 
wlieiiy  from  the  <'dj;'e  of  the  firm  ice.  If  there  chanced  to  be  a 
stieteli  of  o])en  water  to  the  southward  they  sailed  throu^di  it 
it'<  tar  as  jjossibh^,  for  in  this  direction  the  Gi'ay  Seals  were 
most  abundant.  In  case,  however,  there  was  new  ice  alonj^the 
«!}{»'  of  the  old  ice,  they  drew  the  boat  ovc^r  it,  each  man  pull- 
ing by  a  hair  roi)e  fasteruMl  to  the  boat,  the  cai)tain  holdinj:? 
tlic  boat  straij;ht  by  means  of  a  lonjf  pole  fasten<;d  across  it 
^^iiiletlie  others  drew  it.  This  luird  work  they  were  frequently 
obliged  to  perform  at  other  times  during  the  journey  when  meet- 
in}?  with  fields  of  new  ice.  At  such  times  the  heaviest  of  their 
tliiii};s,  as  the  i>rovisions  and  firewood,  were  left  behind,  but 
never  more  than  an  eighth  of  a  mile,  when  they  returned  for 
tlieiu  with  sledges.    Tliey  drew  the  boat  no  farther  at  one  time 


11 


r  i 


ffff 


532 


FAMILY    PHOCID^. 


(  , 


-¥l-ii 


for  fear  of  t'e  breakiDj^  up  of  the  ice,  which  might  separate 
them  from  their  sledges,  and  they  woidd  thus  lose  their  provis- 
ions and  other  ne<!es8aries,  they  having  learned  this  precaution 
through  such  losses.  If  the  new  blue  ice  was  too  weak  to  sup- 
port the  boat,  they  waited  till  it  became  stronger,  or  till  a 
strong  favorable  wind  enabled  them  to  sail  through  it,  in  case 
it  was  not  broken  up  by  the  waves.  To  protect  the  boat  at 
such  times  from  being  cut  by  the  ice,  boards  wore  nailed  uimiu 
it.  If  the  ice  was  not  of  great  extent  the  men  passed  along 
outside  of  the  boat  and  broke  it  through  with  clubs ;  if  very 
weak  and  the  wind  favorable,  they  sailed  through  it  without 
delay  or  fear.  Jf  on  the  other  hand  they  found  the  ice  strong 
and  comparatively  snjooth,  with  not  too  much  snow  upon  it, 
they  sailed  over  it,  the  keel  of  the  boat  being  protected  from 
wearing  by  the  iron  sheathing.  In  sailing  over  the  ice  two  nieu 
run  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  boat  and  one  man  on  the  wind- 
ward side,  who  keep  the  boat  steady,  while  the  captain  steers  it 
by  means  of  the  pole.  If  after  having  i)ursued  their  journey, 
by  pulling  and  sailing,  for  a  long  time  they  meet  with  uo 
Seals  on  the  ice-fields  to  which  the  Seals  are  accustomed  to  re- 
sort, two  men  from  each  boat  are  sent  on  in  advance  to  search 
for  the  Seals.  They  take  with  them  the  wherry,  so  that  they 
can  cross  any  openings  in  the  ice  they  may  meet  with,  and  also 
a  white  dog,  which  by  barking  gives  them  notice  if  it  discovers 
any  Seals. 

When  at  last  they  arrive  at  an  ice-fleld  on  which  there  are 
great  numbers  of  Seals,  the  men  hasten  with  clubs  to  kill  them. 
The  largest  of  them,  says  our  narrator,  are  so  courageous  that 
they  face  their  pursuers,  who,  if  they  do  not  kill  them  at  once 
must  get  out  of  the  way,  as  the  Seals  can  bite  veiy  severely. 
They  leave  the  young  ones  till  the  last,  as  they  are  not  shy.  If 
there  chance  to  be  a  great  many  holes  in  the  ice-floe,  so  that  the 
Seals  can  readily  get  under  the  ice,  the  hunters  creep  stealthily 
upon  them  till  they  get  near  enough  to  cut  them  off  from  such 
retreats,  and  then  aim  at  the  largest  of  the  herd.  Should  there 
be  a  great  many  Seals  on  a  small  ice-floe,  the  men  cry  like  the 
Seals,  and  creep  toward  them  on  their  bellies,  often  raising  their 
feet  and  striking  them  together.  But  should  there  be  hope  of 
getting  only  a  single  shot,  they  are  not  permitted  to  shoot  at  all, 
as  then,  certainly,  all  the  Seals  would  leave  the  ice  and  go  di- 
rectly into  the  water,  save  those  that  were  killed.  Those  Seals 
that  are  under  the  ice  are  not  alarmed  by  the  shooting,  and  a«  i 


SEALING    IN   THE    GULF    OF   BOTHNIA. 


533 


tiny  coino  out  upon  the  ice  are  successively  shot,  the  hunters 
nicimtinie  lieopin^j  up  their  cry  in  imitiition  of  the  Seals,  and 
eoiitimiin};  to  strike  their  feet  together  as  already  described. 
If  the  hunters  have  good  luck  they  in  this  way  secure  in  a 
siiif^le  day  a  large  booty. 

Another  very  common  way  of  securing  these  animals  was  to 
Wilt  eh  for  them  at  their  breathing-holes,  and  as  they  came  to  the 
surf iure  for  air  to  transtix  them  with  the  harpoon  or  "seal-iron". 
The  iron  being  fixed  loosely  to  tlie  shaft  the  latter  is  easily  de- 
tached when  the  Seal  descends  again  under  the  i(!e.  To  the  iron, 
lid  vever,  is  fastened  a  line  about  six  feet  in  length,  which  the 
Imnter  quickly  seizes,  and  allows  the  Seal  to  dance  about  be- 
neath the  ice,  the  barbed  iron  preventing  its  escape.  When 
the  Seal  becomes  weak  and  must  again  obtain  air,  the  lino  is 
(Iniwn  slowly  in  as  the  Seal  a])proache8  the  air-hole,  and  finally 
tlifc  Seal  is  <lrawn  out  upon  the  ice,  the  hunter  being  in  the 
meiiiitime  aided  by  his  companions.  At  other  times  the  young 
are  used  as  a  lure  for  the  capture  of  the  mothers.  For  this  pur- 
l)Ose  they  employ  an  iron  implement  having  three  barbed  hooks, 
oil  one  ol  which  the  young  Seal  is  impaled  alive.  The  mother 
bearing  its  cries  approaches  it  quickly,  and  immediately  em- 
braces it,  in  the  hope  to  free  it,  but  in  so  doing  presses  the  other 
barbed  hooks  mto  herself,  and  both  mother  and  young  are  dra  wn 
out  of  the  water  together. 

The  last  method  of  hunting  Seals  described  by  Cneifif,  as  adopt- 
ed on  these  early  expeditions,  is  the  following :  If  they  have 
not  already  secured  a  suflQcient  number  of  Seals,  they  seek  for 
them  on  their  return  from  the  south  over  the  ice  about  the  end 
of  spring,  when  they  are  then  much  more  surely  taken,  because 
they  cannot  so  readily  find  an  opening  in  the  ice  through  which 
to  escape ;  then,  if  attacked,  thej'  scramble  about  over  the  rough 
ice  in  search  of  openings,  during  which  they  are  destroyed  in 
such  numbers  that  the  sledges  are  soon  loaded  with  them,  and 
even  return  the  second  and  third  times  in  case  the  ice-pack  is 
large  and  the  Seals  do  not  reach  open  water.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pens, on  these  perilous  journeys,  that  a  strong  wind  breaks  up 
the  ice,  and  the  hunter  suddenly  finds  himself  on  a  detached 
piece  of  drifting  ice,  when  those  who  are  in  the  boat  must  turn 
to  rescue  him.  He  is  fortunate,  indeed,  if  he  can  bring  his  slain 
animals  with  him ;  otherwise  he  must  be  satisfied  to  save  his 
life. 

Thus  it  is,  says  Oneiff,  on  these  dangerous  voyages,  during 


i'^:  !: 

If 

f 

y*': 


r'M 


hit 


-mm'  „ 


m 


V'         i 


I':,;   ■ 


m 


'    ■■ « J  ; 


;n-  ;;'   i 


534 


FAMILY    PHOCID^. 


which  (hose  ])()or  i)t'Oi)le  iire  cxpo.sed  to  fierce  cold  and  .sevcro 
snow-storms,  uiidcr  the  open  sky,  they  havuis  no  protection  save 
that  ati'orded  by  the  sails  of  their  boat,  under  whi<;h  they  lie, 
for  it  a]>pears  that  they  have  not  even  the  comforts  of  a  liio. 
The^^e  ])erilous  journeys  occupy  commonly  two  or  three  niontlis, 
and  sometimes  more,  according  to  their  success  in  hunliiij;. 
remaining-  out  hiter  when  they  luive  a  long  search  in  lindhij"  the 
Seals,  or  are  hit.',  in  obtaining  a  full  cargo.  Sonn^times,  how- 
ever, wiien  very  fortunate,  the  voyage  would  be  com])Iet('(l  in 
five  weeks.  In  case  they  meet  with  an  abundaiu^eof  S<'a!s  tlie.v 
save  only  the  skin  and  fat,  throwing  away  the  tlesh.  On  their 
return  tlui  products  of  the  voyage  are  divided  equally  among 
the  ditferent  !)oats. 

It  would  seem  (hat  siu'h  exjMxsure  and  risk  would  only  be  un- 
dertaken un(h!r  the  incentive  of  large  prolits,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, after  de<bu'ting  the  cost  of  each  man's  outfit,  and  the 
value  of  his  time  if  devoted  to  other  pursuits,  little  is  really 
gained  by  these  arduous  and  dangerous  voyages. 

Later  in  the  season  (about  tlie  end  of  ]\Iar(;h)  thej  were  ac- 
customed to  make  a  second  voyage,  this  time  for  the  Wikare  or 
Bay  Seal  (apjiarently  Fhora  vitulina),  for  thisjiurpose  proceeding 
northward,  with  much  the  same  outfit,  and  in  nearly  the  same 
manner  as  on  the  earlier  voyage.  These  later  voyages  seem  to 
have  been  equally  beset  with  (hiiiger,  fifteen  boats,  as  Cneilt 
tells  us,  being  lost  at  one  time.* 

2.  Off  the  coaat  of  Newfoundland. — The  season  for  "  ice-hunting'' 
begins  at  the  Newfoundland  "sealing-grounds"  about  the  lirst 
of  March  and  continues  for  about  two  months.  The  Seals  arc 
then  on  the  ice-floes  at  \  considerable  distance  from  land,'  ottcn 
several  hundred  miles.  The  same  vessel,  however,  sometimes 
makes  two,  and  on  rare  occasions  three,  vovages  during  the 
season.  Formerly  (flfly  years  ago)  vessels  engaged  in  sealiiig 
rarely  left  port  before  March  17,  but  more  recently  have  sailed 
by  the  first  of  that  month,  and  sometimes  during  the  last  days 
of  February,    This,  Mr.  Carroll  claims,  is  too  early,  and  tends 

*  Alsr-'tjicd  I'nuii  Ciioiir's  "  ({("iclir  voin  .Seckiillx'rfiiif^o  in  Ostbollinicu. " 
Abhaiull.  (Icr  K  innl.  Schwcd  \,  mi.  dcr  VViHsciiHch.  19  IJiuid,  17')!),  ii|)  1*4- 
183.  Lloyd,  in  !tis  "Gauio  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl  of  Swddeu  and  Ninway" 
(pp.  433-'14y)  gives  a  very  similar  account  of  what  }>uri»ortsto  hv  r  liistory 
of  Sfial-hnntin-;  in  llic  Gnlf  of  .''otiinia  in  nu'cnt  timoa  (186(5),  1)ut  liisn - 
count  is  littlo  luuro  than  a  i)ariii)hru.s<.'  of  the  forcgoinj;-,  although  C'nciU'i^  mtl 
cited  in  this  councctiou.  Here  anil  there  additional  details  are  given,  but 
iu  the  main  Lloyd's  account  is  substantially  the  same  as  Cuciff's. 


if 


lOJ 


W 


METHODS    OV   CAPTURE NEWFOUNDLAND    SEALING.    535 

;;r(!ii(lv  to  the  dotriiiuMi  of  the  interests  of  the  sesilors  them- 
selves,  as  they  thus  disturb  the  Seals  at  a  time  .vlieii  they  should 
lie  left  ill  peace,  or  before  the  "wheli);iif'-time"  is  over.  He 
stioiiyly  advocates  the  i)rohibitioii  by  {^ovcrniiHMitof  the  depar- 
nirt'  of  any  vessels  for  the  sealin^-^rouiids  betbre  March  5  to 
1(1.  ;nid  of  steamers  before;  the  lOth  to  the  lath  of  the  same 
iiioiitli,  sine(;  ollif-iwise,  he  observes,  "the  seal-lishery  of  New- 
louiidland  may  soon,  and  very  soon,  dwindle  away  to  such  a 
cliaracter  that  it  will  not  be  worth  the  lisk  of  money  to  prose- 
cute it." 

The  "essels  emjdoyed  in  the  sealing  business  are  "pounded 
oil'  ill  the  hold,"  or  divided  into  small  (ioinpartments  to  i)ro- 
toct  the  j)elts  from  injury  by  friction,  as  well  as  to  preserve  the 
I'uifio  from  shifting.  TIk;  pelts  an;  allowed  to  thoroughly  cool 
liet'ore  they  are  stowed,  and  are  i>a(!ked  "  hair  to  fat  to  prevent 
the  lilt  fi'om  '  running.'"  The  owners  of  sealing-vessels  "  find  all 
till;  boats,  sealing-gear,  powder,  shot,  and  provisions,  in  consid- 
ci'iitidu  of  which  they  are  entitled  to  one  half  of  the  seals;  the 
iiit'ii  are  entitled  to  the  other  half.  In  steamshii»s  the  owners 
find  (everything  required  for  the  prosecution  of  the  voyage,  and 
I'oeeive  two-thirds  of  the  value  of  the  seals,  and  the  men  one- 
thinl."* 

The  \ oyages  are  attended  with  nmch  danger,  great  hardship, 
and  inicertainty  of  resi  Its,  a  "good  trip"  being  entirely  a  niat- 
tor  (»f  chance.  I^ot  unfrequently  the  vessels  become  "Jammetl 
ill  the  ice",  and  if  not  crushed  in  the  pack-ice,  may  be  detained 
for  w  e(;ks  before  being  able  to  force  their  way  to  the  ice-lioes 
which  form  at  this  season  the  grand  rendezvous  of  the  Seals. 
The  iffcidents  and  dangers  ordinarily  attending  a  sealing  voy- 
age, as  well  as  the  manner  of  capturing  and  disposing  of  the 
Seals,  have  been  so  graphically  set  forth  by  Professer  Jukes  in 
liis  entertaining  and  instructive  wo:k  entitled  "Excursions  in 
Newfoundland",  that  I  transcjribe  in  this  connection  i)ortions 
of  his  account  of  a  sealing  c;uise  participated  in  by  him  iu 
March,  1840,  in  the  brigantine  "Topaz",  Captain  Furneaux,  of 
St.  .John's,  Newfoundland.  Having,  after  a  week's  arduous 
iiuise,  fallen  in  with  the  ?'"ds  an«l  captured  a  few  young  ones, 
lie  says:  "Wo  soon  afterwards  passed  through  some  loose  ice 
on  wliieh  the  young  seals  were  scattered,  ami  nearly  all  hands 
were  ovcirboard,  slaying,  skinning,  a  '  nauling.  We  then  got 
into  another  lake  of  water  and  sent  out  Ave  i)unts.  The  crews 
*CaiToll,  Soal  and  Herring  F..shory  of  Nowfonndlaiul,  j).  9. 


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536 


FAMILY   PHOCIDiE. 


of  these  joined  those  aheady  on  the  ice,  and  dragging  either 
the  whole  seals  or  their  'pelts'  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  collected 
them  in  the  pnnts,  and  when  one  of  these  was  full  brought 
them  on  board.  The  cook  of  the  vessel,  and  my  man  Simon, 
with  the  captain  and  myself,  managed*  the  vessel,  circumnavi- 
gating the  lake  and  picking  up  the  boats  as  they  put  ofl"  one 
after  another  from  the  edge  of  the  ice.  In  this  way,  when  it 
became  too  dark  to  do  any  more,  we  found  we  had  got  three 
hundred  seals  on  board,  and  the  deck  was  one  great  shambles. 
When  piled  in  a  heap  together  the  young  seals  looked  like  so 
many  lambs,  and  when  occasionally,  from  out  of  the  bloody  and 
dirty  mass  of  carcasses,  one  poor  wretch  still  alive  would  lift  up 
its  face  and  begin  to  flounder  about,  1  could  stand  it  no  longer; 
and  arming  myself  with  a  hand-spike,  I  proceeded  to  knock  on 
the  head  and  put  out  of  their  misery  all  in  whom  I  saw  signs 
of  life.  After  dark  we  left  the  lake  and  got  jammed  in  a  field 
of  ice,  with  the  wind  blowing  strong  from  the  north-west.  The 
watch  was  employed  in  skinning  those  seals  which  werebrouglit 
on  board  whole,  and  throwing  away  the  carcass.  In  skinning, 
a  cut  is  made  through  the  fat  to  the  flesh,  a  thickness  generally 
of  about  three  inchcKS,  along  the  whole  length  of  the  belly  from 
the  throat  to  the  tail.  The  legs,  or  'tippers,'  and  also  the  head, 
are  then  drawn  out  from  the  inside  and  the  skin  is  laid  out 
flat  and  entire,  with  the  layer  of  fat  or  blubber  firmly  adhering 
to  it,  and  the  skin  in  this  state  is  called  the  '  pelt,'  and  some- 
times the  '  sculp.'  it  is  generally  about  three  feet  long  and  two 
and  a  half  wide,  and  weighs  from  thirty  to  fifty  pounds.  The 
carcass  when  turned  out  of  its  warm  covering  is  light  and  slim, 
and,  except  such  parts  as  are  preserved  for  eating,  is  tTirown 
away." 

The  next  day,  continues  Mr.  Jukes,  as  soon  as  it  was  light, 
"all  hands  were  overboard  on  the  ice,  and  the  whole  of  the  day 
was  employed  in  slaughtering  young  seals  in  all  directions  and 
hauling  their  pelts  to  the  vessel.  The  day  [March  13]  was  clear 
and  cold,  with  a  strong  north-west  wind  blowing,  and  occasiou- 
ally  the  vessel  made  good  way  through  the  ice,  the  men  follow 
ing  her  and  clearing  off  the  seals  on  each  side  as  we  went  alonj;. 
The  young  seals  lie  dispersed  hej-e  and  there  on  the  ice,  bask- 
ing in  the  sun,  and  often  sheltered  by  thj -rough  blocks  and 
piles  of  ice,  covered  with  snow.  Six  or  eight  may  sometimes 
be  seen  within  a  space  of  twenty  yards  square.  The  men,  armed 
with  a  gaff  and  a  hauling  rope  slung  over  their  shoulderw,  dis 


Wml 


METHODS    OF    CAPTURE NEWFOUNDLAND    SEALING.     537 

jjcrse  about  ou  tlie  ice,  and  wheuever  tliey  find  a  seal  strilie  it 
a  heavy  blow  in  the  head,  which  either  stuns  the  animal  or  kills 
it  outright.  Having  killed  or  at  least  stunned  all  they  see 
within  a  short  distance,  they  skin,  or,  as  they  call  it,  'sculp' 
them  with  a  broad  clasp-knife,  called  a  sculping-knife,  and 
making  two  holes  along  t lie  edge  of  each  side  of  the  skin  they 
lay  them  one  over  another,  passing  the  rope  through  the  nose 
of  eaci:  pelt  and  hieing  it  through  the  side  holes,  in  such  a  mau- 
uer  that  when  pidled  tight  it  draws  them  into  a  compact  bun- 
dle. Fastening  the  gaff  in  this  bundle,  they  then  put  the  rope 
over  the  shoulder,  and  liaul  it  away  over  the  ice  to  the  vessel. 
Ill  this  way  they  bring  in  bundles  of  pelts,  three,  six,  or  even 
se\'en  at  a  time,  and  sometimes  from  a  distance  of  two  miles. 
Six  pelts,  however,  is  reckoned  a  very  heavy  load  to  drag  over 
the  rough  and  broken  ice,  leaping  from  pan  to  pan,  and  they 
generally  contrive  to  l»eep  two  or  three  together  to  assist  each 
:ithor  at  bad  places,  (;i*  to  pull  those  out  who  fall  into  the  water. 
The  ice  to-day  was  in  places  very  slippery  and  in  others  broken 
and  treacherous,  and  as  I  had  not  got  my  boots  properly  fitted 
with  'sparable'  and  'chisels'  I  stayed  on  board  and  helped  the 
captain  and  the  cook  in  managing  the  vessel  and  whipping  in 
the  pelts  as  they  were  brought  alongside.  By  twelve  o'clock, 
however,  my  arms  were  aching  with  the  work,  and  on  the 
leeside  of  tlie  vessel  we  stood  more  than  knee-deep  in  warm 
sealskins,  all  blood  and  fat.  Some  of  the  men  brought  in  as 
many  as  sixty  each  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  by  night  the 
decks  were  covered,  in  many  places  the  full  height  of  the  rail. 
As  tjie  men  came  on  board  they  occasionally  snatched  a  hasty 
moment  to  drink  a  bowl  of  tea,  or  eat  a  piece  of  biscnit  and 
butter ;  and  as  the  sweat  was  dripping  from  their  faces,  and 
their  hands  and  bodies  were  reeking  with  blood  and  fat,  and 
they  often  spread  the  butter  with  their  thumbs,  and  wiped  their 
faces  with  the  backs  of  their  hands,  they  took  both  the  liquids 
and  the  solids  mingled  with  the  blood.  The  deck,  of  course, 
when  the  deck  could  be  seen,  was  almost  as  slippery  with  gore 
as  if  it  had  been  ice.  Still  there  was  a  bustle  and  excitement 
in  the  scene  that  did  not  permit  the  fancy  to  dwell  on  the  disa- 
greeables, and  aft^ir  a  hearty  refreshment  the  men  would  snatch 
up  their  gaffs  and  hauling  ropes,  and  hurry  off  in  search  of  new 
victims :  besides,  every  pelt  was  worth  a  dollar !  During  this 
tinn'  hundreds  of  old  seals  were  popping  up  their  heads  in  the 
small  lakes  of  water  an«l  holes  among  the  ice,  anxiously  look- 


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538 


FAMILY    PHOCID^E. 


iiig  for  their  young.  Occasionally  one  wonld  hurry  across  si 
pan  in  search  of  the  snow-white;  darling-  she  had  left,  and  whicli 
she  could  not  recognize  iu  the  bloody  and  broken  carcass, 
8trii)i)c(l  of  its  warm  coverinj?,  that  alone  remained  of  it.  I 
lircd  several  times  at  these  old  ones  in  the  afternoon  with  my 
rifle  from  the  deck,  but  without  success,  as  unless  the  ball  liiis 
them  on  the  head,  it  is  a  great  chance  whether  it  touch  any 
vital  part,  the  body  being  so  thicjkly  clothed  with  fat.  In  tiie 
evening,  however,  Captain  Purueaux  went  out  on  the  ice  and 
killed  two  with  his  sealing-gun  loaded  with  seal  shot.  Tlio 
wir  1  had  now  sunk  to  a  light  air,  and  the  sun  set  most  glori- 
ously, glancing  from  the  golden  west  across  the  bright  ex]»anse 
of  snow  now  stained  with  many  a  bloody  spot  and  the  ensan- 
guined trail  which  marked  the  footsteps  of  the  intruders  on  the 
peacefulness  of  the  scene.  Several  vessels  came  np  near  iis 
from  the  south,  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  notwithstanding  all  tlie 
slaughter  the  air  as  night  closed  in  resounded  with  the  cries  of 
the  young  seals  on  every  side  of  us.  As  the  sunlight  faded  in 
the  west,  the  quiet  moon  looked  down  from  the  zenith,  and  a 
brilliant  arch  of  aui'ora  crossed  the  heavens  nearly  from  cast  to 
west,  in  a  long  waving  line  of  glancing  light,  slowly  mo\ijig 
backwards  and  forwards  from  north  to  south  across  the  facjc  of 
the  moon.     .     .     . 

"  Early  iu  the  morning  [of  the  next  day,  March  14]  the  crew 
were  out  on  the  ice,  and  brought  in  350  seals.  The  nurnljer 
hauled  in  yesterday  was  1,380,  making  the  total  number  now 
on  l)oard upwards  of  2,000.  After  suffering  the  pelts  to  lie  opeu 
on  deck  for  a  few  hours,  in  order  to  get  cool,  they  are  stowed 
away  in  the  hold,  being  laid  one  over  the  other  in  pairs,  eacli 
pair  having  the  hair  outwards.  The  hold  is  divided  by  stout 
partitions  into  several  compartments  or  'pounds'  to  prevent  too 
much  motion  among  the  seal-skins  and  keep  each  in  its  place. 
The  ballast  is  heaved  entirely  out  as  the  pelts  are  stowed  away, 
and  the  cargo  is  trusted  to  ballast  the  vessel.  In  consequ('n<'t; 
of  neglecting  to  divide  the  hohl  into  pounds  in  one  of  his  earlier 
voyages.  Captain  Furneaux  told  us  he  once  lost  his  vessel.  He 
was  detained  on  his  return  with  5,000  seals  on  board,  by  stroi)}>; 
contrary  gales  which  kept  him  at  sea,  till  by  the  continued  jno 
tion  and  friction  his  seals  began  to  run  to  oil.  The  skins  tiieii 
dashed  about  from  one  side  of  the  hold  to  the  other  with  <"  cry 
roll  of  ^he  vessel,  and  he  was  obliged  to  run  before  the  w^nd. 
whicli  was  then  Idowing  from  the  northwest.     Tln>  oil  siuciiil 


^  I ;  f 


METHODS    OF    CAPTURE NEWFOUNDLAND    SEALING.     539 


from  tlio  hold  into  the  cabiu  and  forecastle,  floating  over  every- 
thing and  forcing  the  crow  to  reumin  on  the  deck.  They  got 
up  some  bags  of  bread,  an<l  by  putting  a  pump  down  through 
the  oil  into  the  water-casks  they  luanaged  to  get  fresh  water. 
After  being  in  this  state  some  days  himself  and  his  crew  were 
taken  out  of  the  vessel  by  a  ship  they  luckily  fell  in  with,  and 
carried  to  8t.  John's,  Xew  llrunswick;  but  his  own  vessel,  with 
her  once  valuable  cargo,  and  almost  all  the  vahuible  property 
of  himself  and  his  crew  were  necessarily  aban(h)ned  to  the 
mercy  of  the  winds  an<l  waves,  and  what  became  of  her  was 
ii('\  er  known.  This  was  a  good  ])ra('tical  lesson  as  to  the  proi)er 
method  of  stowing  n  cargo  of  seals,  and  one  not  likely  to  be 
forgotten.  In  the  present  instance,  therefore,  the  pounds  wei*e 
both  numerous  and  strong."  * 

In  a  few  days  more  they  completed  their  cargo  and  returned 
to  St.  John's  with  the  vessel  loaded  with  between  4,000  and 
5,000  Seals.  "'  It  was  a  very  good  season,"  I'rofessor  Jukes  fur- 
ther remarks;  '-one  vessel  in  two  trips  brought  in  eleven  thou- 
sand Seals,  and  tlie  total  take  this  year  [1840]  nmst  have  been 
(.'onsiderably  upwards  of  live  hundred  thousand."  t  Mr.  Iteeks 
states  that  in  186G  one  vesstl,  which  made  two  successful  trips 
to  the  ice,  brought  into  St.  John's  harbor  25,000  Seals.J 

To  complete  the  picture  here  partially  drawn  of  the  seal 
tisb(H'y  as  pursued  by  the  Newfouiullaud  seal-hunters,  I  quote 
still  further  from  the  same  author  respecting  the  scenes  iii- 
(ident  to  ai  sealing  voyage  of  forty  years  ago.  Under  date 
of  March  5,  Mr.  Jukes  writes:  "This  morning  was  dark  and 
foggy,  with  the  wind  at  southeast.  At  seven  o'clock,  after  mak- 
ing a  tack  or  two  about  an  open  lake  and  finding  no  channel, 
we  dashed  into  the  ice  with  all  sail  set,  in  company  with  two 
other  vessels  on  a  north-northwest  course.  The  ice  soon  got 
flniior,  thicker  and  heavier,  and  we  shortly  stuck  fa.st.  'Over- 
board with  you!  gaffs  and  pokers!'  sung  out  the  captain,  and 
over  went,  accordingly,  the  ma;jor  part  of  the  crew  to  the  ice. 
Tbc  ]iokers  were  large  poles  of  light  wood,  six  or  eight  inches 
in  circumference,  and  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  long.  Pounding 
witli  these,  or  hewing  the  ice  with  axes,  the  men  would  split 
tbc  pans  near  the  bows  of  the  vessel,  and  then,  iuserting  the 
cutis  of  |he  pokers,  use  them  as  large  levers,  lifting  up  one  side 
;)f  t!ie  broken  ]nece  and  depressing  the  other,  and  several  get- 

*  Exctirsioiis  ill  Ncwfouudland,  vol.  i,  pp.  27)i-2ii0, 

tlbid.,  p.  -.122. 

tZ(>i>l<)jriNf,  '2d  Scr.,  vdI.  vi,  1H71,  p.  2548. 


iii 


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540 


FAMILY    PHOCID^. 


ting  round  with  their  gaffs,  they  shoved  it  by  main  force  un- 
der the  adjoining  ice.  Smashing,  breaking,  and  pounding  the 
smaller  pieces  in  the  course  the  vessel  wished  to  take,  room  was 
afforded  for  the  motion  of  the  larger  pans.  Laying  out  great 
claws  on  the  ice  ahead  when  the  wind  was  light  the  crew  warped 
the  vessel  on.  If  a  large,  strong  pan  was  met  with,  the  ice-saw 
was  got  out.  Sometimes,  a  crowd  of  men,  clinging  round  the 
ship's  bows  and  holdhig  on  to  the  bights  of  ropes  suspended 
there  for  the  purpose,  woulf^  jump  and  dance  on  the  ice,  bend- 
ing and  breaking  it  with  their  weight,  shoving  it  below  the  ves- 
sel, and  dragging  her  on  over  it  with  all  their  force.  Up  to  their 
knees  in  water,  as  one  piece  after  another  sank  below  the  cut- 
water they  still  held  on,  hurrahing  at  every  fresh  start  she  made, 
dancing,  jumping,  pushing,  shoving,  hauling,  hewing,  sawing, 
till  every  soul  on  board  was  roused  into  excited  exertion.  .  .  . 
They  continued  their  exertions  the  whole  day,  relieved  occasion- 
ally by  small  open  pools  of  water;  and  in  the  evening  we  cal- 
culated that  we  had  made  about  fifteen  miles.  It  continued 
foggy  all  day,  and  at  night  it  began  to  rain.  We  had  seen  no 
vessel  since  morning — nothing  but  a  dreary  expanse  of  ice  and 
snow  stretching  away  into  the  misty  horizon."  The  next  day 
"the  wind  was  from  the  west,  and  the  sky  fine  and  clear.  Sev- 
eral vessels  were  near  us,  and  several  more  on  the  horizon.  The 
ice  became  thicker,  stronger,  and  more  compact.  We  made  a 
few  miles  in  the  morning  and  stuck  fast  the  rest  of  the  day  in  a 
very  large  pan  or  field  of  ice,  sawing,  axing,  prising,  warping, 
etc.,  etc.,  as  yesterday."  * 

This,  in  short,  was  the  hist'jry  of  their  daily  experiences  for 
a  week,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  first  heard  the  cry  of  tlie 
Seals,  and  entered  upon  their  work  of  slaughter. 

3.  In  the  Jan  Mayen  Seas. — Seal-hunting  in  the  icy  seas  about 
Jan  Mayen  is  conducted  under  similar  conditions  and  in  much 
the  same  way  as  among  the  ice-floes  to  the  eastward  of  New- 
foundland. Lindeman,  in  his  memoir  on  the  Arctic  fisheries 
as  prosecuted  from  the  German  seaports,  gives  a  pretty  full  ac- 
count of  the  vessels  sailing  from  the  Weser  ports,  selecting  for 
this  purpose  the  "  Hudson",  J.  H.  Westermeyer,  commander, as 
a  type,  and  not  only  describes  her  special  armature  for  iirotec- 
tion  against  ice,  but  her  general  outfit,  including  oflBcers  and 
crew,  the  weapons  employed,  the  commissariat,  even  to  tlic 
weekly  bill  of  fare,  the  "wat<;h",  and  daily  life  and  duties  ou 
*  Excurs.  in  Newfoundland,  vol.  i,  pp.  261-263. 


Pii'w 


METHODS  OF  CAPTURE — SEALING  IN  JAN  MAYEN  SEAS.    541 

shii)boiir(l;  and  tinally  gives  a  history  of  the  voyage  she  marte 
tlic  year  preceding  his  account,  a  brief  abstra(!t  of  which  may 
not  bo  here  out  of  place.  The  captain  assembled  his  crew  in 
January,  and  on  the  2l8t  of  February  the  "  Hudsou"  sailed  out 
of  the  Weser  for  her  Arctic  voyage.  Tlie  8th  of  March  found 
her  in  N.  lat.  71°  18'  and  W.  long.  .'P  8'.  On  the  evening 
of  tlie  9th  they  sighted  Jan  Mayen  Island,  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant to  the  northwest.  On  the  14th  they  encountered  heavy 
winds  and  a  turbulent  sea.  About  the  beginning  of  April  she 
reached  the  sealhig-grounds  ("Eobbenkiiste'),  the  Seals  being 
this  year  northwestward  of  Jan  Mayen  in  north  latitude  7l!°  and 
east  h)ngitu(le  2°.  Already,  numerous  vessels  were  at  the  place, 
and  on  the  14th  of  April,  at  3  p.  m.,  began  the  slaughter  of  the 
young  Seals.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  same  evening  the  "  Hud- 
son "  had  on  board  901  young  Seals,  and  on  the  evening  of  the 
following  day  the  number  secured  reached  2,171.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  days  the  crew  of  the  "Hudson"  completed  their  cargo, 
numbering  altogether  5,400  young  Seals,  which  yielded  620  tuns 
of  oil.  This,  with  the  skins  of  the  Seals  and  one  Whale  ("eia 
Fisch '),  brought  23,983  thalers,  gold. 

The  same  writer  thus  describes  the  "Seal-coasts"  and  the 
limit.  Under  the  heading  "Die  Eobbenkiiste,  der  Kobbeu- 
sclilag,"  he  says : — "  The  district  of  the  Seal-hunt,  if  we  may  so 
term  the  butchery  of  the  most  patient  and  submissive  of  animals, 
embraces  the  immensely  large  area  of  0,000  to  8,000  square  miles, 
and  though  called  '  coast'  is  really  no  coast,  but  sea  and  ice  aelds. 
Ill  this  area  one  comes  upon  immense  herds  of  Seals,  which, 
according  to  Yeaman's  account,  are  often  twenty  to  thirty  Eng- 
lish miles  broad.  The  English  call  such  herds '  Seal'vS- weddings ' 
or '  Seal-meadows.'  The  commander,  peering  through  his  spy- 
glass from  the  '  crow's  nest '  first  discovers  the  herds  of  Seals. 
He  shouts  the  order  'Over  all!'  The  crew  costume  themselves 
for  the  slaughter,  their  suit  consisting  of  gray  linen.  Into  a 
leathern  belt  fastened  around  the  body  they  stick  the  skinning- 
linife.  Each  provides  himself  with  ropes  and  a  seal-club,  the 
latter  implement  consisting  of  a  strong  stick  or  shaft,  having  an 
iron  point,  a  hammer  and  hook.  Soon  the  boats  are  lowered 
and  the  men  rush  into  them,  and  with  a  loud '  Holulu."  start  for 
the  ice.  The  killing  of  the  Seals  upon  the  ice  begins.  When 
tUe  Seals  are  dead,  the  skin,  together  with  the  fat  or  blubber,  is 
leraoved  from  the  body  with  the  skinning-knife.  The  cabin- 
boys  ('Schiffsjungen')  and  later  all  the  men  draw  the  skins  of 


liiil 


:ji|! 


m 


642 


J'AMILY    PTTOCTDiE. 


f 


the  '  doffs,'  as  the  Seals  are  called  in  Greenland  parlance,  with 
ropes  to  the  ship,  where  the  so-called  doctor  (or  barber)  receives 
them,  counting  them  as  soon  as  they  come  in  at  the  Flenmiot." 
The  rest  of  the  animal,  termed  the  'krang',  remains  on  the  i(^e, 
a  booty  to  the  birds  and  tlie  Polar  Bear.  The  success  of  the  Seal- 
hunt  depends  ui)on  quickly  taking  advantage  of  the  favorable 
moment.  The  crew  must  be  constantly  quick  of  hand.  Five 
hundred  to  six  hundred  Seals  may  be  killed  in  a  day  by  a  crew 
of  a  shij)  of  ISO  tons.  The  difficulty  experienced  by  the  men 
in  springing  from  ice-cake  to  ice-cake  to  reach  the  shi]»  again, 
is  not  slight. 

"  Hunting  irom  boats  or  vessels  is  comfortable,  and  is  rie- 
ferred  when  there  is  much  open  water.  They  spring  from  the 
boats  to  the  ice-floes,  kill  the  Seals  in  the  same  way,  take  them 
temporarily  into  the  boat  and  stack  them  on  the  first  suitable 
ice-floe.  The  removal  of  t\e  skins  from  the  fat  is  made  by  the 
oflBcers  on  shipboard  as  opportunity  may  favor.  In  this  work, 
folio  tving  an  old  Dutch  custom,  they  stand  in  a  row  to  take 
'a  little'  ("ein  'Liitjer'  genommen"),t  and  occasionally  divert 
themselves  with  a  song.  The  skins  are  fastened  by  hooks  to  a 
wooden  frame,  and  the  fat  is  quickly  removed  and  thrown  into 
tubs.  The  coopers  then  pack  the  fat  in  casks  or  iron  tanks  ia 
the  lower  or  middle  holds  of  the  vessel.  The  art  of  properly 
removing  the  fat  without  injury  to  the  skins  is  not  easy  to 
acquire,  and  upon  this  depends  in  a  high  degree  the  value  of 
the  skins.  I  hear  that  the  owner  of  the  'Albert'  has,  through 
a  slight  modification  of  the  share-money,  interested  the  men  in 
exercising  the  greatest  jiossible  care  in  removing  the  skins, 
in  order  to  secure  a  good  result.  The  skins  are  salted,  again 
counted  and  laid  away.  By  the  end  of  April  the  proper  Seal- 
hunt  is  over.  Old  Seals  are  rarely  to  be  obtained,  they  beipg 
very  watchful ;  however,  the  crews  of  the  Norwegian  ships  are 
excellent  marksmen,  and  by  them  many  are  shot.  The  value 
of  a  young  Seal  (fat  and  skin)  is  2^  to  3  thalers,  while  the  old 
ones  are  worth  twice  this  sum.":): 


*  Opening  in  the  side  of  a  whaling-vessel  through  which  the  blubber  is 
taken  on  board  in  cutting  up  a  whale. 

t  "On  such  occasions  the  Dutch  drunk  schnapsfroin  cups.  On  many  Dutch 
ships  it  was  the  cnstom  (•'  Branch')  or  much  more  the  bad  custom  ('  Miss- 
brauch')  to  take  the  schnaps-bottle  into  the  boat  with  them,  or  hang  it  by 
a  line  from  the  ship." 

t  Translated  from  Petermann's  Geog.  Mitth.,  Ergjinznngsheft  No.  26, 
pp.  81,  82. 


UANGERK  AND  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  SEALING  VOYAGES.  543 

Dangeus  and  Uncertainties  op  Ice-Hunting. — Tho  dan- 
{,'ors  and  uiuiertaintios  attending  ice-hunting  have  to  some  extent 
1)0011  already  indicated.  The  cliief  hiiidran<!es  arise  from  en- 
countering fieldice,  within  which  not  only  single  vessels,  but 
whole  tleets,  are  soraetiraes  held  prisoners  for  weeks,  constantly 
subject  to  danger  from  the  shifting  and  grinding  of  tho  pack- 
ice.  Among  the  many  dangers  to  which  the  ice-hunter  is  sub- 
jcctod  none  is  greater  than  that  arising  from  tlie  "rafting"  of 
the  i(!e,  which  is  especially  disastrous  to  steamships.  While 
some  vessels,  owing  to  the  form  of  the  hull,  will  "heave  out" 
uninjured,  in  other  cases  they  will  be  crushed  by  the  ice  pass- 
ing over  them.  In  general,  steamships  are  said  to  be  in  far 
groater  i)eril  when  jammed  in  the  ice  than  sailing-vessels,  there 
being  in  such  cases  "no  chance  whatever"  of  extricating  the 
fornun-,  while  the  latter  usually  escape  with  slight  injury.  Great 
danger  is  said  to  also  arise  from  large  masses  of  ice  being  car- 
liod  by  currents  against  the  wind,  when,  despite  every  exer- 
tion to  avert  disaster,  steamships  as  well  as  sailing-vessels  are 
wro<'ked  against  the  floating  islands  of  ice. 

In  illustration  of  the  danger  from  drifting  ice  I  transcribe 
iiio  followhig:  "In  the  spring  of  1871," says  Mr.  Carroll,  "that 
si)loiulid  new  brig,  the  'Confederate,'  with  an  experienced  cap- 
tain and  scA  enty-live  men,  as  fine  as  any  country  under  the  sun 
could  pro<luce,  left  Harbour  Grace  for  the  sealing  voyage.    The 
brig  was  driven  into  Bonavista  Bay,  jammed  in  the  drift-ice, 
until  it  struck  the  land,  seven  miles  to  the  westward  of  Cape 
Bonavista.    There  the  brig  remained  for  ten  days,  and  not  a 
wag  in  the  water  or  amongst  the  ice,  the  men  in  anxious  wait- 
iiij;  tor  an  ott-shore  Avind,  when,  without  any  apparent  cause,  a 
large  Hat  pan  of  ice  a  short  distance  from  the  brig  moved  slowly 
ouwiuds  until  it  struck  the  after  part  of  the  keel  and  whipped 
ton  foot  of  it  away.    So  keen  was  the  cut  that  it  was  not  observed 
umil  tho  brig  began  to  make  water",  and  the  master  and  men 
were  obliged  to  abandon  her.    "  Many,  in  all  probability",  con- 
tiuuos  the  same  writer,  "of  the  steamships  at  present  [1873] 
engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  the  Seal  fishery  on  the  coast  of 
^e\\ioundland  will,  without  doubt,  sooner  or  later  meet  with  a 
t'ato  similar  to  that  of  the  brig  '  Confederate.'    Sailing  vessels 
will '  heave  out '  when  jammed  in  the  ice  and  escape  uninjured 
wlion  steamships  would  be  squeezed  to  atoms."  * 
ijfot  only  are  the  sealers  exposed  to  dangers  from  ^ioaiiing  ice, 

*  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  p.  22. 


r  i.'j-' ! 


I^'lli  ^/' 


■  Si      i;. 


11  11' 


■ 


544 


FAMILY    PTlOClDiE. 


but  other  risks  attend  thoso  lumly  adventurers.  Although  tlio 
present  connection  is  not  the  i)Uice  for  an  extended  history  of 
the  disasters  incident  to  the  seal-tisliery,  a  single  incident  in 
illustration  of  the  danger  arising  from  sudden  storms  overtak- 
ing the  seal-hunters  when  absent  from  their  vessels  may  here 
ai»propriately  tind  place.  Scoresby  relates,  on  trustwortiiy  au- 
thority, the  folhnving  that  befel  the  sealing  fleet  in  the  Jan 
Mayen  Seas  in  1774: 

"Fifty- tour  ships,  chiefly  ITamburghers,  were  that  year  fitted 
out  for  the  sealtishery  alone,  from  foreign  ports.  Most  of  these, 
with  several  English  ships,  had,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  met 
together  on  the  borders  of  the  i(!e,  about  sixty  miles  to  the  east- 
ward of  the  island  of  Jan  Mayen.  On  the  29th  of  March,  when 
the  weather  was  moderate,  the  wliole  fleet  penetrated  within 
some  streams  of  ice,  and  sent  out  their  boats  in  search  for  seals. 
While  thus  engaged,  a  dreadful  storm  suddenly  arose.  So  sud- 
den and  furious,  indeed,  was  the  commencement,  and  so  tre- 
mendous and  lasting  the  continuance,  that  almost  all  the  people 
who  were  at  a  distance  from  their  ships  i)erished."  After  giv- 
ing a  detailed  account  of  the  loss  of  various  ships,  as  well  as 
boats'  crews,  he  says,  "  The  result  of  these  disasters,  when 
summed  up,  is  dreadful.  About  400  foreign  seamen,  and  near 
200  British,  are  said  to  have  been  drowned ;  four  or  five  ships 
were  lost,  and  scarcely  any  escaped  without  damage."  * 

Although  accidents  attended  with  such  great  fatality  are  for- 
tunately of  rare  occurrence,  doubtless  not  a  year  passes  without 
the  loss  of  numerous  A^essels  and  many  lives. 

Most  writers  who  have  given  any  account  of  the  Seal-flsh- 
ery  refer  to  the  uncertainties  of  the  catch,  owing  to  circnm 
stances  wholly  beyond  the  knowledge  or  control  of  the  sealers. 
As  already  stated,  a  good  trip  is  a  matter  of  chance  rather 
than  of  foresight  or  judicious  management  on  the  part  of  the 
master  of  the  vessel.  This  uncertainty  arises  mainly  from  the 
unstable  character  of  the  ice-floes,  which  vary  in  their  course 
with  the  prevailing  direction  of  the  wind  and  the  combined  ac- 
tion of  the  winds  and  currents.  While  the  Seals  congregate 
annually  on  the  ice-fields  of  the  same  general  region,  and  brinjr 
forth  their  young  with  surprising  regularity  as  regards  season. 
the  place  of  rendezvous  is  constantly  variable.  In  like  manner 
the  course  of  the  vessel  is  greatly  at  the  mercy  of  the  elements, 
or  under  the  control  of  wholly  unforeseen  circumstances.  The 
*  Arctic,  Regions,  vol.  i,  pp.  513-517. 


I' 11' 


SPECIES   nUNTED. 


545 


whole  matter  in  question  has  been  thus  tersely  presented  by  Mr. 
Carroll.  "  For  the  last  fifty  years,"  says  this  experii»nced  writer, 
"1  have  been  from  time  to  time  well  iin<l  intimately  a<'qnaii)ted 
with  iee-hnntinfjr  masters;  nine-tenths  of  tliem  when  they  first 
took  eharge  of  iee-hnntinj;  vessi^ls  gent^ally  brought  into  port 
what  is  usually  termed  '  good  staving  trips.'  It  is  strange  to 
say,  but  not  the  less  tnie,  that  the  longer  a  man  takes  charge 
of  an  iee-hunting  vessel  the  less  he  knows  where  to  obtain  a 
tri])  of  old  and  young  seals.  Tn  a  word,  the  inosperity  of  a 
Rpiiling  voyage,  one  year  with  another,  depends  upon  chances, 
and  I  will  go  farther  and  say  that  three-fourths  of  the  heavy  trips 
of  seals'  fat  that  were  broiight  heretofore  into  port,  as  well  as 
tlie  heavy  trips  of  seals'  fat  brought  into  port  at  the  present 
day,  were  got  also  by  chance.  Spring  after  spring  I  have  known 
ice-hunting  vessels  to  get  Jammed  in  the  ice,  and  there  kept  so 
long  that  the  men  despaired  of  obtaining  a  profitable  trip  of 
seals.  Steamships  as  well  as  sailing  vessels  are  verj  often, 
owing  to  gales  of  wind,  obliged  to  run  into  the  ice  fo^j  safety, 
much  against  the  master's  will,  and  the  very  place  the  master 
wished  above  all  things  to  avoid  turned  out  to  be  the  very  spot 
where  what  he  was  after  was — plenty*  of  oeals."* 

Species  Hunted. — The  Seals  hunted  in  the  North  Atlantic 
and  Arctic  waters  belong  chiefly  to  four  species,  namely,  the 
Ilarp  or  Greenland  Seal,  Phoca  {PagophiJus)  grcenlandica,  the 
Rough  Seal,  Phooa  (Pusa)  foetida,  the  Harbor  Seal  {Plioca  vitu- 
Um),  and  the  Hooded  Seal  {Cysfophora  erktata).  The  first,  by* 
its  numbers,  far  exceeds  in  importance  all  the  others  together, 
afld  is  hence  the  chief  object  of  pursuit.  Two  other  species,  the 
Bearded  Seal  {Erignathtm  barbatiis),  and  the  Gray  Seal  {llnli- 
ch(eruft  grypm),  are  also  taken  when  met  with,  but  both  are  rare 
and  neither  enters  largely  into  the  general  product  of  the  Seal- 
fishery.  The  NeAvfoundland  Seal-fishery  is  limited  to  the  capture 
of  the  Greenland,  Harbor,  and  Hooded  Seals.  The  latter  is  not, 
however,  a  regular  object  of  pursuit,  but  is  taken  as  opportunity 
favors,  and  some  seasons  but  very  few  individuals  of  this  species 
are  met  with.  The  Harbor  Seal  is  taken  along  the  shores,  where 
it  is  i)ermanently  resident,  but  comparatively"  only  in  small 
numbers.  The  Rough  Seal  and  the  Bearded  Seal  are  of  con- 
siderable Importance  to  the  Greenlanders,  the  former  especially, 
more  than  half  of  the  Seals  taken  by  them  belonging  to  this 
species. 

*  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  p.  36. 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 35 


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FAMILY   PIIOCID^. 


In  addition  to  the  above,  the  Caspian  Seal  [Phoca  casinea)  is 
extensively  hunted  in  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  Sea-Elephants  on 
the  coast  of  Lower  California  and  in  the  Antarctic  seas. 

Abundance  of  Seals  at  particular  Localities.— Ee- 
spectiug  the  abundance  of  Seals,  particularly  at  certain  localities, 
and  the  ease  with  which  they  are  taken,  a  few  excerpts  may 
here  be  added  to  the  various  incidental  referenccK  to  the  subject 
already  made  in  the  general  account  of  Seal-hunting.  Mr.  II.  Y. 
Hind  states  that  "On  March  24,  1857,  large  ice-ftelds,  driven 
by  the  H.  and  N.  W.  wind,  grounded  on  the  coast  of  Amherst 
Island,  one  of  the  Magdalen  group,  and  were  found  to  be  a 
vast '  seal  meadow.'  Not  less  than  4,000  of  these  animals,  nearly 
all  young,  were  killed  in  five  days."  *" 

Drs.  Koldewey  and  Pansch,  of  the  Gernmn  Arctic  Expedition 
of  1809-70,  make  the  following  statement : 

"  The  whitish  colored  young  stay  on  the  ice  the  first  few  days, 
and  arc  then  killed  with  clubs  by  the  parties  of  seal-hunters, 
.  .  .  The  number  caught  by  a  single  Bremen  ship  now  some 
times  amounts  to  8  to  10,000  seals ;  and  one  may  form  some  idea 
of  the  war  of  destruction  waged  against  these  harmless  crea- 
tures by  man,  when  we  hear  that  of  European  ships  in  1808,  fivo 
German,  five  Danish,  tlfteen  Norwegian,  and  twenty-two  British, 
whicli  were  in  company  in  West  Greenland,  obtained  237,000."'* 

Mr.  Robert  Brown  states  that  in  the  Spitzbergen  Sea,  tbo 
Greenland  Seals,  at  the  time  of  bringing  forth  of  the  young. 
*  "may  be  seen  literally  covering  the  frozen  waste  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach  with  the  aid  of  a  telescope  from  the  'crow's  nest' 
at  the  main-royal  masthead,  and  have,  on  such  occasions,  been 
calculated  to  number  upwards  of  half  a  million  of  males  and 
females."!  It  is  little  wonder  that,  at  such  times,  but  more 
especially  after  the  young  are  born  and  rest  helplessly  upon 
the  ice,  a  ship's  crcNv  will  secure  several  hundreds  in  a  siu;j;le 
day,  and  quickly  fill  their  vessels  with  cargoes  of  ten  thousuud 
Seals. 

PRODUCTS. 

So  much  has  been  already  said,  incidentally,  in  relation  to 
the  products  of  the  SeaLs  and  their  commercial  importance 
that  little  need  here  be  added.  Of  chief  importance  is  the 
oil,  so  well  known  for  its  valuable  properties  for  illuminating 

*  Expl.  ill  Laliraflor,  vol,  ii,  p.  207. 

tGcrmun  Arct.  Exptul.  18;)9-7(),  Eiig.  od.,  1874,  pp.  (51,  6*-i. 

tProc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lon.,  1608,  p.  418. 


B.  'li 


•11?  i-    ■  ! 


PRODUCTS. 


547 


purposes  and  for  the  lubrication  of  machinerj'.  The  amount  an- 
nually obtained  falls  not  far  short  of  90,000  tuns,  with  a  total 
vahie  of  $1,250,000.  Next  in  inix>ortance  are  the  skins,  which  are 
nearly  as  valuable  as  the  oil.  From  very  early  times  they  were 
used  for  covering  trunks,  the  manufacture  of  kna,ps.ncks,  and  for 
many  of  the  uses  of  ordinary  leather.  They  have  been  exten- 
sively employed,  as  indeed  they  are  still,  for  the  manufacture  of 
caps,  gloves,  shoes,  and  jackets.  Of  late  many  have  been  con- 
verted in  England  into  lacquered  leather,  which  is  said  to  be  of 
a  .superior  quality,  being  beautiful  and  shining,  and  of  firm  text- 
ure, and  can  be  furnished  at  moderate  cost.  Tlie  skins  ditt'er 
in  value  according  to  size  and  color,  these  varying,  of  course, 
witli  the  species  and  with  the  age  of  the  animal. 

As  an  article  of  food,  Seals  are  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  nati\^es  of  Greenland,  and  the  northern  tribes  generally, 
they  deriving  from  them  the  greater  part  of  their  subsistence. 
They  have  beeii  found  likewise  not  unpalatable  by  our  Arctic 
voyagers,  whose  sustena-ice  often  for  long  periods  has  been 
mainly  the  flesh  of  these  animals.  The  Esquimaux  and  allied 
tribes  of  the  North  are  well  known  to  depend  upon  the  Seals  not 
only  for  their  food,  but  for  most  of  the  materials  for  their  boats 
and  sledges,  as  well  as  for  clothing  and  the  various  imidements 
of  t!ie  chase. 

Ill  respect  to  the  character  of  Seal  flesh  as  food,  and  the  im- 
portance of  these  animals  to  the  Esquimaux,  I  quote  the  follow- 
ing from  Dr.  A.  Horner,  surgeon  to  the  "Pandora",  who,  in 
"Land  and  Water"  for  December  18,  1875  (p.  475),  thus  refers 
to  the  general  subject : 

"From  the  length  of  time  these  people  have  inhabited  this 
lohl  country,  one  naturally  expects  them  to  have  found  some 
parti(;ular  food  well  adapted  by  its  nutritious  and  heat-giving 
properties  to  supply  all  the  wants  of  such  a  rigorous  climate, 
and  such  is  found  to  be  the  case,  for  there  is  no  food  more  deli- 
cious to  the  tastes  of  the  Esquimaux  than  the  flesh  of  the  seal, 
and  especially  that  of  the  common  seal  ( Phoca  vituUna).  But 
it  is  not  only  the  human  inhabitants  who  find  it  has  such  ex- 
cellent qualities,  but  all  the  larger  carnivora  that  are  able  to 
prey  on  them.  Seal's  meat  is  so  unhke  the  flesh  to  which  we 
Eurojieans  are  accustomed,  that  it  is  not  surprising  we  should 
luuo  some  difiiculty  at  first  in  making  up  our  minds  to  taste  it ; 
'Hit  when  once  that  diflBculty  is  overcome,  every  one  praises  its 
flavour,  tenderness,  digestibility,  juiciness,  and  decidedly  warm- 


n  ^m 


I      t, 


vM 


11  i 


;  1  '^i 


tj   I 


'::\;^l 


11 


548 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


ing  after-effects.  Its  colour  is  almost  black,  from  the  large 
amonnt  of  venous  blood  it  contains,  except  in  very  younj?  soals, 
and  is,  therefore,  very  siufjular  looking,  and  not  inviting,  wliilo 
its  flavour  is  unlike  anything  else,  and  c«  nnot  be  descri  bed  excci)t 
by  saying  delicions!  To  suit  European  palates,  there  are  cer- 
tain precautions  to  be  taken  before  it  is  cooked.  It  has  to  be 
cut  in  thin  slices,  carefully  removing  any  fat  or  blubber,  and 
then  soaked  in  salt  water  for  from  twelve  to  twenty -lour  hours, 
to  remove  the  blood,  which  gives  it  a  slightly  lishy  flavour.  The 
blubber  has  such  a  strong  taste,  that  it  requires  an  Arctic 
winter's  appetite  to  find  out  how  good  it  is.  That  of  the  bearded 
seal  {Phoca  harhatn)  is  most  relished  by  epicures.  The  dain- 
tiest morsel  of  a  seal  is  the  liver,  wliich  requires  no  soaking, 
but  may  be  eaten  as  soon  as  the  animal  is  killed.  The  heart  is 
good  eating,  while  the  sweetbread  and  kidneys  are  not  to  be 
despised. 

"The  usual  mode  of  cooking  seal's  meat  is  to  stew  it  with  a 
few  pieces  of  fat  bacon,  when  an  excellent  rich  gravy  is  formed, 
or  it  may  be  fried  with  a  few  pieces  of  pork,  or  '  white-man,' 
being  cut  up  with  the  seal,  or  <  black-man.' 

"The  Esquimaux  make  use  of  every  part  of  the  seal,  and,  it 
is  said,  make  an  excellent  soup  by  putting  its  blood  and  any  odd 
scraps  of  meat  inside  the  stomach,  heating  the  contents,  and 
then  devouring  tripe,  blood  and  all  with  the  greatest  relish. 

"  For  my  own  part,  I  would  sooner  eat  seal's  meat  than  mut 
ton  or  beef,  and  I  am  not  singular  in  my  liking  for  it,  as  several 
of  the  officers  on  board  the  Pandora  shared  the  same  opinion 
as  myself.  I  can  confidently  recommend  it  as  a  dish  to  be  tried 
on  a  cold  winter's  day  to  those  who  are  tired  of  the  everlasting 
beef  and  muttx>n,  and  are  desirous  of  a  change  of  diet.  It  is 
very  fatvenir^,  and  if  eaten  every  day  for  several  weeks  together 
is  likely  to  produce  rather  surprising  effects 

"Seal's  meat  is  a  panacea  for  aU  complrants  among  these 
primitive  people.  Our  Esquimaux  interpreter,  'Joe,'  had  a 
most  troublesome  cough  when  we  left  England,  and  was  con- 
vinced he  should  not  get  rid  of  it  until  he  had  seal's  flesh  to  eat. 
He  would  not  look  at  any  medicine  offered  to  him  on  board, 
but  shook  his  head  and  said, '  By-and-bye,  eat  seal,  get  well ' 
His  prescription  turned  out  to  be  a  very  good  one,  for  he  had 
not  long  been  feasting  on  his  favourite  food  before  he  lost  his 
cough,  and  we  heard  no  more  of  it.  For  delicdte  persons,  and 
especially  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  cannot  succeed  in 


PREPARATION   OF   THE    PRODUCTS. 


549 


'Hm 


'     ^  '.Ml 


making  their  features  sufficiently  attractive  on  cMcken  and 
cheesecakes,  no  diet  is  likely  to  succeed  so  well  as  delicate  cut- 
lets from  the  loin  of  a  seal. 

"  For  my  own  part  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  diiamu- 
lioii  in  the  number  of  seals  caught  near  the  principal  Danish 
settlements  in  Greelaud,  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  preva- 
lence of  consumption  and  other  diseases  among  the  native  in- 
liiibitants  of  those  places.  Seals  are  becoming  scarcer  every 
year,  and,  in  company  with  the  bison  of  the  North  American 
prairies,  will  ere  long  be  of  the  past,  and  leave  the  poor  Green- 
laiuler  and  Bed  Indian  to  follow  them." 

Preparation  of  the  Products. — The  Seals  being  captured 
iiud  brought  into  port,  their  subsequent  treatment  as  practised  by 
the  NewfoundliiTid  sealers,  may  be  briefly  detailed  as  folk  ws : 
After  landing  a.id  we  ^hing  the  "  pelts,"  the  fat  is  immediately  re- 
moved from  the  skii..  This  is  accomplished  by  extending  the 
pelt  on  a  table,  behind  which  the  skinner  stands,  holding  the  skin 
with  the  left  hand  while  with  a  large  skinning-knife  he  removes 
the  fat  with  the  right  hand ;  a  good  skinner,  it  is  stated,  being 
able  to  "  remove  the  fat  from  the  skins  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
Harp  Seals  in  ten  hours."  The  skins  are  then  salted  and  packed, 
with  the  flesh  side  uppermost,  and  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  are 
considered  cured  and  fit  for  shipping.  The  fat  is  reduced  to  oil 
either  by  maceration  in  vats  in  the  sun,  or  is  "  rendered  "  by  steam. 
The  latter  process  is  so  rapid  that  at  the  establishment  of  John 
Mium  &  Co.,  at  Harbour  Grace,  four  thousand  "pelts"  have 
beeu  "skinned  and  rendered  into  pure  Seal  oil  in  twenty -four 
hours."  Although  the  steam-rendered  oil  meets  with  ready  sale 
in  consequence  of  its  superior  burning  qualities  and  freedom 
from  disagreeable  odor,  it  is  less  free  from  smoke  than  that  ex- 
tracted by  the  agency  of  the  sun,  and  for  this  reason  the  latter 
is  preferred  by  the  miners.  "  Formerly  every  description  of 
Seals'  oil  was  entirely  manufactured  in  wooden  vats  exposed  to 
the  weather,"  the  vats  being  capable  of  containing  three  thou- 
sand to  four  thousand  Seals'  pelts.  When  the  fat  from  old  Seals 
is  mixed  with  that  from  the  young,  "  the  oil  obtained  is  some- 
what smoky."  When  drawn  off  from  the  tanks,  all  the  oil  ren- 
dered from  I.  e  fat  of  young  Seals  is  sure  to  come  first  and  is 
called  "pale  seal,"  the  other  being  heavier  and  darker,  and 
known  as  "  straw  color." 

From  Schultz's  minute  account  of  the  sealing  industry  of  the 
Caspian  Sea  I  transcribe  the  following,  as  of  general  interest  in 


m 
'I 


.i**! 


I' I '. 


ll; 


H 


..!■■ 


r- 


1      '  '  ■ 

:    ■  :    ■ 

lit 

■-iU 
dp 

4 


urn 


II' 


550 


FAMILY    PHOCID^. 


the  present  connection :  "  The  fat  adhering  to  the  skin  of  the 
seal  is  dofcached  from  it,  cut  into  pieces,  and  melted  in  caldrons, 
after  which  the  oil  is  poured  in  barrels.  This  is  the  simplest 
way  of  making  seal-oil,  and  the  hunters  often  emi)loy  it.  But 
oil  is  also  manufactured  by  steam,  in  establishments  built  for 
this  purpose  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Volga,  opposite  Astrachan, 
by  some  rich  merchants.  Thirty-five  'versts'  (about  twenty 
miles)  below  Astrachan  the  Sapojnikow  Brothers  have  built  a 
steam  oil-factory  at  the  '  vataga'  (fishing  establishment)  of  Ikri- 
annaya.  This  factory  is  particuhirly  busy  in  the  spring,  when 
whole  cargoes  of  seal-fat  arrive,  which  is  either  boiled  immedi- 
ately in  order  to  extract  the  oil,  or  is  safely  stored  away  in  cel- 
lars. These  cellars  are  long,  floored,  and  furnished  with  four 
ventilators  and  several  windows.  Large  oak-wood  tubs,  plated 
with  lead  on  the  inside,  and  capable  of  holding  700  'pouds' 
(25,200  pounds)  of  oil  each,  are  placed  at  intervals  in  holes  dug 
in  the  ground.  The  oil  which  runs  out  of  the  seal  fat  piled  up 
in  layers  flows  into  these  tubs  by  way  of  an  inclined  i)lane.    Th-^ 

oil  is  then  poured  into  barrels.  , Kalmyks  are  employed 

chiefly  to  detach  the  fat  from  the  skins.  They  spread  the  skin, 
with  the  fui'  down,  on  an  inclined  plank,  which  they  lean  against 
their  breast,  in  order  to  have  the  free  use  of  both  their  hands. 
Then,  armed  with  a  two-handled  knife,  they  scrape  the  fat  from 
the  skin.  The  oil,  which  is  pure  and  clear,  running  down  din- 
ing this  operation,  flows  into  a  reservoir  let  into  the  ground, 
holding  400  'pouds'  (14,400  pounds,)  and  forming  a  cube,  each 
side  of  which  measures  one  'sagene'  (7  fe«t).  This  work  is  ex- 
tremely fatiguing.  A  strong  and  experienced  Kalmyk  can,  how- 
ever, clean  500  or  even  700  skins  in  a  single  day.  The  workmen 
form  associations,  sharing  their  labor  and  their  gain. 

"  The  fat  is  then  melted  in  large  tubs,  where  it  is  exposed  to 
the  action  of  steam.  The  oil  flows  through  a  funnel-shaped  ap- 
paratus, and,  finally,  through  pipes  into  immense  oak-wood  res- 
ervoirs. There  are  three  such  reservoirs  connected  by  pipes, 
and  let  into  the  ground,  so  that  the  oil  from  the  first  flows  into 
the  second,  and  then  into  the  third,  from  whence,  through  cocks, 
it  passes  into  casks,  which  can  be  shipped  as  soon  as  filled.  Each 
one  of  these  reservoirs  has  a  diameter  of  3  '  sagenes,'  (21  feet,)  a 
depth  of  1  'sagene,'  (7  feet,)  and  can  hold  4,800  'pouds'  (172,000 
pounds)  of  oil. 

"  The  oil  thus  extracted  forms  the  first  quality.  The  second 
quality  is  obtained  by  melting  the  residue  in  caldrons,  and  by 


m 


M 


w 


NEEDLESS   WASTE    OF    SEAL-LIFE. 


551 


I  H 


pressing  it.  The  color  of  tliis  oil  is  dark  brown.  Before  the  res- 
idue is  put  into  the  caldrons,  capable  of  holding  200  'pouds' 
(7,200  pounds)  each,  it  is  thrown  into  a  receptacle  with  an  in- 
clined bottom,  and  the  whole  mass  is  stirred  violently  by  means 
of  wooden  shovels.  This  is  done  in  the  sunlight,  so  that  the 
heat  may  help  to  melt  the  mass.  This  receptacle  is  joined  to 
the  caldron  by  a  large  gutter,  which  is  walled  uj)  in  the  furnace. 
Through  this  gutter,  the  residue  is  led  into  the  caldron,  there  to 
melt,  which  done,  the  mass  is  taken  out  with  dippers  and  cast 
into  a  box,  which  is  then  pressed.  By  means  of  this  last  opera- 
tion all  the  remaining  oil  contained  in  the  residue  is  extracted. 

''The  oil  factory  of  the  Sapqjnikow  Brothers  formerly  man- 
ufactured about  100,000  'ponds'  (3,000,000  pounds)  of  seal- 
oil,  which  was  sent  to  Moscow,  where  it  was  chiefly  used  in 
leather-factories;  but  during  the  last  fifteen  years,  this  estab 
lisliinent  has  gone  considerably,  and  other  wealthy  Astrachau 
merchants,  among  them  Messrs.  Vlasow,  Smoline,  and  Orek- 
bow,  have  established  several  factories  for  the  oil. 

"  The  skins  of  the  seals  are  used  for  making  knapsacks  and 
for  covering  valises."* 


:ifll 


n  1 

!^1 ;  •  ' 

i;i|l| 

;     '      -Iffn 

*• 


WASTEFUL  DESTRUCTION  OF   SEALS. 

There  is  often  a  lamentably  great  and  needless  waste  of  Seal- 
life  at  the  Newfoundland  aud  other  sealing-grounds.     Mr.  Car- 
roll, in  1871,  pointedly  called  the  attention  of  the  government 
authorities  to  the  so-called  "panning"  process,  as  a  matter 
calling  for  statutory  regulation.     He  says,   "  No  greater  in- 
jury can  [)08sibly  be  done  to  the  seal  fishery  than  that  of  bulk- 
ing seals  on  pans  of  ice,  by  crews  of  ice-hunters.    Thousands 
of  seals  are  killed  and  bulked,  and  never  seen  afterwards. 
When  the  men  come  up  with  a  large  number  of  old  and  young 
seals,  that  cannot  get  into  the  water,  owing  to  the  ice  being  in 
one  solid  jam,  they  drive  them  together,  selecting  a  pan  sur- 
I'ouiuled  with  rafted  ice,  on  which  thousands  of  seals  are  placed 
one  over  the  other,  perhaps  fifteen  deep.    A  certain  number  of 
men  is  picked  out  by  the  ship  master  to  pelt  and  put  on  board 
the  bulked  seals,  whilst  others  are  sent  to  kill  more.    It  often 
happens  that  the  men  are  obliged  to  go  from  one  to  ten  miles, 
before  they  come  up  with  the  seals  again,  and  very  often  the 
men  pile  from  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  in  each  bulk,  which 

'Reit.  U.  S.  Commis.  Fiah  and  Fisheries,  pt.  iii,  lo73-4  and  1874-5,  pp. 

95, 9C. 


'U 


4  t 


% 


:M   if 


l*lf! 


■if   ': 


"^m 


IHlli 


652 


FAMILY    PHOCIDiE. 


bulks  are  from  oue  to  two  luileis  apart ;  care  is  also  taken  that 
flafi;s  are  stuck  up  as  a  guide  to  direct  the  uieii  where  to  fiud  such 
bulked  seals.  So  uncertain  is  the  weather  and  precarious  the 
shifting  about  of  the  ice,  as  well  as  heavy  falls  of  snow  and 
drift,  that  very  often  such  bulked  seals  are  never  seen  again  by 
the  men  that  killed  and  bulked  them,  as  the  vessels  and  steam- 
ships are  frequently  driven  by  gales  of  wind  far  out  of  sight  or 
reach  of  them,  and  frequently  wheeled  or  driven  into  another 
spot,  where  the  men*  again  conunence  killing  and  bulking  as 
before.  In  Thany  instances  it  has  haj/pened  that  the  crews  of 
vessels,  as  well  as  the  crews  of  steamships,  have  killed  and 
bulked  twice  their  load.  'So  doubt  seals  that  are  bulked  are 
often  ]>icked  up  by  the  crews  of  other  vessels,  but  such  is  the 
law,  that  as  long  as  the  flags  are  erected  upon  the  bulks,  aud 
the  vessel  or  steamship  is  in  sight,  no  man  can  take  them,  not 
withstanding  the  vessel's  or  steamship's  men  that  bulked  tlien 
may  be  ten  nules  away  from  them,  whilst  another  vessel  may  bo 
driven  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  thousands  of  bulked 
seals,  but  owing  to  the  law  dare  not  take  them."  Sometimes  af- 
ter Seals  are  bulked  heavy  gales  of  wind  spring  up,  driving  the 
vessels  or  steamships  that  claim  them,  as  well  as  any  others  in  the 
vicinity,  twenty  or  thirty  miles  fro'u  them,  and  they  are  thus 
lost.  "  Ice-hunting  masters  make  it  a  rule  to  have  the  seals 
bulked  on  large  flat  pans."  In  this  way  the  skins  are  damaged 
by  exposure  to  the  weather,  being  injured  by  severe  frosts,  as 
well  as  by  the  sun,  so  that  "  between  frost  and  sun  thousands 
of  seal  skins  are  rendered  valueless."  Loss  also  often  happens 
by  the  capsizing  of  the  pan  of  ice  on  which  the  skins  are  piled, 
and  "  the  seals  are  never  seen  afterwards  " — this  forming  the 
"  greatest  evil  known  to  ice-huu,ters."  In  the  spring  of  1871, 
about  four  miles  to  the  south  of  Bonavista  Cajie,  there  were 
three  pans  of  ice,  marked  by  flags,  on  which  were  piled  not  less 
than  four  thousand  seals,  but  owing  to  the  severity  of  the 
weather  the  men  from  the  shore  could  not  reach  them.  Owing 
to  the  heavy  sea  and  bad  weather  none  of  them  were  ever 
obtained,  as  the  pans  passed  over  the  Flower  Bocks  upon  which 
the  seals  were  ground  to  pieces.  In  the  spring  of  1872,  some 
five  thousand  seals,  obtained  to  the  westward  of  Bonavista  by 
the  inhabitants  of  that  place,  were  heaped  upon  the  ice.  "  There 
were  thirteen  flags  to  be  seen  in  the  morning  over  bulked 
seals,  and  when  the  drift  ice  struck  the  land  in  the  evening  only 
six  of  the  flags  were  visible,  the  ice  having  rafted  over  both 


u 


tK 


DF    .{EASE    OF    SEALS    FROM   INJUDICIOUS    HUNTING.    553 

fliij^f.s  and  seals.  Some  days  after,  when  the  ice  moved  off  from 
tl\(^  shore,  sev^eral  bulks  of  seals  were  found,  but  in  such  a  putrid 
state  that  they  could  not  be  handled.  At  the  lowest  calculation," 
continues  Mr.  Carroll,  "  I  make  bold  to  state  that  not  less  than 
from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  pounds  currency  worth  of  seals' 
pelts  is  lost  to  the  country  each  sealing  voyage  [or  season],  by 
the  present  system,  carried  on  by  the  sealing  masters  and  their 
crews ! "  The  partial  remedy  that  he  suggests  is  that  while  no 
man  should  have  the  right  to  take  any  Seals  of  v/hich  he  is  not 
tlie  owner  as  long  as  the  owners  watch  over  them,  yet  as  soon 
as  the  prop'ir  owners  leave  them  the  Seals  should  be  free  prop- 
erty to  any  one  who  can  take  them  away.* 

DECREASE    IN    THE    NUMBER    OF    SEALS    FRCJM    INJUDICIOUS 

HUNTING. 

Formerly  so  numerous  were  the  Seals  commonly  hunted  in 
the  Xorth  Atlantic  and  Arctic  waters  (consisting  chiefly  of  the 
Harp  or  Greenland  Seal),  that  for  many  years  the  annual  de- 
struction of  hundreds  of  thousands  seemed  not  in  the  least  to 
(liniiuish  their  numbers,  and  as  late  as  1873  Mr.  Carroll  *  gave 
it  as  his  oi)inion  that  they  were  actually  on  the  increase  at 
the  Newfoundland  sealing-grounds,  an  opinion  concurred  in  by 
other  authorities.  Here,  indeed,  their  number  seems  unlim- 
ited, but  it  is  otherwise  in  the  sealing-districts  about  Jan 
May  en  and  elsewhere  at  the  various  sealing-stations  north  of 
the  northern  coast  of  Europe.  As  already  detailed  (see  anted,, 
pp.  503-510),  a  marked  decline  began  to  be  apparent  as  early  as 
1865  to  1870,  which  each  succeeding  year  increased  at  an  alarm- 
ing rate.  Attention  was  at  once  directed  to  the  cause,  which 
was  evidently  overdestruction  by  the  rival  sealing-fleets  of 
England,  Germany,  and  Norway,  and  ruinous  and  indiscrimi- 
nate slaughter  at  improper  seasons.  The  agitation  of  the  mat- 
ter which  followed  resulted,  as  already  shown,  in  the  enactment 
of  close-time  acts  for  the  protection  of  the  Seals  during  the 
period  when  the  young  are  brought  forth.  The  act  on  the  part 
of  the  English  came  into  force  in  18V6,  and  soon  after  similar 
legislative  action  was  taken  by  the  other  interested  govern- 
ments. While  a  close-time  must  be  favorable  to  the  increase 
of  tlie  Seals,  or  at  least  to  the  maintainance  of  their  present 

•  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  pp.  82-34. 
tibid.,  p.  26. 


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FAMILY    PHOCID. 


iii-jjii 


nurabers,  too  little  time  has  thus  far  elapsed  to  show  to  what 
extent  it  may  prove  beaeflcial. 

The  chief  victims  of  the  seal-hunter  in  the  Antarctic  seas  and 
on  the  Mexican  and  Lower  Californian  coasts — the  Sea-Ele- 
phauts — long  since  (as  previously  stated,  see  anted,,  pp.  517-.')L*2) 
became  practically  exterminated  on  all  the  islands  and  coasts 
where  they  were  formerly  hunted,  and  where  at  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century  they  were  found  in  immense  troops,  and 
in  seemingly  exh.austless  numbers. 

SEALS  AND  SEAL-HUNTING  IN   THE  OLDEN  TIME  IN   THE  GULP 

OP   SAINT   LAWRENCE. 

This  already  protracted  account  of  the  Seal-fishery  may  be 
fittingly  closed  with  the  following  extraei  from  Charlevoix 
respecting  the  Seals  of  the  Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence,  and  the 
Seal-fishery  as  practised  there  one  hundred  and  sixty  years 
ago.  Charlevoix's  account  is  contained  in  his  letters  of  travel 
addressed  to  the  Duchesse  of  Lesdigiueres,  which  I  give  here  in 
the  quaint  language  of  the  Dodsley  translation  published  1701. 
Under  date  of  March  21,  1721,  he  says:  "The  sea- wolf  owes 
its  name  to  its  cry,  which  is  a  sort  of  howling,  for  as  to  its  fig- 
ure it  has  nothing  of  the  wolf,  nor  of  any  knowu  laud  animal. 
.  .  .  .  They  never  hesitate  in  this  country  to  place  the  sea- 
wolf  in  the  rank  of  fishes,  tho'  it  is  far  from  being  dumb,  is 
brought  forth  on  shore,  on  which  it  lives  as  much  as  iu  the 
water,  is  covered  with  hair,  in  a  word,  though  nothing  is  want- 
ing to  it  which  constitutes  an  animal  truly  amphibious.  .  .  . 
Thus  the  war  which  :s  carried  on  against  the  sea-wolf,  though 
often  on  shore,  and  with  muskets,  is  called  a  fishery ;  and  that 
carried  on  against  the  beaver,  though  in  the  water,  and  witli 
nets,  is  called  hunting. 

"  The  head  of  the  sea- wolf,"  he  continues,  "  resembles  that  of 
a  dog ;  he  has  four  very  short  legs,  especially  the  hind  legs ;  in 
every  other  circumstance  he  is  entirely  a  fish  [il  est  Poisson] : 
he  rathe]  crawls  than  walks  on  his  legs ;  those  before  are  armed 
with  nails,  the  hind  being  shaped  like  fins ;  his  skin  is  hard,  and 
is  covered  with  a  short  hair  of  various  colours.  There  are  some 
entirely  white,  as  they  are  all  when  first  brought  forth ;  some 
grow  black,  and  others  red,  as  they  grow  older,  and  others 
again  of  both  colours  together. 

"The  fishermen  distinguish  several  sorts  of  sea-woh"..,;  t!?" 
largest  weigh  two  thousand  weight,  and  it  is  pretended  liave 


EARLV  SEAL-HUNTING  IN  THE  GULF  OF  ST.  LAWRENCE.    555 

sharper  snouts  than  the  rest.  There  are  some  of  them  which 
flounce  only  in  water  [qui  ne  sont  que  fretiller  dans  I'eau] ;  our 
sailors  call  them  fraaseurs,  as  they  call  another  sort  nau,  of 
which  I  neither  know  the  origin  nor  meaning.  Another  sort 
arc  called  Grosses  ietes,  Thickheads.  Some  of  their  young  are 
very  alert,  and  dextrous  iu  breaking  the  nets  spread  for  them  ; 
these  are  of  a  greyish  colour,  and  are  very  gamesome,  full  of 
mettle,  and  as  handsome  as  an  animal  of  this  figure  can  be  • ; 
the  Indians  accustom  them  to  follow  them  like  little  dogs,  and 
oat  them  nevertheless. 

"  M.  Denis  [Denys]  mentions  two  sorts  of  sea- wolves,  which  he 
found  on  the  coasts  of  Acadia ;  one  of  them,  says  he,  are  so  very 
hirge,  that  their  young  ones  are  bigger  than  our  largest  hogs, 
rie  adds  that  a  little  while  aft^er  they  are  brought  forth,  the 
parents  lead  %em  to  the  water,  and  from  time  to  time  conduct 
them  back  on  shore  to  suckle  them ;  that  this  fishery  is  carried 
on  in  the  month  of  February,  when  the  young  ones  which  they 
arc  not  desirous  of  catching,  t  scarce  ever  go  to  water ;  thus 
on  the  first  alarm  the  old  ones  take  to  flight,  making  a  prodi- 
gious noise  to  advertise  their  young,  that  they  ought  to  follow 
them,  which  summons  they  never  fad  to  obey,  provided  the 
fishermen  do  not  quickly  stop  them  by  a  knock  on  the  snout 
with  a  stick,  which  is  sufficient  to  stop  them.  The  number  of 
these  animals  upon  this  coast  must  needs  be  prodigi'^fus,  if  it  is 
true,  what  the  same  author  assures  us,  that  eight  hundred  of 
these  young  ones  have  been  taken  in  one  day.    .    .    . 

"It  is  by  all  agreed  that  the  flesh  of  the  sea- wolf  is  good 
eating,  but  it  turns  much  better  to  account  to  make  oil  of  it, 
which  is  no  very  difficult  operation.  They  melt  the  blubber  fat 
of  it  over  the  fire  which  dissolves  into  an  oil.  Oftentimes  they 
content  themselves  with  erecting  what  they  call  charniers,  a 
name  given  to  large  squares  of  boards  or  plank,  on  which  is 
spread  the  flesh  of  a  number  of  sea- wolves ;  here  it  melts  of  it- 
self, and  the  oil  runs  through  a  hole  contrived  for  the  purpose. 
This  oil  when  fresh  is  good  for  the  use  of  the  kitchen,  but  that 
of  the  young  ones  soon  grows  rank,  and  that  of  the  others  if 
kept  for  any  considerable  timej  becomes  toe  drj'  [d6fl6che  trop]. 
In  this  case  it  is  made  use  of  to  bum,  or  in  currying  leather. 

*  An  allusion  probably  to  the  Phoca  vttulina,  which  is  said  to  be  very  de- 
structivo  to  nets. 

tThe  original — "loraque  lea  Petits,  ausquelsonen  veut  principalement" — 
states  just  the  opposite. 


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FAMILY    PHOCID^. 


It  keeps  long  clear,  has  uo  smell,  or  impuj-ity  whatsoever  at  the 
bottom  of  the  cask. 

"  In  the  infancy  of  the  colony  jj^reat  numbers  of  the  hides  of 
sea-wolves  were  made  use  of  foi  muflfs.  This  fashion  has  long 
been  laid  aside,  so  that  the  general  use  they  are  now  put  to  is 
the  covering  of  trunks  and  cliests.  When  tanned,  they  ha  \  e 
almost  the  same  grain  with  morocco  leather ;  they  are  not  (luitc 
so  fine,  but  are  less  liable  to  crack,  and  keep  longer  quite  fresh 
and  look  as  if  new.  Very  good  shoes  and  boots  have  bceu 
made  of  them,  which  let  in  uo  water.  Tliey  also  cover  seats 
with  them,  and  the  wood  wears  out  before  the  leather;  they 
tan  these  hides  here  with  the  bark  of  the  oak,  and  >ii  the  dye 
stuff  with  which  they  use  black,  is  mixed  a  powder  made  from 
a  certain  stone  found  on  the  banks  of  rivers.  This  is  called 
thunder-stone,  or  marcasite  of  the  mines. 

"The  sea  wolves  couple  and  bring  forth  their  young  on  rocks, 
and  sometimes  on  the  ice ;  their  coumjon  litter  is  two,  whicli 
they  often  suckle  in  the  water,  but  ofteuer  on  shore ;  wlieu 
they  would  teach  them  to  swim  they  carry  them,  say  they,  ou 
their  backs,  then  throw  them  off  in  the  water,  afterwards  tak- 
ing them  up  again,  and  continue  this  sort  of  instruction  till  the 
young  ones  are  able  to  swim  alone.  If  this  is  true,  it  is  an  odd 
sort  of  fish,  and  which  nature  seems  not  to  have  instructed  iu 
what  most  sort  of  land  animals  do  the  moment  tJiey  are  brought 
forth.  The  sea- wolf  has  very  acute  senses,  which  are  his  sole 
means  of  defense :  he  is,  however,  often  surprised  in  spite  of  all 
his  vigilance,  as  I  have  already  taken  notice ;  but  the  most 
common  way  of  catching  them  is  the  following. 

"It  is  the  custom  of  this  animal  to  enter  the  creeks  with  the 
tide ;  when  the  fishermen  have  found  out  such  creeks  to  which 
great  numbers  of  sea-wolves  resort,  they  enclose  them  with 
stakes  and  nets,  leaving  only  a  small  opening  for  the  sea- wolves 
to  enter ;  as  soon  as  it  is  high-water  they  shut  this  opening, 
so  that  when  the  tide  goes  out  the  fishes  remain  a  dry,  and 
are  easily  dispatched.  They  also  follow  them  in  canoes  to  the 
places  to  which  many  of  them  resort,  and  fire  upon  them  wlien 
they  raise  their  heads  above  water  to  breathe.  If  they  happen 
to  be  no  more  than  wounded  they  are  easily  taken ;  but  if  killed 
outright,  they  immediately  sink  to  the  bottom  like  beavers; 
but  they  have  large  dogs  bred  to  this  exercise,  which  i'etch 
them  from  the  bottom  in  even  seven  or  eight  fathoms  of  water. 
Lastly,  I  have  been  told,  that  a  sailor  having  one  day  surprised 


GENUS    PHOCA. 


557 


a  vast  herd  of  thein  ashore  drove  them  before  tiim  to  his  lodg- 
iuiis  with  a  switch,  as  he  would  havn  done  a  flock  of  sheei), 
and  that  he  with  Ids  comrades  killed  to  the  number  of  nine 
huudred  of  them.     Sit  fides  penes  autoremy* 


Subfamily  PHOCINiE  Grai/. 
Genus  PHOCA,  Linn6  {emend.). 

Pkoca,  LiNNft,  Syst.  Nat.,  17r>8,  i,  37;  ibid.,  ITfitJ,  i,  55  (in  part). 

Pi(8a,  8COPOLI,  Introil.  Hist.  Nat.,  1777,  490.— Type,  I'hocafcetida.  {See  infra, 

under  genus  Halichwrua.) 
Calociphale  [Callocephalua'],  F.  Cuvier,  M^ui.  du  Mu8.,  xi,  18'-i4, 182. — Type, 

Phoca  vitiiHna,  Linnd. 
CalocephaluB,  F.  Covier,  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  18^6,  .544;  lix,  1829,  462. 
Pagophilus,  Gray,  "Zoiil.  Erebus  andTeiTor,  1844,  3"  (aubgenus);  Cat.  Seals 

Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  25  (genua). — Typ«'   Phoca  grwnlandica. 
Pagomya,  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1864,  31. — Type,  Phoca  fcetida,  Fa- 

bricius. 
UaUviion,  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1864, 28.— Type,  "^aWvfon  riohardi" 

■•=  Phoca  vituUna. 
HaUphiliis,  Gray,       n.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hisi.,  xvii,  1866,  446. — Type,  Ilali- 

chwrua  antu,  clioua,  Pealo  =  Phoca  vitulina, 

lucisors  .j5-2 ;  molars,  except  the  first,  2-rooted  and  multi- 
lobed ;  facia  i  portion  of  the  skull  narrow,  elongated,  the  dorsal 
outline  gradually  declining  anteriorly ;  general  form  of  the  skull 
lather  flat,  depressed,  the  interorbital  region  very  naiTow, 

The  ge  lus  Phoca,  as  here  defined,  is  composed  of  the  smallest 
species  of  ^he  family.  The  three  here  treat*  I  in  detail,  and  the 
only  ones  thoroughly  known,  differ  widely  in  cranial  and  other 
osteological  characters,  and  by  some  writers  have  been  each  re- 
garded as  the  type  of  a  distinct  genus,  and  may  be  considered 
as  entitled  at  least  to  subgeneric  rank.  The  only  genus  closely 
allied  to  Phoca  (unless  Histriophoca  be  excepted,  the  cranial 
characters  of  which  are  unknown)  is  ^rignathus,  consisting  of  a 
single  species,  still  placed  by  many  \yx iters  in  the  genus  Phoca. 
Tlie  form  of  the  skull,  however,  is  wid  ly  different,  the  muzzle 
being  broad  and  short,  the  frontal  region  convex  and  veiy  high, 
the  orbital  fossae  and  the  auditory  bullae  very  small.  Erignathus 
further  differs  from  Phoca  in  having  small  supra-orbital  pro- 
cesses ;  in  the  total  absence  of  the  acromion  process  of  the  scap- 

*  Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  North  America  (Dodsley  translation),  vol.  1, 1761, 
pp.  222-226.  For  the  original  see  Journal  d'un  Voyage  fait  par  ordre  dn 
Roi  dana  I'Amerique  septentrinonale  (12mo  ed.,  1744),  pp.  211-216. 


siiasi 


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558 


FAMILY   PHOCIDJE. 


ula,  and  in  lacking  the  abrupt  eversion  of  the  upper  border  of 
the  ilia. 

The  subgenus  Phoca,  consisting,  so  far  as  certainly  known,  of 
a  single  speijies  {Phoca  vituUna),  differs  from  Pusa  ( =  Pagomys, 
Gray),  and  from  Pagophilm,  principally  in  its  generally  heavy 
structure,  especially  of  the  skull  and  dentition,  and  in  thethi(!k- 
ness  of  the  body  and  the  shortness  of  tuc  limbs,  particularly  of 
the  tibial  and  radial  segments.  In  Pum  and  Pngophilus  the  skull 
is  similar  in  general  outlines  and  propoitions,  it  differing  in  both 
from  Phoca  in  its  generally  much  slighter  structure,  very  small 
teeth,  flatness  of  the  dorsal  aspect  of  the  brain-case,  and  the  slen- 
derness  of  the  nuizzle  and  whole  facial  region,  as  well  as  in  the 
form  of  the  lower  jaw.  Pagophilus  differs  from  Pusa  in  having 
the  posterior  nares  completely  divided  into  two  distinct  pas- 
sages, by  the  complete  ossittcatiou  of  the  narial  septum,  in  the 
broad  form  of  the  scapula,  and  in  having  only  three,  instead  of 
four,  anchylosed  sacral  vertebrte — (characters  possibly  of  generic 
rather  than  subgeneric  value.  The  well-known  representatives 
of  these  groups  are  respectively  Phoca  fcetida  and  P.  grcenland- 
tea,  to  which  are  to  be  referred  also  the  Phoca  caspica  and  the 
Phoca,  sihirica.* 

As  alreadj'  noticed  {antea^  p.  417)  the  name  Phoca,  by  strict 
adherence  to  rules  of  nomenclature,  should  be  reserved  for  the 
Phoca  leotiina,  Linn6,  this  being  the  only  Linnean  species  of 
Phoca  left  after  the  removal  (in  1824)  of  Phoca  vitulina  as  the 
type  of  F.  Cuvier's  genus  CallocepJialus.  t  Pusa  of  Scopoli,  1777, 
with  Phoca  fatkla  as  the  type,  however,  long  antedates  CaUo- 
cephalu^,  and  would  be  strictly  the  name  of  the  group  were 
Phoca  set  aside.  Yet  as  Pusa  may  be  deemed  by  some  as  unten- 
able, and  as  to  restrict  Plwca,  on,  at  best,  a  sligliL  technicality, 
to  what  is  now  called  Macrorhinus,  would  be  to  subvert  all  the 
traditions  of  nomenclature  relating  to  the  generic  name  of  our 
smaller  Phocids,  it  seems  best  not  to  attempt,  on  so  slight  a 
pretext,  a  change  in  nomenclature  that  would  doubtless  be  re- 
ceived with  reluctance,  if  indeed  it  could  be  for  a  long  time 
brought  into  general  use. 

Gallooeplialus  has  been  in  more  or  less  general  use  for  the 
smaller  Phocids  ever  since  it  was  proposed  by  F.  Ouvier  iu 
1824,  especially  among  the  earlier  French  writers,  and  it  has 

•  If  the  Phoca  nummularis  of  Temminck  prove  to  be  a  valid  siiecLos  its 
closest  affinities  are  doubtless  with  P.  vitulina.    On  this  point  see  infra. 

t  In  the  same  paper,  but  eight  pages  later,  Phoca  leoaina,  Linn^>  vras  made 
the  typo  of  the  same  author's  genus  Macrorhinus. 


^^■^im 


iff 


PHOCA   VITULINA — HARBOR   SEAL. 


659 


been  also  adopted  by  several  Euglisli  aud  German  zoologists, 
li  has  been  given  especial  prominence  by  Dr.  Gray  and  those 
who  have  followed  his  nomenclature.  Latterly,  however,  Gray 
restricted  it  to  the  single  species  Phoea  vitulina.  Ouvier  and 
his  followers  placed  in  it  not  only  Phoca  vitulhia,  P./cetida,  and 
P.  grcenlamlica,  but  also  P.  harbata. 

As  early  as  1844,  Gray  removed  Phoca  harbata  from  the  genus 
Callocephaltis  as  the  tyi)e  aud  sole  species  of  his  restricted  genus 
Phoea.  At  the  same  time  Pagophilus,  with  Phoca  gfroenlntidlca 
as  type,  was  proposed  as  a  subgenus  of  Callocephalus,  but  was 
later  raised  by  him  to  full  generic  rank.  In  1844  the  same 
author  introduced  the  "  genera "  Halicyon  and  Pagomys,  with 
'"'•  Phoca  richardi,^''  Graj'  {= Phoca  vitulina)  as  type  of  the  former, 
while  Phoca  fcetida  was  chosen  as  the  type  of  Pagomys.  In  1866 
he  bestowed  the  generic  name  HaUphilm  upon  the  species  Gill 
a  few  months  before  had  called  Phoca  pealei.  This  being  merely 
Pe.ile's  Halichcenis  atitarcticm,  and  the  same  as  Gray's  Halicyou 
richardsi,  th<3  latter  had  now  in  use  at  the  same  time  three  ge- 
neric names  for  the  single  species  Phoca  vitulina,  namely,  Callo- 
cephalus, Halicyon,  and  Haliphilus ! 

Pusa,  proposed  by  Scopoli  in  1777  as  the  generic  name  of  a 
Seal  previously  figured  aud  described  by  Miiller,  is  perhaps  not 
without  objections,  although  Scopoli's  sole  reference  being  to 
Miiller,  the  species  intended  is  fixed  beyond  question,  notwith 
standing  that  his  diagnosis  is  a  piu-e  absurdity.  MuUer's  figure 
was  copied  from  a  plate  published  twelve  years  before  by  Ilout- 
tj  II,  which  latter  was  a  copy  of  a  figure  published  by  Albinus 
iu  1756.  Albinus's  better  plate  and  description  were  evidently 
based  on  an  adult  femnle  Phoca  fcetida.  The  name  Pusa  was 
overlooked  or  ignored  till  Gill  in  1872  revived  it  as  a  substitute 
for  Halichmrus.* 

PHOCA  (PHOCA)  VITULINA,  LinnS. 

Harbor  Seal. 

0 

Phoca  Gommunia,  Linn6,  Mua.  Ad.  Fred,  i,  1754,  5. 

Phooa  vitulina,  Linn6,  Syst.  Nat.,  1758,  i,  38;  ibid.,  1766,  i,  56;  Fann.  Sneo., 
1761, 2.— MOllek, Zool.  Dan.  Prod.,  1776, 1.— Schreber,  Sauget.,  lit, 
[1776  f]  333,  pi.  lxxxiT(  figure  from  Buffon). — Erxlebbn,  Syat.  Reg. 
Anim.,  1777, 583. — Fabricios,  Faim.  Grnenl.,  1780,  9 ;  Skriv.  Naturh.- 
Selsk.,  ii,  1791,  98.— Gmelin,  Syst.  Nat.,  i,  1788,  63.— Kerr,  Anim. 
King.,  1792,  123.— Edmonston,  View  of  Zetland,  ii,  1809,  20'2.— G. 

*  For  a  detailed  history  of  Paan,  and  a  full  transcript  of  Scopoli's  diag- 
nosis, see  infra  under  genua  Haliohcerm. 


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660  PHOCA    VITULINA HAliBOR    SEAL. 

CcviER,  Ann.  Mus.  (I'llist.  Nat.  Paris,  xvii,  1811,  377  (physical  and 
intellectual  faculties).— De.smarrst,  Ncniv.  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xxv, 
1B17,  583,  pi.  xliv,  tig.  3;  Mam.,  1820,ai4.— Duvernoy,  Mi^m.  Mim. 
d'Hist.  Nat.  Paris,  ix,  IHiJ'i,  49,  K)")  (anatomy).— ScoRESBY,  Voy.  to 
Greenl.,  1~23, 41(5. — E.  SAniNE,  Parry's  Ist  Voy.,  Supj)!.,  1824,  cxci.— 
Harlan, Faun.  Amiii.,  1825,  107.— Godman,  Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  i,  I'^'.iii, 
311.— F.  CuviER,  Diet.  dcsSci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  182G,  .543.— Schinz,  Nm- 
nrg.  u.  Abild.  dov  Siiuget.,  1827,  UK,  pi.  Ixiv  ;  Syn(>i».  Mam.,  i,  1-44, 
480,— Fleming,  Hist.  Brit,  Anim.,  1828,  17.— Fischer,  Syn.  Mam.. 
182'.), 236.— Owen,  Proc.  Com.  Zool.  Sop.  Lotid.,  i,  1831,  151  (anat- 
omy).—Gray,  GritHth's  Cnv.  An.  King.,  v,  1837,  17ti.— Bell,  Brit. 
Quad.,  1837,  203,  ii<;g.  (skull  and  animal) ;  ibid.,  2ded.,  1874,240.— 

NiLSSON,  "Vet.  Akad.  Haudl.,  1837, ;  111.  Fiy.  till  Skand.  Faun. 

ii,  1840,  liiift  20;"  Arch,  fiir  Naturg.,  1H41,  310;  Skaml.  Faun., 
Dagg'lj-,  1847.  276.- Macgillivray,  Brit.  Quad.,  1838,  190,  jil. 
xviii. — Ball,  Trans.  Roy.  Irish  Acad.,  xviii,  1839,  pi.  iv,  tigg,  11-13. 
pU.  V,  vi;  Sketches  of  Brit.  Seals,  1839,  pi.  viii,  tfgg.  23-25  (animal), 
pi.  ix,  tigg.  2i)-32 (anatomy). — Hamilton,  Aniphib.  Cam.,  1839, 127, 
pU.  ii-iv,  vi. — Richardson,  Zool.  Beochey's  Voy.,  1839,  (;(noLth\ve»t 
coast  of  North  America). — Blainville,  Ostdog.,  Phoca,  1840-1851, 
pi.  ii  (skeleton),  pl.v  (skull),  pi.  ix  (dentition). — .Jukes,  Exenrs.  iu 
Newfoundland,  i,  1842,  309.— Thompson,  Nat.  Hist.  Vermont,  1842, 
38;  ibid..  Append.,  185;i,  13  (Tiake  Champlain). — Wagner,  Schie- 
ber's  Siluget.,  vii,  184(),  2(),pl.84. — "Gai  iard,  Voy.  en Islande et  au 
Groiinl.,  1851,  Atlas,  pi.  xi,  tigg.  3-5." — '  KOrner,  Skand.  Daggdj., 
1855,  pi.  xi,  fig.  1."— Giebel,  Siluget.,  18.T),  136.— Blasius,  Naturg. 
Wirb.  Deutschl.,  i,  1857,  248,  tigg.  136,137  (skull).- Gunn,  ZoCl..- 
gist,  1864,  9277,  9.3,59.— "  Holmgren,  Skand.  Daggdj.,  1865,213."- 
Glix,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  186(5, 12. — Packard,  Proc,  Bost.  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist,,  X,  1866,  270  (Labrador). — Lloyd,  Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl 
of  Sweden  and  Norway,  1867,  381,  colored  piate. — Allen,  Bull.  .Miis. 
Comp.  Zool.,  i,1869,  193  (Massachusetts);  ibid.,  ii,  1870,  S5  (coiii- 
parison  with  Otariidae). — Reeks,  Zoologist,  1871,  2541  (Newfounil- 
land). — CORDEAUX,  Zoologist,  1872,  3203  (Lincolnshire  coast,  Eng- 
land).— Elliott,  Cond.  of  Affairs  in  Alaska,  1875,  121. — Clakk, 
Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1874,  556  (Vancouver's  Island  and  Califor- 
nia, etc.). — CORNALIA,  i,62  (Mediterranean). — Lilljuborg,  Fauna 
ofver  Sveriges  och  Norges  Ryggrads.,  1874,  (572. — Collet,  Beiiuerk- 
ninger  til  Norges  Pattedyrfauna,  1876,  r>6. — Van  Beneden,  Ann.  ilu 
Mus.  Roy.  d'Hist.  Nat.  du  Belgique,  i,  1877,  19  (geographical  distri- 
bution, with  chart). — Rink,  Danish  Greenland,  its  People  and  its 
Products,  1877,  123,  430.— Alston,  Faun.  Scotl.,  Mam.,  1880, 13. 

Cdttoot^halus  vitiiUnua,  F.  CuviER,  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  540.  — 
Gray,  "  Zool.  Erebus  and  Terror,  1844,  3  ; "  Cat.  Osteol.  Spec.  Brit. 
Mu8.,  1847,  32;  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  21,  fig.  7;  Cat.  S.'.als 
and  Whales,  1866,  20,  fig.  7  ;  Zoologist,  1872,  3333,  3335  (Brit.  IhI.); 
Hand-List  Seals,  1874,  2,  pi.  i.— Brown,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud., 
1868,  340,  411 ;  Man.  Nat.  Hist.,  etc.,  GreenI,,  1875,  Mam.,  41.- 
Malm,  Goteborgs  och  Bohusltins  Fauna  Ryggradsdjuren,  1877,  144. 

Pkoea  variegata,  Nilsson,  Skand.  Faun.,  i,  1820,  ',^9. 


I  * 


Sl'NONYMY, 


561 


•'  Phoon  acnpulwola,  Thiknkmann,  Rtiisen  vou  Nord.  Europa,  etc.,  i,  1824,  59, 

pi.  V  (ad.  male)"  (apiid  Wagnor,  Blaaius  and  others;  referred  to 

Halirhcerun  {ivypm  by  Gray). 
"J'hooa  IHtoren,  Thiknkmann,  Reisen  von  Nord.  Enropa,  etc.,  i,  1824,  61,  pi. 

vi  (male),  pll.vii,  viii  (skulls)"  {apud  awitori  var,). 
!  Pkova  tij/r  iia, ,  Lesson,  Mau. ,  do  Mam. ,  1827, 206  (— ' '  Plioque  tigr(5  "  Krascli- 

euuiuikow.  Hist.  Kamtscli.). 
rhoca  Unnwi,  Lkssox,  Diet,  class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  liii,  1828,414  (=  P.  vitulina, 

Liuno). 
IFhoca  chnrm,  Lks.son,  Diet,  class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  417.— FisCHER, 

Syu.  Mam.,  1829,  241  (="Chieii  de  mer  de  D6troit  de  Behriug," 

Cboris,  Voy.  Pittoresq.,  pi.  viii). 
I'hmi  ratt'imi,  Pallas,  Zool.  Rosso-Asiat.,  i,  1831,  114  (at  least  in  part). 
Whom  Javfihu,  Pallas,  Zool.  P.osso-Asiat.,  i,  18'.il,  li:?. 
;CaUoc,'phnlua1nrfllia,  Gray.  Cat.  Seals,  IS.'iO,  24  (=  P.  largha,  Pallas). 
IPagomyxi  largha,  Gray.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  18(56,  24  (same). 
'.Phoca  immmiilarin,  Temminck,  Faun.  .Tapon.,  Mam.   Mar.,   1842,  X(--?  P. 

lanjha,  Pallas). — Waunek,  Schreber's  Siiuget.,  vii,  1846,  24  (same). 

— VonSciirenck,  Amur-Lande,  i,  1859, 180  (same).— Middendorff, 

Sibirish  Rei.se,  ii,  Th.  ii,  18."):^,  122  (same). 
^Paaomi/Hl  ninnmiilnris,    Gray,    Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,   1864, HI   (=Phoca 

nummnlarin.  Temminck). 
Phiica  coneolor,  Dkkav,  New  York  Zool.,  i,  1842,  53,  pi.  xviii,  fig.  2. 
Phoat  jubata,  Hutchi.nq,  Scenes  of  Wonder  and  Curiosity  in  California, 

189,  fig. 
HaJichdrus  aniarcthiiM,  Peale,  Rep.   U.  S.  Ex.  Ex.,  viii  (Mam.  and  Orn.) 

1848,  30,  pi.  V,  (animal)  wood-cut  (skull). 
Lohodon  cardnophafla,  Cassin,  Rep.  U.  S.  Ex.  Ex.  {=:HaUohoerm  antarotiewt, 

Peale). 
Hallphilits  antarcticuM,  Gray,  Ann.  &  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  xvii,   186(),  446  (= 

Halielnrrna antarcticns,  Peale). 
HaUcfion  nchardni.  Gray,  Proc.  Zool.    Soc.    Loud.,   1864,  28  (Vancouver's 

Island) ;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  30,  fig.  9  (sknll) ;  Proc.  Zool. 

Soc.  Lond.,  1873, 779  (Japan) ;  Hand-List  Seals,  1874,  4.    (SeeCLARK, 

Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud,  1873,  556. ) 
Phoca  peahi,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst,  v,  186(i,  4,  13  (=  Halivhwrus  antarcticun, 

Peale).— ScAMMON,  Marine  Mam.,  1874,  164,  pi.  xxii,  fig.  1  {='*Phoca 

pealiij  Gill)." 
Halirfttm  peahi.  Gray,  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  2. 
rhoca ,  Newberry,  Pacif.  R.  R.  Rep.  Ex.  and  Surv.,  vi,  pt.  iv.  No.  2, 

1857, 51.— Cooper,  Pacif.  R.  R.  Rep.  Ex.  and  Surv. ,  xii,  pt.  ii,  1860, 78. 
UaUcyonf  californiva,  Gra\,  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  367  (=  "Hair 

Seal,  Phoca  jubata,^'  of  Hutching). 
Phrafwtida,  Bartlett,  Proe.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1868,  402  (on  the  young  at 

birth;  a  malidentificaton — see  Sclater,  ibid.,  1871,  701). 
ntu/iis  maris  Oveani,  Rondelkt,  De  Piscibus,  1554,  458,  with  fig. — Gesnbr, 

Hist.  Anim.  de  Pisci.  et  Aquat.,  1558,  705,  (fig.). — Aldrovandus, 

D«^  Piscibus,  1738,  723. 
"  ViMiiH  mannm,  Olaus  Magnus,  Hist,  de  Gent.  Sept.  l.^.^.^,  701." 
i'iiorn  vuhjarh,  .FoNSTON,  Hist.  Nat.  de  Piscibus  et  Cetis,  1649,  221,  pi.  iliv. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 -36 


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PHOf'A    VITl'LINA HARBOR    SI^AL. 


Phoca  neu  vHuIiih  marlniis,  Ray,  Syii.  Quad.  17i:J,  l-'9. — IJui.s.soN,  Reg.  Aaim., 

17fiO,  102. 
Phora.  Woini,  Mn.s.  Worm.,  KI.'SS,  2H9. 

Pliom  dftitibun  mtiinix  tertix,  LiNXi?:,  "  Syst.  Nat.,  3(j";  P^auna  Suec,  1746,  4. 
Phoca  mcdiiv  mannitudiniH,  Stkli.kk,  Nov.  Coumi.  I'ctrop.,  ii,  1751,  5J90. 
^jmiylet,  Egkdk,  (iroiilaiuls  Naturcl-Hist.,  1741,  pi.  facing  p.  4(i. 
Bobbi,  SwUntnd,  PoNTOPPlDAX,    "Norg.  Nat.  Hi.st.,  ii,  17;V2,  203,  fig.";  Xat. 

Hist,  von  Norwegcn,  ii,  17.'il{,  237. 
Kaxfiuiiak,  Cuanz,  Hist,  von  Griiiil.  (zwcitc  Auti.)  i,  1770,  1(53  (1st  ed.  17(i.'), 

not  see*  ) ;  Hist,  of  Greenl.,  i,  17()7,  123. 
Phoqnf  dc  notrv   /ct'ati,  HCKKON,  Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  176;'),  ;{33,  339,  pi.  xlv. 
Fhoqiit  coinmitne,  Ulfkox,  Hist.  Nat.,   8uppl.,  vi,  1782,  330,  pi.   xlvi.— G. 

t'rviKi!,  O.SS.  Fos.s.,  iv,  1823,  278;  v,  200.— F.  Cuviek,  Hist.  Xat. 

(It's  Mam.,  livr.  xli,  1824. 
Seal,  Pknxant,  Brit.  Zool.,  17fM;,  34. 
Common  SmI,  Pknnant,  Syn.  Quad.,  1771,  339;  Arctic  Zool.,  2ud  ed.  i,  1792, 

17.5. — Pakson's,  Phil.  Trans.,  xlvii,  17.">3,  120,  pi.  vi. 
Leopard  Seal,  .Soammox,  1.  c. 
Sal;  So'lhuiid ;  I.andnwl;  Spraglcd  Sa'l,  Dtuntih. 
Eniihbxjdl :  Sprdrklig  Skdl ;    H'ikare  Sjal,  .Swedish. 
Steeii- l\obbc,  Norwegian. 

Seehiiiid;  (iemeiiie  Seehiind ;   (Ifjlt'ckte  Sceliiind :   Itobbr  ;  .S'ccAa/fr,  German. 
Phoque  :  I'ltoqiiv  commimv  ;  f  caii-marh  :  Loiii>-miii  in  ;  Chien-mnrin  ;  French. 
Seal;  Common  Seal  •  Harbor  Seal ;  L'iver  Si    I ;  Jiay  Seal ;    Land  Seal ;    Freith- 

water  Sial ;  Sea-Calf;  Sea-Cat;  Sea-f>oi/,  English  authors  ;ind  Eng- 
lish local  names. 
Selchie;  .ScWi  (Scotland) ;   ranr/fixh  (Shetland);   /.'flicH  (Helirides). 
Native  Seal ;  Hanger;  Dotard,  Newfoundlaiul  sealers. 

External  Characters. — Color  variable.  Above,  usuallv 
yellowlsh-iuray,  varied  with  irregular  spots  of  dark  brown  oi 
bla«;k ;  beneath,  yellowi.sh- white,  usually  with  smaller  spots  ol 
dark-browii.  Sometimes  iiuitbrm  brownish-yellow  above,  and 
somewhat  paler  behnv,  entirely  without  spots  ;  or  unitbrm  dark 
{•ray  above,  and  pale  yellowish- white  beh)w,  everywhere  unspot- 
ted. Is'ot  unfrecpiently  everywhere  dark-brown  or  blackish, 
varied  with  irregular  streaks  and  small  spots  of  yellowish- 
brown;  the  head  wholly  blackish  from  the  nose  to  beyontl  tiie 
eyes;  the  lips  and  around  the  eyes  rusty-yellow.  Length  of 
male,  o  to  0  feet;  of  female,  somewbat  less.  Young  at  birth 
uniform  soiled-white  or  yellowish- white,  changing  to  darker 
with  the  tirst  moult. 

The  variations  in  color  ai-e  almost  endless,  ranging  from  uni- 
form y«'llowish-brown  to  almost  uniform  dark-brown,  and  even 
uearly  black,  with,  between  these  extremes,  almost  every  pos- 
sible variatiou,  from  dark  spotting  ou  a  light  ground  to  light 


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spottiii;;'  on  ii  dark  jinmud.  The  marking's  vary  in  size  from 
wry  small  spots  to  lari>t',  irn^giilar  i)atclies  and  streaks.  Tlie 
more  common  color  is  brownish-yellow,  varied  with  spots  and 


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l»iit(li('s  of  darker,  Imt  not  unfreqiiontly  the  general  color  is 
'•lackish,  more  or  h^ss  varied  with  spots,  i)atclies  and  streaks 
ot  lighter.  Tiie  lower  surface  is  generally  thiirkly  marked  with 
small  oval  or  roundish  spots,  smaller  and  less  contliieid  than 


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PHOCA    VITIJLIXA HAI?r,OR    SEAL. 


those  of  the  upper  surface.  Specimens  from  Denmark  and  tho 
Atlantic  coast  of  Nortli  America  are  indistinj^uishable  from 
those  from  Lower  California,  Washington  Territory,  and  Alas- 
lea.  Sp(!ein?ens  from  the  Pacific  coast  i)resent  the  same  \vid« 
range  of  color- variations,  and  precisely  the  same  phases  as  those 
from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic. 

Captain  Scammon  gives  the  weight  of  two  adult  females  from 
the  Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  as  .10  and  •»<)  ])onnds  respectively. 
Mr.  ^lichael  Carroll  gives  the  weight  of  adults  (sex  not  stated) 
as  80  to  100  pounds.  Mounted  specimens,  apparently  adult, 
vary  in  length  froin  three  to  tive  feet.  Scammon  says  that  on 
the  Pacific  coast  it "  never  exceeds  six  feet  in  length,"  and  givt  s 
the  length  of  the  two  above-mentioned  fenuiles  as  respectively 
from  "tip  of  nose  to  tip  of  tail"  3  feet  S  inches  and  3 feet  Id 
inches.  Mr.  Paul  Schumacher  gives  the  length  of  a  "  fciiialc 
Marbled  Seal,"  sent  to  the  Museum  of  Comjiarative  Zoiilojiy 
from  Santa  Barbara  Island,  California,  as  r»  feet  from  tip  of  nose 
totheeudof  the  lund flippers,  which  would  make  the  length  to  the 
end  of  the  tail  about  5  feet  0  inches.  Lilljeborg  gives  the  total 
length  to  the  end  of  thehind  flippers  as  ."•  feet  S  inches  (Swedish) 
or  1740  mm.  Bell  says,  "  Length  of  adult  from  three  to  five 
feet".  Vuthors  generally  give  the  length  as  from  3  to  (5  feet,  f 
find  the  length  of  an  adult  (disarticulated)  skeleton  to  be  about 
4  feet,  or  1225  mm.,  while  Lilljeborg  gives  the  length  of  the 
skeleton  as  5  feet  1  inch  or  1530  mm.  In  the  large  series  of 
skins  and  skulls  I  have  examined  very  few  were  marked  for  sex, 
and  I  find  nothing  explicitly  stated  by  authors  in  relation  to 
sexual  difference  in  size. 

Unlike  the  Phoca  foetida.,  P.  grapnlandica,  and  njost  other  Pho 
cids  of  the  northern  waters,  the  first  coat  is  shed  before  or  soon 
afterbirth,  but  as  to  the  exact  time  at  which  it  is  cast  authori 
ties  disagree.  Mr.  Bartlett,  in  describing  a  young  Seal  of  this 
species  (wrongly  identified  at  the  time  as  J^hoca  fcetida).  born 
in  the  Garden  of  tho  London  Zoological  Society  June  S,  ISCS. 
says :  "  It  was  born  near  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  after  its  birth,  by  rolling  and  turning  about,  was  coin 
pletely  divested  of  the  outer  covering  of ///rand  Imir,  which 
formed  a  complete  mat,  upon  which  the  young  animal  lay  for 
the  hour  or  two  after  its  birth  ".* 


m 


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DISTINCTIVE    CHARACTERS. 


565 


It  its  sometimos  stati'd  that  the  fotal  coat  is  retained  for  four 
or  tive  days  after  birth,  but  other  writers  afBrin  thi't  it  is  shed 
at  the  time  of  birth.  Mr.  Kiimlieii,  iu  his  MS.  notes*  on  this 
specit's,  s.iys  tliat  the  Esquimaux  affirm  that  the  '"yorufj  remain 
III  tlie  wliite  coat  but  three  or  four  days,  dift'ering  greatly  in  this 
rt'spt'ct  from  Paf/omi/.s/tetiduN.'" 

Distinctive  CiiAiiACTEUs.—Tlie  common  Harbor  Seal,  the 
l{iu}i<'d  Seal,  and  the  Harp  Seal,  during  its  earlier  stages,  are 
not  always  certainly  distinguishable  bj  coh)r,  and  are  appai'- 
t'litly  not  easy  to  determine  by  any  othev  external  characters, 
save  one,  that  have  yet  been  pointed  out.  The  Kinged  Seal 
{Phoca /(vtuht)  niu  always  be  recognized  by  the  length  of  the 
tirst  digit  of  the  manns,  which  slightly  exceeds  all  the  others. 
Wiien  adult,  and  in  tiie  tiesh,  they  must  each  [u-esent  well- 
marked  external  ditterences,  not  only  in  color  but  in  proportions 
and  form.  P.  /(etida  is  the  snuillest  of  the  three,  while  the 
Harp  Seal  {P.  (frwnhintlica)  is  the  largest,  and  when  adult,  is 
easily  distinguished  by  cohu'atiim  alone.  P.  vitnlina,  judging 
from  the  skeleton,  is  a  c()mi>aratively  robust  form,  with  a  large 
liead,  lu'oad  nose,  and  rather  short  limbs.  The  others  are  more 
slender,  with  a  nairower  and  more  jiointed  nose,  and  a  smaller 
and  more  delicately  shai)ed  head.  IJy  the  skull,  or  by  any  of 
tilt!  principal  b(mes  of  the  skeleton,  particularly  of  the  limbs, 
they  can  be  easily  distinguished,  as  will  be  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing rather  extended  osteological  comparisons,  with  the  ma- 
terial for  which  I  am  fortunately  well  provided. 

As  is  well  known,  /*.  cituVma  is  easily  distinguished  from  the 
other  species  of  Phoea  above  named  by  its  heavy  dentition, 
tlip  molars  especially  being  very  broad  and  thick,  closely 
m>\vde<l  together  and  set  obliquely  in  the  Jaw,  whereas  in  both 
P.ficiida  and  P.grienlamlkn  the  teeth  are  very  small,  normally 
implanted,  and  separated  l)y  well-marked  diastema.    They  also 

'Mr.  LiKlwig  Kiimlieu,  naturaliat  of  the  "Howfjate  Polar  Ex]n'(litioii" 
(l'*77-'7f^),  kiniUy  placed  at  my  service  his  report,  while  in  iiiaiinscript,  ou 
tlip  mammals  collected  and  observed  by  him  in  and  near  Cnmberland  Sound, 
from  which  the  extracts  jjiven  in  the  following  pages  as  from  Mr.  Kumlien's 
'MS.  notes"  were  taken.  A  year  later,  and  as  these  pages  are  passing 
11»r<mj;h  the  press,  his  full  report,  has  appeared  as  "  Bulletin  No.  15"  of  the 
riiitcd  States  National  Museum,  under  the  title  "Contributions  to  the 
Natural  History  of  Arctic  America,  made  in  connection  with  the  Howgate 
Polar  Expedition,  1877-'7H.  By  Ludwig  Kumlion.  Naturalist  of  the  Expedi- 
tion," Washington:  Government  Printing  Office.  1879.  8vo,  pp.  179.  The 
account  of  the  Seals  occupies  pp.  .')5-64. 


■'1 1 


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06 


PHOCA.    Vi.iTI.INA — UAWHOR    SHAI-. 


have  the  cincfiiliuu  smooth,  while  in  /*.  ritiilina  it  is  luoic  or 
U'HS  distinctly  beaded  (.sonu'tiines  striated)  on  the  anterior  por- 
tiou  of  tli.i  inner  side,  especially  in  early  life,  ;  'id  on  tlie  'hiee 
anterior  teeth.  In  old  aj^e.  however,  this  leature  often  beeomt's 
wholly  obliterated.  The  obli(|ne  position  of  the  teeth  in  the 
jaw  evidently  resnlts  from  their  larye  size,  the  sjtaee  for  tht'ir 
reception  beinj;  too  snort  to  permit  of  their  standing  end  to  end 
in  the  usual  manner.  Th'.'ir  larjfe  size  also  ri'sults  in,  or  neces- 
sarily accompanies,  a  considerable  modification  of  the  whole 
faeial  jwrtion  of  the  skidl,  which  is  greatly  thickened  and 
broadened,  in  comparison  with  the  same  part  in  the  other  abov*;- 
mentioned  species.  Passing  to  the  i>alatal  region,  P.  ritulina 
and  P.  /cetida  present  an  essential  agreement,  the  posterior 
nares  in  both  being  rather  abrni»tly  narrowed  posteriorly ;  the 
hiud  border  of  the  palatines  is  deeply  hoUowed,  and  the  narial 
septum  is  imperfectly  developed  at  its  posterioi-  bor<ler.  In  i*. 
fcetidn  it  remains  wludly  unossilied  btdiind  the  i)rdato-ma.\illary 
suture,  except  the  buttress-like  extensions  along  the  narial  roof 
and  tioor,  and  ossification  of  the  septum  is  carried  but  little 
further  in  P.  vituUna.  In  1*.  groenlaiuUra,  ln)wever,  the  sei)tuui 
is  fully  aud  even  heavi'y  developed  to  the  very  end  of  the 
squarely  truncated  hind  border  of  the  i)alatines,  dividing  verti- 
cally the  posterior  narial  opening,  which  is  scarcely  at  all  (con- 
tracted, into  two  distinct  passages.  Its  transverse  breadtli  is 
nearly  twice  its  vertical  width,  while  in  P.  ritulina  these  dimen- 
sions are  nearly  equal. 

The  auditory  bullae  diller  considerably  in  form  in  each  of  the 
three  species  here  compared.  In  general  form  they  have  in 
each  the  outlines  of  a  nearly  eciuilateral  triangle,  but  the  sides 
are  set  in  each  at  a  different  angle  relatively  to  the  transverse 
axis  of  the  skull.  lu  P.fcetida  the  anterior  border  is  nearly 
parallel  with  the  plane  of  this  axis ;  in  P.  vituUna  the  two  form  au 
acute  angle,  while  in  P.  yroenlandim  they  form  nearly  a  right 
angle.  The  anterior  face  of  the  bullre  is  nearly  plane  in  V, 
fcetida,  strongly  hollowed  in  P.  grcenlandica,  and  slightly  so  in  P. 
vitidina.  In  both  P. /cetida  and  P.  grainlaiuUca  the  lateral  ex- 
tension forming  the  lower  border  of  the  meatus  auditoriiis  is 
depressed  and  swollen  or  rounded  below,  forming  an  abrupti^v 
constricted  neck  to  the  bulla  proper,  but  in  P.  mtulina  it  slopes 
evenl.y  rom  the  highest  part  of  the  bulla  and  terminates  in  a 
uniformly  tapering  triangular  point. 

The  facial  portion  of  the  skull,  as  already  intimated,  is  broad 


U  i' 


DISTlNCriVE    CHARACTERS. 


5«7 


iuiil  heavy  in  P.  ritulina,  to  give  room  and  support  tor  the 
thick  strori}^  teeth ;  in  P.  J'wtidn  it  is  short  aud  narrow,  ami 
iiiiitorinly  tapering;  in  P.  (fra;nlan(li<;a  the  mu/zle  i«  narrow, 
rather  lengthened  and  attenuated.  The  teeth  of  the  molar 
series  in  P.  cituUna  are  relatively  about  two  and  a  half  to  three 
times  larger  than  in  either  of  the  other  speiiies. 

In  respect  to  other  characters  of  the  skull,  the  orbital  fosssB 
lire  relatively  larger  in  P.fcetida  than  in  either  of  the  others, 
with  the  inner  wall  more  deeply  excavated,  and  the  zygomatic 
border  rather  angidar  (sometimes  very  markedly  so)  instead  of 
regularly  convex.  P.  vituiina  differs  still  further  in  the  greater 
development  and  inward  curvature  of  the  malar  process  of  tiie 
iVKoniatie  arch.  Another  striking  difference  is  seen  in  the  gen- 
eral contour  of  the  upper  surfaee  of  the  skull,  which  in  P.  ritnlina 
is  rather  sharply  convex,  with  (in  old  males)  the  ridges  formed 
for  the  attachment  of  the  masseter  muscles  closely  ai)proxi- 
inated  along  the  median  line,  or  sometimes  actually  meetuig  to 
form  a  low,  broad,  incipient  sagittal  crest,  while  in  both  P. 
(jrcenlmidica  and  P.fcetida  the  whole  top  of  the  skull  is  nearly 
dat,  and  the  ridges  for  the  attachment  of  the  masseter  muscles 
form  a  thickened  line  at  the  edge  of  the  skull  where  the  lateral 
aud  dorsal  surfaces  meet  at  a  rather  sharp  angle. 

Tlie  lower  jaw  in  P.  vituiina  is  very  heavy  and  short ;  the 
symphysis  is  very  short,  behiiul  which  the  rami  abruptly  bow 
outward  and  widely  diverge ;  the  rami  are  very  thick,  with  the 
axis  of  expansion  nearly  vertical,  and  there  is  no  inward  cur- 
vature of  the  inferior  border.  In  P.  grcenlandica  the  lower  jaw 
is  very  slender  with  a  rather  long  symphysis ;  the  rami  are  very 
thin  and  broad,  the  inferior  borders  of  which  curve  inwar<l  so 
as  to  nearly  or  quite  meet  for  one-third  of  the  length  of  the  jaw, 
or  nearly  as  far  back  aa  the  last  molar,  while  the  plane  of  verti- 
cal expansion  is  very  oblique.  The  lower  jaw  in  P.  fcetida  quite 
nearly  resembles,  in  general  form,  that  of  P.  grcenlandica.  In 
P.  vituiina  the  vertical  diameter  of  the  ramus  just  behind  the 
lajsi  molar  is  only  about  two  and  a  half  times  greater  than  the 
transverse  is  at  the  same  poi'jt,  while  in  P.  grcenlandica  it  is 
t'nlly  four  times  greater.  P.  vituiina  also  differs  from  the  others 
by  the  abrupt  angle  formed  by  the  ascending  ramus.* 

*  As  will  be  noticed  later  {infra,  p.  573)  the  lower  jaw  in  P.  vituiina  varies 
greatly  in  form  aii'l  stoutness  with  ago,  and  probably  also  with  sex.  In  the 
foregoing  comparison  the  lower  jaw  of  a  very  old  male  P.  vituXina  has  been 
compared  with  others  corresponding  in  age  and  sex  of  P.  gramlandioa  and 

P-Mida. 


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668 


PnOCA    VITITMNA — ITARnOK   SEAL. 


Witliont  ffoinpr  into  a  dctiiilKl  <'ompiiri.so!i  of  tlio  bones  of  the 
general  Nkelcton,  a  few  jminta  may  be  briefly  n(»tice<l.  The 
Bcapnia  has  nearly  the  same  {jeneral  ontrne  in  both  P.  ritu- 
Una  and  P.  ftrfida,  bnt  (lifters  widely  from  that  of  P.  grcrnlan- 
dica,  mainly  throuj^h  the  greiit  development  of  the  jMJSterior 
npper  ])ortio!i  of  the  blade,  which  is  {greatest  in  P.  rHuUna.  fn 
other  words  tlies<'apnla  in  P.  (fr<Tnlnndica\n\i^sH  "si('kle-slia])t'»l'' 
than  in  the  others  owinj;  to  the  fjreater  «levelopment  of  the  prc- 
Hcapnlar  portion  and  the  less  development  of  the  post-s<  a|niliir 
part.  Ill  P.fwfidn  the  infra-acromial  ])ortion  is  mnch  elonjjatod, 
.so  that  althonfjh  the  scapnla  is  mneh  smaller  than  in  P.  rituUna, 
its  leiifjth  is  greater.  In  P.  ffptifJa  the  len};th  to  the  breadth* 
is  as  I  to  O.H47 ;  in  /'.  ritulinn,  as  1  to  LIT*.');  in  P.  (frfenlanriica 
as  1  to  0.90S.  The  width  of  tlu^  ])ost-seapnlar  fossa  to  the  whole 
breadth  is,  in  P./aefnln,  as  0.577  to  1  ;  in  P.  rlfitlina  as  OfM  to 
1 ;  i'.i  P.  fircenhndiea  as  ().(U{4  to  I. 

The  bones  of  both  the  fore  and  the  hind  limbs  vary  considera- 
bly in  size  and  form  with  each  s})ecies,  bnt  only  the  difference 
in  the  relative  lenp;th  of  the  several  sejrments  of  the  limb,  com 
pared  with  its  whole  length,  will  be  here  noted.  Fn  both  foro 
and  hind  limbs  the  second  sejfment  is  relatively  mnch  shorter 
in  P.  vituHna  than  in  either  P./nlUla  or  P.  grcenlandica  ;  in  P. 
grcenlandica  the  pes  is  relatively  much  lengthened  while  the 
maniis  is  of  the  same  length  as  in  P.  rituHna.  The  proportion- 
ate length  of  the  femur  to  the  tibia  varies  as  follows:  in  P.fae- 
tida  the  femur  to  the  tibia  is  as  1  to  2;  in  P.  vituUna  as  1  to  1.8; 
in  P.  groenland'ca  as  1  to  2.3,  The  proportionsite  length  of  the 
femur  to  the  pea  is  as  1  to  2.7  in  P.fcetido,  1  to  2.4  in  P.  ritvlina, 
and  1  to  2.9  in  P.  groBnlandicn  ;  of  the  femur  to  the  whole  limb, 
respectively,  1  to  5.7 ;  1  to  4.3 ;  1  to  6,2.  This  difference  is  mainly 
due  to  two  elements  of  variation, — the  shortness  of  the  tibia  in 
P.  ritulina  and  the  great  length  of  the  pes  in  P.  grcenhndim. 
The  ratio  of  the  pes  to  the  whole  liud),  however,  is  nearly  con- 
stant, being  as  follows:  in  P.  fcetida,  1  to  2.14;  in  P.  rituUnn,  1 
to  2.16 ;  in  P.  grcenlandim,  1  to  2.13. 

P.  vittdina  presents  another  noteworthy  point  of  difference 
from  its  allies  in  the  relative  shortness  of  the  pelvic  bones,  which 
is  directly  proportionate  to  that  of  the  tibia  and  radius,  or  second 
limb  segments.  In  both  P.  vitulina  and  P.  groenlundica  the  length 


*  The  supra-pcav  alar  epiphysis  is  iu  each  caee  omitted  from  the  compart- 
MO,  and  only  the  suapulae  of  adults  of  comparable  ages  are  employed. 


♦^^.lijjfe 


DISTINCTIVi:    CHARACTERS. 


509 


of  th(»  pclviN  is  procisrly  tliat  of  the  tihiii,  Immiijt  respectivoly 
2W  mill,  iiiid  2rt'>  iiiiii.  /*.  /(viuht  i)ri'.s('nts  a  different  ratio, 
due  not  to  the  shortuoss  of  tin'  ]M'lvis  so  iiiiKrli  as  to  tlic  };ri>at 
l('iij,'tii  of  tlic  tibia,  the  tibia  iiu*avsnriii{j  100  nun.  and  the  pelvis 
170  nun.  . 

Not  only  is  the  (h'utition  exeeptionally  heavy  in  P.  ritiilina, 
but  tlie  wlioh'  skull  is  poinlerous,  in  strikinj;'  ctnitrast  with  the 
li;ilit  tliiu  skull  of  either  of  the  other  si)e(!ies.  in  other  words, 
/'.  rititlhia  is  a  h'njJmuU'd,  short-bodied,  and  short-limbed  spe-jl 
cics.  While  the  linear  <liinensions  of  old  male  skulls  fully  equal 
or  somewhat  exceed  the  same  measurements  of  equally  old 
male  skulls  of  P.  yrcenlandka,  the  length  of  the  limbs,  and  also 
tlic  entire  skeleton,  is  much  less,  as  shown  by  the  following 
measurements :  • 


Phocii  vituliuat 

T'liiicii  jxrienlttDdicat 
Phoca  fmtldaj 


^■1 


n 


['A  s'i 


*  Including  scapula. 


t  Adult  male. 


« Adult  female. 


^m^ 


The  fore  limb,  as  well  as  the  total  length  of  the  animal,  is 
even  actually  shorter  than  in  P./cetiila,  although  the  latter  is  a 
much  smaller  animal.  The  ratio  of  the  length  of  the  skull  to 
the  length  of  the  whole  skeleton  in  the  three  species  iu  ques- 
tion is  as  follows:  in  Phoca  vitullna,  as  1  to  5.G;  in  Phoca  green- 
kiufica,  as  1  to  8;  in  Phoca  foetida,  as  1  to  8.0.  Measurements 
(iu  millimeters)  of  the  principal  parts  of  the  skeletons  of  these 
three  species  are  presented  in  the  following  table,  from  which 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  shortness  of  the  caudal  vertebra;  in 
Phoca  v^tuUna  is  also  a  noteworthy  point.    This  is  due  in  part 


'  The  largest  ekiiU  of  P.  intulina  in  a  Heriea  of  ten  measures  223  mm.  in 
length  and  144  mm.  in  extreme  breadth,  while  the  largest  skull  of  P.  green- 
kndira  in  a  series  of  twelve  measures  228  mm.  in  length  and  l'X\  mm.  in 
brpa<lth.  No  other  in  the  series,  however,  exceeds  a  length  of  220  mm.  or 
a  breadth  of  128  mm.,  old  skuUa  of  P.  vituHna  averaging  the  longer,  with 
the  breadth  very  much  greater. 


4k 


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670 


PHOCA    VITULINA— HAKHOR   SEAL. 


to  the  Hiuall  size  of  thetie  vertebrie,  but  in  part  to  their  reduced 
number.* 

UeanitrtiMnUof  ths  principal  parti  of  the  »kel«toH  in  Phooa  mtiilina,  Phova  ijrom- 

landioa,and  Phooa  fcBtida. 


•The  vertebral  formwltB  of  the  five  species  of  northern  Phocids,  of  wbieh 
I  have  before  me  several  complete  skeletons  of  each,  are  as  follows : 


Species. 


Phooa  vituUna 

Phooa  fxtida 

Phoca  pxBnlandloa . . 
Erignathus  barbatus 
Cyatophora  oristata. 


Cervical 

Dc  .""aI 

Lumbar 

Sacral 

Caudal 

vertebra. 

vertebra. 

vertebrw. 

vertebriB 

vertBbra; 

15 

5 

4 

lu 

15 

5 

4 

14 

15 

5 

8 

13 

16 

6 

4 

13 

15 

S 

4 

10 

The  number  of  saoral  and  caudal  vertebrse,  especially  the  latter,  may  be 
subject  to  individual  variation,  as  Qerrard  (Cat.  Bones  of  Mam.  in  U.it. 
Mus.,  1862,  p.  143)  gives  .3  sacral  and  12  caudal  for  P.  vituUna.  Lilljeliorg 
also  gives  only  3,  but  adds  that  a  very  old  skeleton  has  4.  In  each  of  the 
four  skeletons  of  this  species  which  1  have  examined  4  vertebra}  are  firmly 
anchylosed  to  form  the  sacrum ;  in  three  of  these  the  caudal  series  is  imI>e^ 
feet.  Gterrard  gives  also  only :'  sacral  for  Erignathus  barbatus  (Ibid.,  p.  145), 
while  in  two  skeletons  I  And  4  in  each. 

Lilljeborg  gives  the  length  of  the  tail  in  Phooa  vituUna  at  69  mm.  and  ia 
Phooa  fcetida,  male,  150  mm.,  female,  144. 

tin  two  very  old  skeletons  of  Phooa  grcmlandioa  I  find  the  Hacrnm  to  con- 
sist  of  ouly  three  anchylosed  vertebra.  In  both  the  other  species  the  sft> 
orum  consists  of  four  anchylosed  vertebne. 


ih. 


1Vt\ 


INDIVFDI'AI.    AND    SKXUAI.    VARIATION. 


571 


[n  n?sj)e<!t  to  otlu'r  foiitiiros,  it  may  l>t^  a«ld<i(l  that  the  volative 
length  (>(■  the  (list  and  neeond  phahmges  of  tho  thumb  in  P. 
cUuliua  atitl  /*.  (frcenlandica  is  reversed.  Whih»  the  U'ligth  of 
the  whoh!  difjit  in  nearly  the  same  in  the  two,  the  phalanges 
notably  vary,  the,  tlrs*  phalanx  being  short  and  the  second  long 
in  P.  rilulina,  while  in  P.  /)•  ^nlandka  the  first  is  long  and  the 
scroud  short.  The  rolati.^>-  a  iigthof  the  digits  of  the  manus  in 
nearly  the  same  in  both,  P.  fcpfUla,  as  alrea<ly  stated,  being 
easily  distinguished  from  either  by  its  having  the  first  digit 
decidedly  the  longest  and  the  others  successively  shorter. 

Individual  and  Sexual  Variation. — The  wide  range  of 
color-variation  has  been  alrea«ly  uot«d  in  the  general  descrip- 
tion of  the  ext(?rnal  characters,  and  this  appears  to  be  in  great 
measure  independent  of  either  sex  or  age.  After  allowing  for 
the  thickening  of  the  bones  and  the  development  of  rugosities 
for  the  attJichment  of  muscles,  there  still  remains  a  <'ousiderable 
range  of  variation  in  the  skull  and  other  l)ones  that  nuiy  be  con- 
sidered as  purely  individual.  The  variations  in  the  skull  are 
shown  to  some  extent  by  the  sulyoined  table  of  measurements, 
'i)nt  unfortunately  very  few  of  the  skrdls  I  have  examined  have 
been  marked  for  sex.  Those  known  to  be  those  of  aged  males 
are  noticeably  the  lai'gest  and  heaviest,  and  the  most  roughened 
by  tuberosities  and  incipient  crests.  The  hirgest  and  heaviest 
of  all  is  a  vfiry  old  male  skull  from  Santa  Barbara  Island,  Cali- 
t'ornia,  but  this  is  nearly  paralleled  by  another  from  the  coast  of 
Massachusetts,  also  that  of  a  very  old  male.  In  adult  skulls 
ranging  in  length  from  210  ram.  to  223  mm.,  the  greatest  width 
varies  from  124  mm.  to  144  mm.,  with  corresponding  variations 
in  the  dimensions  of  special  parts.  The  nasal  bones  vary  in  both 
length  and  width  fully  twenty-flve  per  cent,  of  their  mean  di- 
mensions. There  is  an  equally  great  amount  of  variation  in  the 
mdth  of  the  muzzle,  and  nearly  as  great  iu  the  bones  of  the  pal- 
atal region.  The  form  and  size  of  the  narial  openings  are  espe- 
cially subject  to  variation,  as  shown  in  the  subjoined  table. 

In  both  Phoeafcetida  and  Phoca  groenlandioa  the  femile  skull 
is  much  smaller,  lighter,  and  weaker  in  structure  than  the  male 
skull,  and  I  believe  that  corresponding  sexual  differences  in  the 
skull  obtain  in  Phoca  vituUna,  if  indeed  they  are  not  even  still 
more  strongly  marked.  Among  old  skulls  two  well-mark  i 
forms  occur,  differing  iu  the  one  being  much  less  massive, 
smaller,  and  every  way  slighter  than  the  other,  with  the  facial 
portion  of  the  skull  narrower  and  the  teeth  smaller,  the  i>wer 


''■■St- 8 


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572 


PHOCA    VITULINA — HARBOR   SEAL. 


jaw  vory  much  weaker  and  narvower,  and  the  rami  mucli  less 
bowed  outward,  scarcely  more  so  than  in  P.  gnitnlandica.  Fn 
this  slighter  form  the  teeth  are  so  lauch  smaller  that  occasion 
ally  they  are  placed  (in  the  upper  jaw  especially)  end  to  end  in 
stead  of  beinji;  set  obliquely,  and  even  sometimes  slightly  spaced. 
AltLcuyii  the  skulls  are  uumarked  as  to  sex,  I  believe  the  slighter 
skulls  to  be  those  of  females. 

The  sexual  <litierences  in  size  and  cranial  characters  in  this, 
the  common  Seal  of  oui'  temperate  American  and  European  wa- 
ters, appear  to  still  remain  inadequately  investigated,  and  se 
ries  of  sexed  examples  seem  to  be  still  desiderata  in  our  best 
collections.  The  only  reference  to  the  subject  tliat  1  reeall  arc 
the  following  incidental  observations  by  Mr.  -Fohn  W.  Clark,  who. 
in  discussing  the  assumed  distinctive  characters  of  Dr.  Gray's 
Ilalicyoti  richarthi,  says :  ''The  thickening  of  the  lower  jaw  may 
be  a  sexual  distinction.  A  skull,  unquestionably  of  a  n>ale,  pos- 
sesses it  in  a  marked  degree,  while  that  of  a  female  of  appar- 
ently about  the  same  age,  is  slender."* 

^[y  attention  has  been  forciblj'  drawn  to  this  matter  by  a  skull 
(Xo.  {)783,  Xat.  Mus.)  from  Plover  Bay  (Siberian  coast  of  Belir 
ing's  Straits),  v.iiich  1  at  first  referred  unhesitatingly  to  Plinca 
ritiditta,  when  examined  in  connection  with  a  large  series  from 
both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  of  America,  Irat  later,  when 
compared  again  with  a  smaller  series,  1  thought  it  might  repre 
sent  a  form  closely  allied  to,  but  still  specifically  distint^t  from, 
r.  rititUna — probably  the  so-called  P/<ocfi  '■hnnHmularffi^\  On 
collating  it  again  with  the  full  series  at  first  examined  it  seenicfl 
undoubtedly  to  be  only  an  old  female  of  P.  ritidina.  Aside  from 
the  general  slighter  and  more  delicate  structure  of  the  skull,  the 
most  notable  difterences  are  the  smaller,  normally  implanted,  und 
even  slightly  spaced  molar  teeth,  the  narrowness  of  the  facial 
portion  of  the  skull,  and  the  corresponding  naiTowness  of  tho 
lower  jaw  and  absence  of  the  abrupt  outwar<l  curvaaire  of  the 
rami  at  the  last  molar.  In  general  form  the  lower  jaw  is  nmcli 
like  that  of  P.  ffroenlandica,  oxcei)t  that  the  vertical  width  of  tho 
ramus  is  much  less,  and  the  plane  of  its  vertical  expansion  not 
ijearly  so  oblique.  Other  skulls,  which  are  undoubtedly  those 
of  P.  vituUna,  so  closely  resemble  this  that  it  is  impossible  to 
regard  it  as  otherwise  than  an  exceptionally  attenuated  female 
skull  of  P.  vHuJina,  One  or  two  -others  in  the  series,  also  pre 
sumed  to  be  female,  have  the  teeth  small  and  implanted  in  a 

*Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1873,  p.  557. 


m 


INDIVIDUAL   AND    SEXUAL   VARIATION. 


573 


straif^ht  liue,  while  in  still  others  the  anterior  teeth  are  so  im- 
planted, only  the  posterior  two  of  th(^  series  being  more  or  less 
oblifjue. 

The  variations  atteudiuy  increase  of  age  are  chiefly  the  grad- 
ual thickeniny  of  all  parts  of  the  bony  framework  of  the  sknll,  and 
in  the  males  the  development  of  all  the  processes  for  the  attach- 
ment of  nmscles,  of  slight  rugosities,  an  incipient  sagittal  crest, 
luid  a  more  abrupt  o  itward  curvature  of  the  mandibular  rami.  1 1 
is  also  noteworthy  that  the  teeth  are  frequently  less  <;rowded  in 
the  jaw  and  less  oblique  in  position  in  the  adult  and  old-age 
stages  than  during  the  earlier  periods  of  development.  It  would 
seem  hardly  necessary  to  note  the  varying  position  with  age  of 
the  ridges  bounding  the  temporal  nmscles,  since  such  variation 
is  usually  seen  in  mammals  which  have  these  ridges  well  marked, 
were  it  not  that  a  diftereuce  iu  the  position  of  the  temporal 
liuges  has  been  cited  by  Dr.  Gray  as  a  character  distinctive  of 
his  so-called  '•'■Hallcyon  richardsV  ascompai'ed  with  Phoca  vitu- 
Una.*  Iu  very  young  .j  uinmls  the  brain-case  is  smooth,  showing 
no  trace  of  the  temporal  ridges ;  later  thej*  are  slightly  marked 
and  widely  diverge ;  as  the  age  of  the  animal  increases  these 
ridges  become  stronger  and  less  diAcrgent,  and  iu  very  aged  ex- 
amples nearly  or  wholly  meet  along  the  median  liue  of  the  skull, 
forming  a  low,  broad  crest,  slightly  divided  along  the  middle  by 
a  shallow  furrow,  which  may  or  may  not  widcL^  posteriorly  into 
a  small  flat  triangular  space.  + 

*  Haud-List  of  JSeals,  titc,  1874,  p.  5. 

t  Fur  a^lditioual  remarks  on  indivicVaal  variation  in  the  characters  of  the 
Hkull  see  Clark,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1873,  pp.  556,  557. 


-  ivi,' 


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574 


PHOCA    VITULIXA HARHOR    SEAL. 


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'A'neofViOA  'sajnn  .io(ji»)an  jo  q')pB9JS 
'.^lausAaimi)  'sajna  anu.tiBod  jo  q^pnojg 


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42  i  13   10 
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67  1  21  .... 
60  i  20  16 

48  19  12 

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aBmxBnu.ijni  jo  .i^p.)   kii.imii"  iuo.ij  i).iiiBiBr(i 

VlU.IOlJldHI  KIUIMIII  oj 


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SI 


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ISi 


GENERAL    FIISTORY    AND    SYNONYMY. 


675 


(rENEBA  L  HiSTORY  AND  SYNONYMY. — The  commoii  Seal  is 
rncntionod  in  the  earliest  works  on  natural  history,  having  been 
(h'scribed  and  rudely  figured  by  various  writers  as  early  as  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  as  well  as  during  the  seven- 
teenth (ientury.    Even  down  to  the  time  of  Linn6  it  was  the  only 
species  recognized;  or,  more  correctly,  all  the  species  known 
were  usually  confounded  as  one  sp<;cies,  supposed  to  be  the  same 
as  the  common  Seal  of  the  European  coasts.    Consequently 
almost  down  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  "com- 
mon Seal"   was  gent^rally  supposed  to  inhabit  nearly  all  the 
seas  of  the  globe;,  Bufifon,  Pennant,  Schreber,  and  others  refer- 
ring to  it  as  an  inhabitant  of  the  Southern  Ilemisphere.    Linn6 
distinguished  only  a  single  species,  even  in  the  later  editions 
of  his  "Systema  Naturse."     As  is  well   known,  the  smaller 
species  of  Seal  are  with  difficulty  distinguishable  by  external 
characters,  particularly  during  their  younger   stages.      Few, 
however,  are  so  •".  . .  ble  in  color  as  the  i)resent,  an<l  none  has 
so  \vi«le  II  gi^ogra        al  lange.     It  is  hence  not  suri)rising  that 
its  varying  phases  should  liavi;  been  made  the  basis  of  numer- 
ous nominal  species.  •  As  shown  by  the  above  table  of  sy.i- 
onyuiy,  the  species  was  first  introduced  into  systematic  liter- 
ature by  Linn6  in  1754,  under  the  name  Phoca  communis.     He 
later  changed  its  name  to  Phoca  vHulina,  which  specific  desig- 
nation it  lias  since  generally  retained.      Although  the  name 
ritulitia  was,  without  doubt,  based   primarily  on    the   aninml 
coniinoiily  designated  by  that  name,  it  originally  covered  ref- 
Hcnces  toother  species,  but  its  limitation  t)  the  species  now 
miller  e«)nsiderati(m  has  been  so  long  currently  accepted  that 
only  needless  confusion  would  result  from  any  hair-splitting 
device  by  means  of  which  some  later  and  more  strictly  appli- 
oiible  name  might  be  substituted.    To  Fabricius  is  due  the  credit 
of  first  clearly  discriminating  the  various  species  of  Seals  inhab- 
iting the  Arctic  waters,  and  by  him,  in  his  classic  memoir  on 
the  Seals  of  Greenland,*  the  present  species  was  first  described 
in  detail,  and  its  early  literary  history  clearly  set  forth.     Pen- 
nant, Schreber,  Erxleben,  and  Gmelin,  it  is  true,  had  already 
rt'cognized  other  species,  based,  however,  mainly  on  Fabricius's 
'iirlier  work,  "Fauna  Grcenlandica,"  and  on  Miiller's  "Prodro- 
nnis ".    The  latter,  so  far  as  the  Seals  are  concerned,  rests  also  on 
i'iibiicius's  manuscript  notes  published  by  Miiller.    Later,  as al- 

'  I  <l((')rlijr  Bo8kiv«ilNe  over  <l«i  GruulandHko  Sasle.    Skriv.  at' Nuturbistoriu- 
S»lskiil..'t,   Istc  Bind,  Istc   TIcCto,  1790,  pp.  70-ir)7;   '2ih't  Hefte,  1791,  pp. 

:;i-i7o. 


!  "'  ■ 

1    ; ;    '] 

ff-- 

1.  '!  ■' 

If 


^f 


lis  r 


676 


PHOCA    VITULINA — UAKBOR   SEAL. 


ready  indicated,  nuiuerous  writers  have  contributed  toitsliistory. 

The  fii'Mt  synonym  of  note  was  published  by  Nilsson  in 
1820,  who  renamed  the  species  cariegata,  but  the  name  n<ner 
came  into  {jfeneral  use,  and  was  soon  after  abandoned  by  Nils- 
son  himself,  who  later  adopted  vituUna.  Thienenmnn,  in  1824, 
described  the  species  as  Phom,  littorea,  and  also  in  the  same 
work  gave  the  name  Fhoca  ttcopulicolu  to  an  animal  referred  by 
some  writers  to  Plioca  vituUna  and  by  others  to  Haliclurnis 
grypus.*  Lesson  has  furnished  his  usual  tpiota  of  synonyms 
by  giving  to  Linne's  Fhoca  rituUna  the  miuw-  Phoca  liniuei,  and 
by  bestowing  the  names  tigrina  and  t7<o/'/.si  on  thccommou  spot- 
ted Seal  of  the  X(uth  Pacific,  the  lirst  being  based  on  tiie 
Phoqiw  tlgtr  oi  Krascheuninikow  from  Kamtschatka,  and  the 
other  on  Choris's  tigure  of  his  CVtien  ^/ewier  of  liehring's  Straits, 
neither  of  which  can  be  positively  <letermincd,  but  uuiy  be  re- 
ferred with  little  <loubt  to  the  present  s}>e<',ies. 

The  Phoca  can'uui  of  I'allas  is  generally  ctniceded  to  be  a  syn- 
onym of  Phoca  vituUna.  The  same  autluu's  Phoca  largha,  aj)- 
plied  to  a  Kamtschatkau  Seal,  has  been  the  source  of  moie 
trouble,  it  being  too  inadequately  descrilied  to  admit  of  positive 
determination.  Temminck  believed  it  to  be  identical  with  a 
Seal  from  Japan,  and  renamed  it  Phoca  nummular w.  In  his  re- 
marks on  the  Seals  of  this  region  he  says :  "Le  troisieme  rhocjue 
des  parages  septentrionauxdel'ocean  paciflque  nous  est  connii 
d'apr^s  trois  jeiuies  indi\'itlus  et  d'apres  un  nombre  6gal  ile 
peaux  incompletes  d'individus  adultes,  tous  rapportes  du  -bi- 
pou  par  M.  M.  de  Siebold  et  Biirger.  C'est  evidemuient  le  deii- 
xi^me  Phoque  de  Steller,  Descr.  du  Camtsch.  p.  107,  et  l'esi)ece 
dout  Pallas  fait  mention  en  traitant  du  Phoque  comnnin,  1.  (^ 
[Zool.  Kosso-Asiat.]  p.  117,  nota  2;  puis  le  Phoque,  flgurt'^  sans 
le  moindre  detail  descriptif,  dans  le  voyage  de  Choris,  PI.  H, 
sous  le  non>  <le  Phoque  du  detroit  de  Behring ;  peut-£'tre  con- 
vient-il  egalemeut  de  rapprocher  de  cette  esp^ce  inedite  le 
Phoca  largha  de  Pallas,  ibid.  j).  ll.'i,  n".  43.  Quoi  qu'il  en  soit, 
nous  avons  cru  devoir  conf6rer  j\  ce  Phoque  le  nom  qu'il  porte, 
suivant  Pallas,  1.  c.  p.  117,  chez  les  llusses,  savoir  celni  de 
Phoque  nummulaire,  Phoca  nummularis."  There  bciiiff 
no  evidence  to  tne  contrary,  it  may  be  assumed,  as  most  subse- 
quent writers  have  assumed,  that  Temminck's  Phoca  nummii- 

*  Thii'iH'iuaiiii's  work,  "  NatiirliistoriMcho  RoirnTkiinjjcn  gpsammell  uiit 
eii;'»r  Reiw  im  Nonlen  von  Ktiroita,  vorziiylich  in  Island  in  d.  Jahni  1820 
bis  1821,"  I  have  Imcn  unable,  tosoe.  Gi«bel  and  Blasins  refer  /'.  ncopnlicula 
to  P.  vifuUiia,  while  Gray  ansigns  it  to  /T.  grypus. 


GKXERAL    HISTORY    AND    SYNONYMY. 


577 


hiris  and  I'alliis's  Vhoca  hirf/lHt  nvo  tlic  siuno.  Toinininck  lias 
iiivi'ii  a  detailed  dcsiuiptioii  of  tlic  six  skins  above  in«'ntione(l 
;is  received  IVoui  .Ia])an,  and  also  of  fraj^nienrs  of  the  skidl  re- 
moved IVoiii  tlie  skins  of  the  younj;  in<lividuals.  Lie  notes 
I'Siteeially  tlie  \vi(U'  rany;e  of  color-variation  presented  by  his 
skins,  eacli  of  wiiich  ditfers  considerably  from  all  of  the  others, 
!lie  v.iriations  bein<i'  jii'catt'st  in  tlie  adnit  e.\ani|)les.  lie  j^ives 
tlu'  length  of  the  larji'est  adidt  si>ecinien  as  abnnt  live  feet,  and 
iliat  of  the  yonny  as  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet.  Ilede- 
scrilu's  one  skin  as  liavinj-'  exactly  the  niarkinj;'..  rejtresented  iu 
Ciioiis's  tij>nre,  an<l  says  it  has  a  dose  resenddaiK'O  to  certain 
viU'ii'tiesof  the  KMnjjed  S<'al.  The  coloration  of  these  sjieciniens, 
IIS  described,  i)res(uits  nothin}^  incompatible  with  their  refer- 
ence to  either  Phoca  /(ictida  or  Phoca  ritHlina,  both  of  which 
species  oc(!ur  in  the  region  in  qnestion. 

The  fragments  of  the  skulls  are  not  described  in  detail,  l>ut 
lie  says  they  serve  to  show  that  the  skull  of  his  Phoca  nnmmu- 
htris  greatly  resembles  that  of  the  "  Phoqne  j\  croissant ,  notam- 
inent  i)ar  la  configuration  de  la  region  interorbitaire,  qui  est, 
jtar  devant,  plus  large  que  dans  le  crane  du  Phoqne  annele. 
(pliant  au  sjsteme  dentaire,"  he  continues,  "il  n'offre  pas  la 
iiioindre  disparitti  de  celui  du  Phoque  il  croissant  etdu  Phoqne 
annele."  He  states  his  con(!lusion  as  follows :  "  Ce  Phoque  est 
on  (juehiue  sorte  intermddiaire  entre  le  Phoque  i\  croissant 
(fhoca  oceanica)  [=Phoea  (jrcenlandica,  auct.]  et  le  Phoque 
iinnelle,  (Phoca  hispida,  Schreber,  Siiugth.,  Ill,  p.  312,  n".  6, 
Tab.  80 ;  Phoca  foetida,  Midler,  Prodr.,  p.  8 ;  Phoca  annellata, 
Nilsson,  Skand.  Fauna,  I,  p.  302)  -,  car  il  offre  beaucoup  d'ana- 
logie  avec  le  i)remier  par  la  configuration  de  son  crane,  uotam- 
uient  par  celle  de  la  region  interorbitaire  ainsi  ])ar  celle  de  ses 
dents,  tandis  qu'il  se  rai)proche  davantage  du  second  par  son 
systeme  de  (joloratiou."* 

Tenuninck's  specimens  have  also  passed  uiuler  the  inspection 
of  Dr.  Gray,  who  says:  "This  si^ecies  [Gray's  ^* Pagomys^ 
H«m»}»/rtrts,"  1804,  his  "  PagomyH  f  Lar(jha^\  1800]  is  only  kiu)wn 
from  some  skins  and  three  fragments  of  skulls  in  the  Leyden 
Mnseum.  My  excellent  friend.  Professor  Schlegel,  the  ener- 
getic Curator  of  the  Leyden  Museum,  has  most  kindly  sent  to 
me  for  examinati«)n  and  comparison  the  fragments  of  skull* 
above  referred  to :  they  consist  of  the  face-bone  and  the  lower 

*Fjinna  Japnn.,  Mam.  Mar.,  p.  ;<. 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 37 


^i 


ill 


578 


PHOCA    VITULINA HARIJOU    SKAL. 


jaws  of  throo  spociniens  ;  tho  most  i)orfoct  specimen  lias  pan 
of  the  orbit  and  tlio  iippci'  ])art  «>f  tlu'  bruiiicase  attached  to 
it.  They  an^  all  from  very  yoiiiij^'  specimens,  of  nearly  the 
same  age;  and,  unfortunately,  tlic  nu)st  perfect  one  is  without 
the  hinder  juntion  of  the  jialate,  so  that  one  cannot  make  sure 
that  it  has  tiic  same  form  of  jialatine  .vf^ion  that  is  found  in 
Pagomijs  :  hut  tiie  i>art  of  the  side  of  the  palate  that  is  present, 
when  comi)ared  with  the  sauu'  part  in  Pagomys,  h-ads  one  to 
think  it  most  likely  to  be  of  the  same  form  as  in  that  species. 

''The  jjeneral  form  and  si/e  of  the  face,  and  the  foinx  of 
the  teetli  are  those  of  a  skull  of  Voijomys  fui'ulux  of  the  sanie 
age.  It  only  differs  from  the  latter  in  the  lower  jaw  beingrather 
shorter  and  broader,  in  the  j;rinders  being  larger,  thicker,  and 
rather  closer  together,  in  the  central  lobe  of  the  grinders  being 
considerably  larger,  thicker,  and  stronger,  and  in  all  the  lobes  of 
the  grinders  being  nmre  acute.  The  lower  margin  of  the  lower 
jaw  isdihited  in  front,  just  as  hi  Pagomys  fa'tidiis  ;  but  the  jaws 
behin<l  the  dilatation  diverge  more  from  each  other,  leaving  a 
wider  space  between  them  at  the  hinder  ])art.  The  form  of  the 
hinder  angle  of  the  jaws  is  very  similar  in.  the  two  species.  The 
oi'bit  is  rather  smaller  and  more  circular ;  for  in  P.  fatiduti  it  is 
rather  oblong,  l»eing  slightly  longer  than  wide.  The  forehead  ap- 
pears, as  far  as  one  can  judge  by  the  fragments,  to  be  tiatter  antl 
broader,  and  the  nose  rather  shorter."  Dr.  Gray  also  adds,  in  his 
diagnosis  of  the  species:  "The  lower  jaws  short  and  broad; 
the  grinders  thick,  with  a  broad,  thick  central  lobe,  and  nearly 
side  by  side  (in  the  sknlls  of  the  young  animals).''  He  also 
gives  comparative  measurements  of  a  sknll  of  a  young  P.  feetidus 
and  of  P.  nummularis,  but  with  a  good  series  of  young  skulls 
of  the  former,  from  the  fcetal  stage  upward,  I  fail  to  fully  under- 
stand his  measurements. 

"•  The  Phoca  nummularis,^^  Dr.  Gray  continues,  "has  been  con- 
sidered to  be  identical  with  Phocn  Largha  of  Pallas,  from  the 
east  shore  of  Kamtschatka,  the  Phoca  Chorisii  of  Lesson,  and 
the  Phoque  tigre  of  Kraschennenikow  (which  has  been  named 
Phoca  tignna  by  Lesson),  on  the  strength  of  their  coming  from 
nearly  the  same  district ;  but  I  am  not  aware  that  specimens  of 
any  of  the  latter  species  exist  to  verity  the  union  and  determine 
what  are  the  spwoies  described  under  these  names."* 

Although  neither  Temminck  nor  Gray  makes  any  reference 


•Proo.  ZoJil.  Soc.  Lond.,  18«>4,  pp.  M,  \\2  ;  Cat.  Soals  and  Wliales,  !«*)C,pp. 
24,  25.     Sco  al8()  Gray's  "Haud-List  of  Seals,"  etc.,  1874,  p.  6. 


OKNEHAL    HISTORY    AND    SYNONYMY. 


679 


I :  J 


to  Phom    ritiilina  in  hisc'Oin]>arisni)s  of  Vhoca  uummularix  with 
otluT  species,  llu'  distinctive  cliuiacteis  <;iveii,  so  tar  as  tliey 
relate  to  the  skull,  |)oiiit  <leci<le(ll.v  toward  /*.  riliilin<(,  es])eeially 
as  respects  the  dentition,  the  width  n{'  the  facial  re^iion.  etc.    The 
ditfei'cnces  in  the  lower  Jaw,  asconipared  with  that  of  I'.J'afidd 
show  its  closer  similarity  to  that  of  /'.  ritidina.  and  the  larger, 
lliicker,  and  nunc  closely  set  teeth,  with  their  hnjicr  and  more 
acute  cusps  are  also  dil1erenc«'s  that  j»oint  in  the  same  direction. 
It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  neitlier  of  these  writers  alhuU's 
to  the  mode  of  imjdantation  of  the  teeth,  but  hadtliey  been  set 
<)hli<|uely  as  is  Kxualli/  (not  always)  the  ease  in  /'.  rttidina,  it  is 
hardly  to  be  supposed  that  Gray  would  have  failed  to  so  state. 
As  already  noted,  in  /'.  rihiliiia  the  si/«'  of  the  teeth,  their  mode 
(if  insertion,  and  the  width  of  the  antericn'  or  facial  portion  of 
the  skull  are  subject  to  (considerable  variation,  the  teeth  bein^' 
sometimes  set  end  to  end  in  a  straight  line,  and  even  with  sli}»ht 
spaces  between  them.     Since,  however,  they  are  commonly  more 
<»i>li(|nely  and  more  closely  set  in  youn^t'  skulls  than  in  adnlt 
ones,  it  seems  hardly  probable  that  three  yuan};'  sknils  of  this 
siiecies  would  by  chance  be  found  to  apee  in  having  the  teeth  in- 
sorted  in  a  straifiiit  line,  if,  indeed,  they  were  all  sufficiently  in- 
tact to  show  the  dentition.    The  skull  from  IMover  Bay,  Behriuff's 
Straits  (Xo.  (>783,  Nat,  Mus.),  already  described  {nntea,  p.  oTL'), 
seems  to  aoree  very  closely  with  the  characters  given  by  Gray 
for  Temminck's  Phoca  nummularis  {='■'■  PagomyHi  larfjha^^  Gray. 
I'^Jt)),  yet  I  And  in -a  large  series  of  skulls  (more  than  twenty 
have  been  examined)  of  Phoca  vitulina  a  complete  gradation 
between  this  extremely  attenuated  example  and  the  very  thick, 
heavy  skulls  of  the  oldest  males. 

While  T  do  not  deem  it  improbable,  in  view  of  all  the  facts  of 
the  case,  that  a  species  distinct  from  Phoca  vitulina  but  of  the 
same  general  type  of  structure,  though  slenderer,  may  exist  in 
the  North  Pacific,  and  which  may  be  referable  to  Temminck's 
/'.  nummularis,  I  feel  disposed  to  leave  the  question  open  an«l 
tor  the  present  provisionally  consider  P.  nummularis  as  a  pos- 
sible, if  not  a  pi'obable,  synonym  of  P.  vitulina. 

riie  Phoca  concolor  of  DeKay,  unquestionably  based  on  the 
li;iht  phase  of  the  connnon  Harbor  Seal  of  our  eastern  coast, 
has  been  referred  by  nearly  all  European  writers,  often  with 
expressions  of  doubt  but  frequently  with  entire  ]>ositiveness,  to 
Phoca  /(jetiila,  or  the  Ringed  Seal,  in  consequence  of  its  light 
silvery-gray  color. 


i 


i 


h^ 


i" 


580 


I'HOCA    vniLINA IIARI'.OR    SKAL. 


A  ciiiious  (iiistiikr  iiiiid*'  by  I'ciilc  in   liis  (sii]>|»i'('ss(m1)  icport 
on  tln'  Mimimiils  ainl  IJirds  of  tlic  I'liitcd  Slates  Ivxploiiii^i  lv\- 


FKi.  14. — "Halicluprns  aiitarctii'UN".  H«alt;-— Phiica  vitiiliiia,  ^  natural  sizi'. 

pcditioii  under  Coniniodoiv  Wilkes  lias   jdayed  an  important 
role  in  the  teelinieal  history  of  the  si>e«.*ies.     A  specimen  (skin 


Fio.  4r>. — "  HaliclinTus  aiitaicticus",  IVale^I'hoca  vitulina,  1  natural  >izo. 

and  skull,*  still  extant  in  the  National  Museum)  vas  deserilied 
uiuler  the  name  Jf<iUcha:n(s  antarcticus,  with  the  rennirk,  "Tb's 

*Tliis  Hkull  (No.   iJ'JJ^,  Nat.  Mas.)  is  represented  in  Figs.  44-47,  fimr- 
seventlis  natural  hI/c. 


(;ENEKAL    IIISTOUV    AM)    SYNONYMY, 


581 


sjM'cies  inliiilMts  the  Antarctic;  Sea.  Tlic  spcciiiu'n  was  obtained 
on  the  Idtli  of  Marcli  at  Drsolation  Island.  It  appears  from 
tin'  teeth  to  be  an  adnlt,  ainl  is  the  most  jK-rfect  specinu'n 
I'l'onjuiit  Innne  by  th«'  expedition."  Notwithstanding;  this  ex- 
]»heit  stateineiit  of  locality  and  date  of  <'apture,  it  is  undonbt- 
I'dly  erroneons.  Dr.  Cill,  in  lS(i(>,  Ijist  called  attention  to  the 
probable erroi',  and  says,  ••The  '■U<tlirli(iru.s(ntt(it'cticun'' ni'  I'eah', 
very  erroneously  ideal ilied  with  LdIkxIou  c(iy<hu>})h(Uia  by  Dr. 
,1.  K.  dray,  is  a  typical  sjtecies  of  I'liorti,  but  apjx'ars  to  be 
i(lenti<'al  with  a  species  o(!cnrrin^'  alonj;'  the  California  and 
Oi't'jion  coasts,  and  consequently  there  must  be  sonu'  error  as 
to  its  original  habitat  in  the  Antaretit!  «eas.     I  am  happy  t«)  add 


Vui.  K). — "  lliiliclmriis  itiitiiroticus",  i'eale=Pliocii  vitnlina,  -  utituiid  sizi;. 

Uiat  ^[r.  Peak'  himself  now  doubts  the  correctness  of  the  labels 
"HI  the  faith  of  which  he  gave  its  habitat,  and  as  a  change  of 
name  is  desii-able,  I  woidd  propose  that  of  /'.  Pw///."*  Having 
li;i(l  ojjpctrtunity  of  studying  the  type  of  the  spt^cies,  and  of  com- 
paring  it  with  ,i  good  series  of  skulls  and  skins  of  the  c()mm(Ui 
species  of  Plioca  of  the  I'acitic  coast  of  the  Ignited  States,  1 
!i.i\>'  not  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  Dr.  Gill's 
iiiicrpi'eiation  of  the  case. 

I'.oth  in  l.sr)0  and  in  180(5  Dr.  J.  E.  Gray  included  Peale's  II. 
(iHtarciictis  among  the  synonyms  of  Lobodon  rarcinophaga,  with 

*  I'loc.  Essex  lust.,  vol.  v,  Irilkj,  p.  4,iootuote. 


4 


'■    I 


pi- 


m 


582 


IMKMA    VITILINA FIAKHOU    SEAL. 


which,  of  ('()ijrs«',  it  has  vi'iy  nMiiote  atllnitifs.     ft  secins,  how- 
ever, that  he  was  subsequently  not  fully  satisfied  with  this  alloea- 


FUi.  47. — "IlalichaTiis  antarcticuH",  P('iilp=rIMw)<'a  vitulina,  '-  natural 


l/c. 


tion  of  the  speeies  for  he  says  later  in  the  year  last  nuMitioned, 
"On  rereadinjj  I'eale's  description,  I  think  that  it  is  very  prob- 
ably a  new  {jenus,  for  he  says  it  has  six  cuttinj;  teeth  in  tlie 
upper  jaw,  and  that  the  four  jmsterior  molar  teeth  in  both  jaws 
are  double-roote«l,  their  crowns  niany-lobe«l,  the  cutting  teeth 
short,  siuii)le  and  curved ;  the  whiskers  tlattened,  waved  on  the 
edges.  To  the  animal  so  characterized  the  generic  name  Ilali- 
philus  may  he  given."*  Still  later,  on  the  basis  of  Dr.  (iill's 
determination  of  Peale's  species,  as  ])reviously  noted.  Dr.  (iniy 
transferred  it  to  his  genus  JIaUcyon,  and  a«lopted  for  it  the  name 
Halicyon  penleiA  Cassin,  in  1858,  also  referred  Peale's  JJali- 
cha-rus  antarcticus  to  Lobodon  carcinophaffa,  doubtless  following 
Dr.  Gray. 

In  18()4,  Dr.  Gray  described  a  Seal  from  a  skull  from  VaiH^ou- 
ver'ii  Island  and  a  skeleton  from  Fraser's  River,  which  he  referred 
not  only  to  a  new  si)ecie8  but  to  a  new  genus,  naming  it  '•^Ha- 
licyon HchardV  \  The  validity  of  the  species  seems  to  have 
been  first  called  in  question  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Clark  in  1873,  when 
he  compared  Dr.  Gray's  type  specimen  with  a  skull  from  Sail 
Francisco,  and  with  others  from  Xewfoundland,  and  also  with 
a  series  of  skulls  of  Phoca  vihdina  from  the  English  coast.    He 

•Ann.  an«l  Ma^.  Nat.  Hist.,  xvii,  186(5,  p.  446. 

tSiippl.  (.'at.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  p.  2. 
.    t  The  species  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Gray  to  "  Captain  Richard  [kge  Rich- 
ards], tho  Hydrograjthcr  of  the  Admiralty,"  and  ten  years  later  Dr.  Sclater 
notes  the  fact  that  the  Tianie  should  be  consequently  richardai, — Proc,  Xotil- 
Soc.  Land.,  IVf'A,  p.  {j5(j,  footnote. 


GKNEUAL    HISTORY    AND    SYNONYMY. 


583 


iiot«'8  a  (ionsitlerablc  amount  of  iiidividiuil  variation  in  different 
skullH  of  this  si)ecies,  and  finds  that  the  characters  given  by 
Dr.  (Iray  for  his  Ifalicifon  richdnlsi  do  not  hohl,  and  adds,  "I 
am  thorefon^  disjiosed,  so  far  as  present  evidence  goes,  to  con- 


Fig.  4*^. — "Hnlieyon  richanlsi",  Gray=Phoca  vitiilina.* 

sidor  the  so-called  Halieyon  richanlsi  simply  a  synonym  of 
Vhoea  vitulina^W  Dr.  Gray,  however,  in  his  "Hand- List  of 
Seals"  (1874),  still  retained  the  species,  referring  to  it  three 
specimens  (two  skulls  and  a  skeleton),  from,  respectively,  Era- 
ser's River,  Vancouver's  Island,  and  Japan,  and  stating  that 
the  skin  was  still  unknown.  lie  alludes  to  Mr.  Clark's  i)aper, 
and  calls  attention  to  several  points  wherein  he  believes  his 
Halieyon  richardsi  ditt'ers  from  Phoca  vituHna,  and  adds  that 
"  though  the  skulls  have  some  similarity,  still  there  may  be  a 
great  difference  in  the  external  appearance  of  the  animals."  As 
regards  this  point,  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  have  access 
to  a  considerable  series  of  bcth  skins  and  skulls,  and  I  am  un- 
able to  appreciate  any  well-nuirked  features  in  either  wherein 
the  so-called  Halieyon  riehardni  differs  from  the  common  Phoca 
niulina  of  the  North  Atlantic.  1  have  had,  moreover,  specimens 
from  the  vicinity  of  the  original  localities  whence  the  species 
was  described,  as  well  as  from  points  on  the  Pacific  coast  as 
reiuote  from  each  other  as  the  8anta  Barbara  Islands  and 
Alaska. 


*  From  an  electrotype  of  Gray's  original  figure  in  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  London, 
18()4,  p.  28.  Gray's  figure  in  his  "Catalogue  of  Seals  and  Whales"  (p.  28), 
is  apparently  from  the  same. 

tl'roc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1873,  p.  656.    ■ 


t 


iii 


I 


«  ¥ 


•I- 


^1  \ 


■|  '  'ii 


P 


^n 


584 


PHOCA    VITULINA IIAUnoK    SKAL. 


Still  unotliur  Hviiunyin,  lor  \vlii<tli  wtt  iuivc  also  to  thank  Dr. 
(rray,  ivinaius  to  1m'  coiisidcird,  naiiirly,  his  "7/fj//c»/o«?  cnli- 
J'oniioi."'  This  is  based  simply  on  "The  Hair  S«'al  [Phova  jn- 
butu)^"  of  llutchin^'s  "Scu-nrsof  Wonilrr  aii(H'iiriosity  in  Cali- 
fornia" (p.  IH!>),  and  is  dosciilM'd  l»y  Dr.  (J ray  as  follows:  "A 
seal  without  ears,  wi'h  lar;;*',  pale  rinjis,  which  arc  more  or  less 
c(»idhient.  Iidiah. California."*  lie  (piotcs parts ot'  llntchin<^'*s 
description,  and  adds,  •'  It  has  no  atllnity  to  the  Phnvn  juhatm){ 
the  Systematic  Catalojjne."  The  extent  of  llutchin};'s  scMcntitic 
attainments,  so  iur  as  the  present  matter  is  coniierneil,  may  be 
jndjjedfrom  the  italicised  portions  of  the  following  :  "This  seal, 
with  \vhi(5h  XW  count  of  Cidifornia  aboundH,  is  by  no  means  rare, 
as  ahuoHt  all  the  coantn  in  high  southern  and  northern  lotuilitien 
abonn''  with  it." 

In  recapitulation  of  the  forejjoing,  it  may  be  noted  that  of  the 
fourteen  distin<;t  synonyms  here  (ronsidered,  three  (niriefiato, 
liiinwi,  canina)  are  due  to  the  intentional  renaminji'  of  liinne's 
Phoca  ritiilina;  that  three  others  (/<V/r/<uj,  chorisi,  cali/oniica) 
are  based  on  the  vague  «lescriptions  of  travi^llers  or  unscientitif 
writers;  that  two  {Lohodon  cnreinojdiafia,  Phovn  Jiibnia)  are  the 
result  of  malidentifi(!ations;  and  that  an  erroneous  label  <»f  lo 
eality  gave  ris(!  to  one  of  the  erroneous  id«'ntitications  and  led 
to  the  introdu(!tion  of  one  generic  and  two  additional  specific  aji 
])ellations.  The  four  remaining  synonyms  {littorea,8copulii'<>li(, 
c(ntc(dor^rirh((rdsi)  have  the  palliating  circumstances  of  h)cality 
and  scantiness  of  material  in  their  favor. 

(iKOGKAPiiiCAL  DiSTKiiH^TioN. — The  Ilarbor  Seal  appears 
to  have  formerly  been  nmeh  more  numerous  on  portions  of  our 
eastern  coast  than  it  is  at  present.  I- r.  DeKay,  writing  in  l<S4i.', 
states  that  tlu^  "Common  Seal,  or  Sea  Dog,"  is  "now  compara 
tively  rare  in  oiu-  [New  York]  waters,"  though  "  formerly  very 
abundant."  He  adds,  "A  certain  reef  of  rocks  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York  is  calle«l  Robin's  reef,  from  the  numerous  seals  wliieli 
were  accustomed  to  resort  there ;  robin  or  robyn  being  the  niiiiie 
in  Dutch  for  Seal.  At  some  seasons,  even  at  the  present  day, 
they  are  very  numerous,  particularly  about  the  Execution  rocks 
in  the  Sound;  but  their  visits  appear  to  be  very  capricious." 
He  further  alludes  to  their  capture  lu^irly  every  year  in  tlie 
Passaic  Ki\cr,  in  Xew  Jersey,  and  states  that  a  Seal  was  taken  in 
a  seine  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  near  Elko,  Maryland,  in  August. 
1824,  supposed  by  Dr.  Mitchill,  who  saw  it,  to  be  of  this  spc 


Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  186G,  p.  3C/. 


OKOOltAlMIICAL    DI.STKIIIUTION. 


585 


cios.*  Altliouyli  stl'l  tc'casioiijilly  ai>|»'ariiij:-oii  tliii  const  of  the 
Atliniti(!  Stall's  as  lai  .^  jiUliward  as  North  ('ai'oliiia,t  it  is  of 
probably  only  aiuidental  occurnMu;*'  south  of  New  Jersey,  uud 
rare  south  of  Massa<*husetts. 

In  n'S|»'«'t  to  its  occurrence  on  the  Xew  .lersey  const.  Dr.  0. 
(".  Abltott,  tlu',  well-known  naturalist  of  Trejiton,  X.  .1.,  kiiuUy 
writes  lue,  in  auswi^r  to  my  iu(|uiries  on  this  point,  as  follows: 
"  In  ji'oiug  over  my  note-l)0oks,  I  find  1  have  there  recorded  the 
occurren(!e  of  seals  ( I'linca  vituliHu)  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  as  follows : 
December,  18(51 ;  January,  1H<{4 ;  December,  18<HJ:  February, 
1870;  and  December,  1877.  in  these  Ave  instances  a  sinjfle 
specimen  was  killed  on  the  ledge  of  rocks  crossing  the  river 
here  and  forming  the  rapids.  In  December,  18G1,  three  were 
seen,  and  two  in  February,  1870.  A  week  later  one  was  cap- 
tured <h)wn  the  riveiv near  liristol,  IJucks  County,  Pennsylvania. 
My  impression  is  that  in  severe  winters  they  are  really  much 
more  abundant  in  the  D<^laware  IMver  than  is  supjjosed.  Con- 
sidering how  snudl  a  chance  there  is  of  their  being  seen  when 
the  river  is  choked  with  ice,  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that  an 
occasional  pair  or  more  (!ome  up  the  river,  even  as  high  as 
Trenton,  the  head  of  ti<le-water,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  miles  from  the  ocean. 

'•On  examination  of  old  local  histories,  I  find  reference  to  the 
seah'  as  not  nn<;omnion  along  our  coast,  and  as  quite  frequently 
wandering  up  our  rivers  in  winter.  I  can  find  no  newspaper 
references  to  the  occurrence  of  seals  later  than  February  or 
t'arlier  than  December,  but  as  historical  references  to  climate, 
us  well  as  the  memory  of  aged  men  still  living,  show  conclu- 
.Hi\  ely  tliat  our  winters  are  now  much  milder  than  they  were 
e\('U  tifty  years  ago,  it  is  probable  that  seals  did  come  up  the 
rivi-r  earlier  in  past  years. 

•'  In  conversation  with  an  old  fisherman,  now  seventy-six 
years  old,  who  has  always  lived  at  Trenton,  and  has  been  a 

*  Now  York  ZotUDfjy,  part  i,  1842,  pp.  54, 55. 

♦A  recent  reconl  of  its  capture  in  North  Carolina  is  the  following,  the   i 
ret'tience,  I  think,  nnqucf/ionably  relating  to  the  present  species: 

'•  f*ouTHEUN  Rangk  OF  THE  Sbal. — The  Wilmington,  N.  C,  Star  of  Feb- 
ruiiiy  28th,  mentions  the  capture,  in  New  River,  Onslow  County,  of  a  large 
foiuiile  spottotl  seal,  measuring  about  7  feet  in  length,  and  weighing  250 
pounds.  This  is  an  interesting  note.  The  species  i.iust  probably  have  been 
Till  loiiunon  harbor  seal  {Phoca  vitulina).  The  same  newspaper  says  one 
^v.is  reported  near  Beaufort  some  time  ago."— fW.  E,  U.  Scott,]  "Country," 
vol.  i,  No.  21,  p.  292,  March  IG,  1878. 


r 


i;.i^ 


I     !i' 


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r  i    I 


s.  .   «|   iJ    I 


Mil 


r)8() 


PHOCA    VITIILINA HARHOR    SKAL. 


;^«»od  obHoiver,  I  l«arri  that  every  winter,  years  ago,  it  was  ex- 
|)e(!t«'(l  that  one  or  more,  seals  wouhl  be  killed  ;  ami  that  about 
IHM),  two  were  killed  in  Mar<!h,  whi(!h  it  wassui)posed  had  ac- 
coiiipaiiied  a  school  of  herrinj;'  np  the  river. 

''In  my  investi;,"»tions  in  local  archicolofjy  I  have  found,  iu 
s»im«^  of  the  fresli-wat<'rshell-heai)s,  or  rath<'r  camp-fire  and  lisli- 
infjf-villaf;e  .sites  along  the  river,  fragnu^nts  of  bones  which  were 
at  the  time  identilied  as  those  of  seals.  T  did  not  preserve  them 
;is  I  had  no  kno\vIedg(^  of  their  being  of  interest.  They  were 
associated  with  Ixuies  of  deer,  bear,  »Ok,and  large  wading  birds, 
iiiid  then  gave  meth<>  imin-ession,  whic^li  sr.bse<inent  in(piiry  lia.s 
st lengthened,  that  the  s(;al,  liket  many  of  our  larg*^  maiuiiinls, 
had  disai)peared  gradindly,  as  the  country  became  more  densely 
settled,  an<l  that  in  pre-l"iUropean  times  it  was  <;oMunon,  at  cer- 
tain seasons,  both  on  the  (joast  and  inland."* 

In  later  coiinuunications  (dated  .laiiuary  25  and  March  lit), 
1S7'.>)  iieciuilosedtouje  ne\vspap(U'slij)s  and  notes resjieciting tiio 
capt"reof  eight  specimens  in  New  .Jersey,  mostly  near  Trenton, 
during  the  winter  of  IH78-'7!). 

On  the  coast  of  Massachusetts  they  oc(!ur  in  consideraltlc 
nund)ers  about  the  month  of  tlu^  Ipswich  liiver,  where  I  have 
sometimes  observed  half  a  score  in  sight  at  once.  They  arc  also 
to  be  met  with  about  the  islands  in  Boston  harbor,  ami  aloii;; 
th(^  eastern  shore  of  (!a])e  Cod.  I'ajjtain  N.  E.  Atwood  states 
that  they  are  nowaiul  tluMi  secMiat  Provincetown,  and  that  iu  a, 
shallow  bay  west  of  Kainsford  Island  "many  hundreds"  may 
be  seen  at  uny  time  in  sunuiuir  on  ale«lgoof  rocks  that  becomes 
e.\i)os(!d  at  low  water.t 

Further  northward  they  become  more  numerous,  particularly 
on  the  <;oast  of  Maine  and  the  shores  of  the  (lulf  of  Saint  Law- 
reiu;e,  Newfoundhuul  and  Labrador,  ami  are  also  common  on 
the  shores  of  Davis's  Strait  and  in  (Jreenland,  where, says  Dr. 
Itink,  "it  occurs  here  ami  there  throughout  thcx  coast,"  and  is 
likewise  to  be  nu't  with  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Mr.  Kumlicu 
says  it  is  one  of  the  "  rarer  species"  in  the  (Cumberland  waters, 
but  its  exact  northern  limit  I  have  not  seen  stated. 

On  the  European  <!oasts  it  is  said  to  occur  occasionally  in  the 
Me«literranean,  and  to  \h\  not  rare  on  the  coast  of  Spain.  It  is 
more  fre<pient  on  the  <!oasts  of  France  and  the  British  Islands, 
and  thence  northward  along  the  Scandinavian  peniue^ula  is  the 

•  Lt'tter  (liitod  Trenton,  N.  J.,  Dec.  2(i,  1878. 
tStt)  Bull.  MnH.  Couip.  Zoul.,  vol.  i,  p.  193. 


■11  f,-'l 


fjF,o(;KAPni<'Ar.  ihstkiimtion. 


587 


coimiKnicHt  spocioH  of  tlu'  fainily.  It  also  (extends  iiortliward 
and  oa.stward  aloiij;-  the  Arctii*,  coast  of  Europe,  but  late  ex- 
plorers of  the  Sj)itzlK  rj^en  iiud  .lau  Mayen  Islaiids  (h)  7iot  enu- 
merate it  iiiuon<f  the  spe<ries  there  met  Avith.  I\lahuj;ren  states 
tlislinetly  that  it  is  not  found  there,*  imd  it  is  not  mentioned  Ity 
Von  lleujiiin  nor  by  the  other  Germiin  natui-alists  wholiave  re- 
cently visited  these  ishin«ls.  Fi-oni  its  littoral  habits  its  absence 
lliere  Mii^i'ht  be  natui'iilly  (^x]>e<*ted.  It  is  also  said  by  some 
writers  to  oct'ur  in  the  IMaek  and  (.'as[nan  Seas,  and  in  Lake 
lliiikal,  but  llie  statement  is  seiioiisly  oju'U  to  doubt,  as  will  l)e 
<lio\vn  later  in  eonneetion  with  the  history  of  the  Kin^ied  Seal. 

On  the  Pa<*itic  coast  of  North  Anu'ricra  itoccursfrom  Southern 
('iiiifoiMiia  northward  to  I5eliriuj;'s  Strait,  where;  it  seems  t(»beau 
abinMlant  spe<-ies.  I  hav<'  examincMl  spttcimens  from  tiie  Santa 
l!iirl)ara  Islands,  and  vaiious  internu'diat(^ponits  to  Alaska,  and 
troMi  IMov<'r  Hay,  on  the  eastern  (!oast  of  Siberia.  The  extent 
(tf  its  raufje  on  the  Asiatic,  coast  has  not  been  ascertained.  If 
it  is  th<^  species  referre<l  to  by  I 'alias  under  tin;  name  Phoca 
(■(iiiina,  ami  by  Tenuninck,  Von  Schrenck,  and  other  German 
.vriters  umler  the  name  I'hoca  nnmmularis,  as  seems  probable, 
it  occurs  in  .lapan  an«l  alouff  the  Amoor  coast  of  the  Ochots 
Sea.  Von  Schrenck  spijaks  of  it,  on  tlu^  authority  of  the  natives, 
as  entering?  the  Amoor  Uiver.t  The  late  Dr.  Gray  referred  a 
specimen  from  .Iai»an  to  his  '■'■Ualwyon  rirhardsi,''^  which,  as  al- 
ready shown,  is  nu'rely  a  synonym  of  Phoc/i  vUulina.  It  thus 
iloubtless  ranjjes  southward  alonj^  the  Asiatic  coast  to  points 
nearly  corresponding  in  latitude  with  its  southern  limit  of  dis- 
frihution  on  the  Anu'rican  side  of  the  I'acilic. 

Tin;  Harbor  Seal  not  only  frequents  the  coast  of  the  North 
Atlantic;  and  the  North  Pacific,  and  some  »f  the  larger  interior 
seas,  but  ascends  all  the  larger  rivers,  often  to  a  considerable 
distance  above  tide-water,  ft  even  i)a8ses  up  the  Saint  Law- 
mice  to  the  Great  I^akes,  and  has  been  taken  in  Lake  Chani- 
l»lain.  DeKay  states,  on  the  authority  of  a  Canadian  news- 
l>ai)er,  that  a  Seal  (in  all  probability  of  this  species)  was  taken 
in  Lake  Ontario  near  Cape  Vincent  (Jelierson  County,  New 
Vork)  about  1824,  and  adds  that  the  same  pai>er  says  tliat  In- 
tlian  traders  report  the  previous  occurrence  of  Seals  in  the  same 
lake,  though  such  instances  are  mre.:|:    Thompson  gives  two  iu- 

*  Wit'gui.  Arch,  iilr  Natnrg.  1H64,  p.  84.  ~ 

t  Rjiison  ini  Amoor- Lande,  Bd.  i,  p.  180. 
i  Now  York  Zoiilogy,  pt.  i,  1842,  p.  55. 


iilM 


I, 


Pill 


m 


I     I 


588 


PHOCA    VITULINA HARBOK    SEAL. 


,  I  > 


5  I  '  1   !4 


]i  1 


!U; :  'I 


h* 


stiuict's  of  jrs  capture  in  Lake  Ohaniplain ;  one  of  the  specimens 
he  himself  examined,  and  has  pubHshed  a  careful  description 
of  it,  taken  from  the  animal  Itefore  it  was  skinned.* 

They  are  also  known  to  asccMd  the  (Jolumbia  River  as  far  as 
the  Dalles  (above  the  Cascades,  antl  about  two  hundred  iiiilcs 
from  tiie  sea),  as  well  as  the  smaller  rivers  of  the  I'acitic  coast, 
nearly  to  their  sources.  Mr.  Brown  states  that  "Dog  River,  a 
tributary  of  the  Columbia,  takes  its  name  from  a  dofj-like  ani- 
mal, probablj'  a  Seal,  being  seen  in  the  lake  whence  the  stream 
rises."  t 

Hahits. — The  Harbor  Seal  is  the  only  species  of  the  family 
known  to  be  at  all  common  on  any  part  of  the  eastern  (Miast  of 
the  United  States.  Although  it  has  been  taken  as  far  south  as 
North  ( 'aroliua,  it  is  found  to  be  of  very  rare  or  accidental  occur- 
rence south  of  New  Jersey.  Respecting  its  history  here,  little 
has  been  reconled  beyond  the  fact  of  its  presence.  Captain 
Scannnon  has  given  a  quite  satisfactory  account  of  its  habits 
and  distribution  as  observed  by  him  on  the  I'acilic  coast  of  the 
United  States,  but  under  the  sui>position  that  it  was  a  species 
distinct  from  the  well-known  Phoca  vHulina  of  the  North  At- 
lantic. Owing  to  its  rather  soutlieily  distribution,  as  comi)are(l 
with  its  more  (exclusively  boreal  athnes,  its  biography  has  been 
many  times  written  in  greater  or  less  detail.  Fabricius,  as 
early  as  1701,  devoted  not  less  than  twenty  pages  to  its  his- 
tory, based  in  part  on  his  acquaintance  with  it  in  Greenland, 


*  His  record  of  the  capture  of  these  examples  is  as  follows: 

"While  sevcnil  persons  \ver»!  skating  ujum  the  ice  on  Lake  Clianiplaiu,  a 
little  south  of  Burlington,  in  February,  IHIO,  they  discovered  a  living  Seal 
in  a  wild  state  which  ba<l  found  its  way  through  a  crack  and  was  crawling 
upon  the  ice.  They  took  off  their  skates,  with  which  they  attacked  and 
killed  it,  and  then  drew  it  to  the  shore.  It  is  said  to  have  been  4|  feet  long. 
It  must  have  reached  our  lake  by  way  of  the  Saijit  Lawrence  and  Riche- 
lieu.    .     .     ."—Xat.  and  Ciril  Hint,  of  I'ermont,  1842,  p.  .".f. 

"Another  Seal  was  killed  upon  the  ice  between  Burlington  and  Port  Kent 
on  the  2M  of  Februaiy,  1846.  Mr.  Tabor,  of  Keeseville,  and  Messrs  Morse 
anil  l-'ield,  of  Peru,  were  crossing  over  in  sleighs  when  they  discovered  it 
crawling  upon  the  ice,  and,  attacking  it  with  the  butt  end  of  their  wliiiw. 
they  succeeded  in  killing  it  and  brought  it  on  shore  at  Burlington,  where  it 
was  ])urchase«l  by  Morton  Cole,  Es(i.,  andi)resented  to  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, where  its  skin  and  skeleton  are  now  preserved.  ,  .  .  At  the  time 
the  above-mentioned  Seal  wastak'  n,  the  lake,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
cracks,  was  entirely  covei-cd  with  i<!e." — Ibid.,  ^ipjyend.,  1853,  p.  13. 

tProc.  Zool.  See.  Lond.,  18G8,  p.  412,  footnote. 


HABITS. 


589 


and  jmrtly  on  tlio  writiuf^.s  of  preceding'  authors;*  and  much 
iiioio   ivcontly  oxteuiUMl   accounts   of  it  have  Ikm'U  given  by 
Nilsson  and  Lilljcborg,  but  unfortunately  for  Enjilish  readers 
ilic  first  of  these  histories  is  written  in  Danisli  and  the  other 
iu  Swedish.     It  has,  however,  been  noticed  (|uit<'  fidly  by  IjcII, 
Miic^iiiUvray,  and  other  IJintisli  authors,  while  lessei-  and  more 
tVajinientary  accounts  of  it  are  abundant.     On  the  New  Kug- 
liuid  <'oast,  as  elsewhere,  it  is  chietly  observed  about  rocky 
islands  and  shor 's,  at  the  mouths  of  rivers  and  in  sheltered 
hays,  where  it  is  always  an  object  of  interest.     Although  rang- 
ing far  into  the  Arctic  regions,  it  is  everywhere  said  to  be  a 
sedentary  or  nou-inigratory  species,  being  resident  throughout 
the  year  at  all  points  of  its  extende<l  habitat.     Unlike  most  of 
the  other  species,  it  is  siricitly  confined  to  the  .shores,  never  re- 
sorting to  the  ioetloes,  and  is  conse<piently  never  met  with  far 
out  at  sea,  nor  does  it  habitually  associate  with  other  species. 
On  the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  where  it  is  more  abuiulant  and 
better  known  than  at  more  southerly  points,  it  is  said  to  bring 
forth  its  young  during  the  last  two  weeks  of  Afay  and  the  early 
part  of  .Fune,  resorting  for  this  purpose  to  the  rocky  points  and 
outlying  ledges  along  the  shore.    It  is  said  to  be  very  common 
along  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence  and  of  Newfound- 
land in  summer,  or  during  the  period  when  the  shores  are  free 
from  ic(^  but  in  winter  leaves  the  ice-bound  coast  for  the  re- 
moter islands  in  tlu'  open  sea.     It  is  at  all  times  watchful,  and 
takes  great  care  to  keep  out  of  reach  of  guns.    Still,  nuuiy  are 
suiprised  while  basking  on  the  rocks,  and  fall  victims  to  the 
seal  hunters,  while  considerable  numbers  of  the  young  are  cap- 
tured in  the  seal-nets.    They  are  described  as  very  sagacious, 
and  as  i)ossessing  great  parental  affection.    Mr.  Carroll  states 
that  when  an  old  one  is  found  on  the  rocks  with  its  young  it 
nill  seize  the  latter  and  convey  it  in  its  mouth  so  quickly  to  the 
water  that  there  is  not  time  to  shoot  it ;  or,  if  the  young  one 
k'  too  large  to  be  thus  removed,  it  will  entice  it  upon  its  back 
and  ])lunge  with  it  into  the  sea.    The  same  writer  informs  us 
that  this  species  is  a  great  annoyance  to  the  salmon-flshers, 
hohlly  taking  the  salmon  from  one  end  of  the  net  while  the 
fisherman  is  working  at  the  other  end.     It  is  also  troublesome 
in  other  ways,  since  whenever  the  old  ones  get  entangled  in 

'FiiliriciiiH  appears  to  have  exhaustively  presented  its  literary  history, 
hisrti'frenccH  to  previous  authors,  in  his  table  of  synonymy,  occupyiug 
nearly  four  pages. 


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590 


PHOCA   VITULINA — HARBOU   SEAL. 


the  strong  seal-nets  they  are  able  to  cut  themselves  free,  a  feat 
it  is  said  no  other  Seal  known  in  Newfoundland  will  do. 

This  si)ecies  is  known  to  the  inhabitants  of  Newfoundland  as 
the  "Native  Seal,"  in  consequence  of  its  beinji'  the  only  species 
found  there  tlie  whole  year.  The  younjj  are  there  also  called 
"Kanyers,"  and  wlun  two  or  three  years  old, — at  which  -ijie  tlu'v 
are  believed  to  brinji'  forth  their  first  younj>', — receive  the  nauie 
of  "  J)otards."  Here,  as  well  as  in  Greenland,  the  skins  of  this 
species  are  more  valued  than  those  of  ai.j  other  si)ecies,  owirij,' 
to  their  beavitifully  variej^ated  niarkinys.  and  are  especially  val 
ued  for  ccvciinfj  trunks  and  the  manufactures  of  coats,  caps, 
and  {I'loves.*  Mr.  Brown  informs  us  that  the  natives  of  thi' 
eastern  coast  of  Greenland  prize  them  hiy:hly  "  as  material  for 
the  women's  breeches,"  and  adds'  "that  no  more  acceptable 
present  can  be  given  to  a  Greenland  «lamse^  than  a  skin  of 
the  *  Kassiiiiak,'  as  tliis  si)ecies  is  there  called."  The  (heeu 
landers  also  consider  its  tiesli  as  "the  most  palatable  of  all 
<  seal-beef '".t 

According  to  Mr.  Reeks,  the  period  of  gestation  is  about  nine 
months,  the  union  of  the  sexes  occurring,  according  to  the  testi 
piony  of  the  Newfoundlanders,  in  September,  f  Oidy  rarely  does 
the  female  give  birth  to  more  than  a  single  young.  This  agrees 
with  what  is  stated  by  Bell  and  other  English  authors  respect- 
ing its  season  of  procreation. 

Respecting  its  general  history,  I  find  the  following  from  the 
pen  of  Mr.  John  Cordeaux,  who,  in  waiting  of  this  species,  as 
observed  by  him  in  British  waters,  says :  "  The  Seal  {Phoca  vitu- 
Una)  is  not  uncommon  on  that  part  of  the  Lincolnshire  coast  ad- 
joining the  Wash.  This  immense  estuary,  lying  between  Lin- 
colnshire and  Norfolk,  is  in  great  part  occupied  with  large  and 
dangerous  sand-banks,  intersected  by  deep  but  narrow  chan- 
nels. At  ebb  the  sands  are  uncovered ;  and  at  these  times,  ou 
hot  days,  numbers  of  Seals  may  be  found  basking  and  sunninjr 
themselves  on  the  hot  sands,  or  rolling  and  wallowing  in  tlu' 
shallow  water  along  the  bank.  Sometimes  a  herd  of  flftccu  <»i 
twenty  of  these  interesting  creatures  will  collect  on  some  favorite 
sand-spit ;  their  chief  haunts  are  the  Long-sand,  near  the  centre 
of  the  Wash;  the  Knock,  along  the  Lincoln  coast;  and  the 
Dog'shead  sand,  near  the  entrance  to  Boston  Deeps.    In  the 

•Carroll,  Seal  and  Horring  Fisheries  of  Newfonndland,  1873,  pp.  10,  11. 

tProc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  pp.  413,  413. 

t  Beeks  (Henry),  Zoologist,  2d  ser.,  vol.  vi,  1871,  p.  2541. 


HABITS. 


591 


flr.st  week  olMiily,  when  .sjiilinj;  down  tlie  I)('ei)s  jiloiij;' tlie  cdjiO 
of  the  Knock,  we  saw  sovcnil  Seals;  some  on  the  bank:  others 
wilh  their  hodies  bent  like  a  bow,  the  head  and  hind  i'eet  only 
(till  of  till'  water.  They  varied  ;;reatly  in  si/e.  also  in  color, 
Inrdly  any  two  bein,n  niaiked  alike;  one  had  the  head  and  face 
dark  colored,  wearing'  the  color  like  a  mask  ;  in  others  the  ujiper 
[larts  were  liji'ht  j;ray ;  others  looked  dark  above  and  lijiht  below, 

and  some  dark  altogether The  female  has  one  yonnjEf 

one  in  the  year;  and  as  those  banks  nre  covered  at  thtod,  the 
LMiit.  when  born,  must  make,  an  early  a<;(iuaintance  with  the 
water.  In  most  of  the  Phocuhv  the  younj;'  on«'  is  at  lirst  covered. 
with  a  sort  of  wool,  the  second  or  hairy  dress  beinj;  ^iiadually 
iuquireil ;  and  until  thi*  is  the  case  it  does  not  j^o  into  the  water. 
This,  however,  does  not  a|(i)ear  to  be  the  case  with  the  commou 
Seal,  for  Mr.  L.  Jjloyd  says  (1  believe  in  his  '(Jlame  liinls  and 
Wild  Fowl  of  Norway  and  Sweden,'  but  I  have  not  the  book  to 
I'ffer  to)  that  the  cub  of  the  conunon  species,  whilst  still  in  its 
iiinther's  wond),  casts  this  wooly  coveriiifj;;  au<l  when  ushered 
iutd  the  world  has  acquired  its  second  or  proper  dress.  *  If  this 
is  the  ease,  it  fully  accounts  for  the  cub  being  able  to  bear  iin- 
lutrsion  from  the  hour  of  its  birth.  The  Seal,  if  lying  undis- 
turbed and  at  rest,  can  remain  for  hours  without  coming  to  the 
surface."  t 

1  am  informed  by  competent  observers  that  on  the  coast  of 
Miiine  they  as8eud)le  in  a  similar  mauner  on  sand  bars,  but  take 
to  tiie  water  before  they  can  be  closely  approached. 

Mr.  Kundien  (in  his  MS.  notes)  observes:  "The  so  called 
'Fresh- water  Seal'  of  the  whalemen  is  one  of  the  rarer  species 
iu  the  waters  of  Cumberland  Sound.  They  are  mostly  met  with 
far  n\)  in  the  fjords,  and  in  the  fresh  water  streams  and  ponds, 
where  they  go  alter  salmon.  They  are  rather  difficult  to  cap- 
ture, as  at  the  season  when  they  are  commonly  met  with  they 
have  so  little  blubber  that  they  sink  when  shot.  .  .  .  The 
atlult  males  often  engage  in  severe  combats  with  each  other. 
I  have  seen  skins  so  scratched  that  they  were  nearly  worthless. 
Iu  tiict,  the  Eskimo  consider  a  'Kassiarsoak'  (a  very  large 

'A  statemont  to  tins  effect  is  also  made  by  Mr.  Carroll,  but  Mr.  Robert 
liiowii  iifflrnis,  on  tlu?  authority  of  Captain  McDonald,  that  in  tlio  Western 
Isles  of  .Scotland  the  young  an?  "born  pure  white,  with  curly  hair,  like  the 
)iimif;  of  Piujomys  J'wtidm,  but  within  throe  days  of  its  birth  begins  to  take 
"'ik  colons  on  the  snout  and  tips  of  the  (lippi-rs." — Proc.  Zoiii.  Soc.  Lond., 
!t;.  J,.  413. 

•/Zoologist,  2d  ser.,  vol.  vii,  1872,  pp.  :«03,  3204. 


:.l 


'liiil 


I'!* 


'it's 


U    'i  iii 
f  '  I  I, 


592 


I'IKKA    VITULIXA IIARliOK    8EAL. 


\'U^ 


'Kiissifjiiik')  ;is  liavinji  an  almost  wortlilcss  skin,  and  seldom 
iis(!  it  ('\c('Ht  for  tliciv  skin  tents.  The  skins  of  the  .vounj;,  on 
the  contrary,  are  a  f>reat  aeijuisition".  He  further  states  that 
they  do  not  make  a.n  excavation  beneath  the  snow  for  the  recep. 
tion  of  the  youn;;-,  lik«'  PItoni  /<i'fi(l((,  "hnt  l>rin;i'  f<ii'th  later  in 
the  season  on  the  hare  ice,  fnlly  exi)osed". 

lender  the  name  '•  Leonard  Seal,''  <  'ai)tain  Scaminon  lias  j;i\cii 
a  very  jjood  account  of  tiie  liahits  of  this  species  as  obserxcil 
by  him  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  AnnMJca.  Jle  speaks  of 
it  as  dis])layinji'  no  little  sajjacity,  and  consideiable  boldness, 
althouji'h  exc«'edin};ly  wary,  lie  says  it  is '' found  about  out- 
lyinji'  rocks,  islands,  and  ]K)ints,  on  sand-reefs  made  bare  at  low 
tide,  and  is  frecpiently  met  with  in  harbors  amonji'  shi]»]»inji', 
and  lip  rivers  more  than  a  hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  We 
have  often  observed  them,''  he  continues,  "close  to  the  vessel 
when  under  way,  and  likewise  when  at  anchor,  ap]K>arinj;  to 
einerfje  deliberately  from  the  depths  below,  sometimes  only 
showiufj;  their  hea<ls,  at  other  times  exposin;jf  half  of  their  bodies, 
but  the  instant  any  move  was  made  on  board,  they  would  van- 
ish like  an  ai)j)arition  under  water,  and  frequently  that  would  be 
the  last  seen  of  them,  or,  if  seen  ajjain,  they  would  be  tar  out 
of  jjrun-shot."  They  come  ashore,  ho  obsj'rves,  "more  <lurin;j 
windy  weather  than  in  calm,  and  in  the  nij^ht  more  than  in  the 
day;  and  they  have  been  observed  to  (jollect  in  the  largest 
herds  njion  the  beaches  and  rocks,  near  the  full  and  change  of 
the  moon.  They  delijiht  in  baskinj;"  in  the  warm  sunli};ht,  and 
when  no  isolate<l  rock  or  shore  is  at  hand,  they  will  craw!  upon 
any  fragment  of  drift-wood  that  will  lloat  them.  Although 
jjregarious,  they  do  not  herd  in  such  large  numbers  as  do  nearly 
all  others  of  the  seal  tribe  :  furthermore,  they  may  be  regarded 
almost  as  mutes,  in  comparison  with  the  noisy  Sea  Lions.  It  is 
ver\  larely,  however,  any  sound  is  uttered  by  them,  but  occa- 
sionally a  qui(!k  bark  or  guttural  whining,  and  sometimes  a 
peculiar  bleating  is  heard  when  they  are  assembled  together 
about  the  period  of  bringing  forth  their  young.  At  times,  when 
a  number  meet  in  the  neighborhood  of  rocks  or  reefs  distant 
from  the  mainland,  they  become  quite  jdayful,  and  exhibit  miuli 
life  in  their  gambols,  leaping  out  of  the  water  or  circling  around 
upon  the  surface.  .  .  .  Its  rapacity  in  pursuing  and  devour- 
ing the  smaller  members  of  the  piscatory  tribes  is  quite  eiiual, 
in  proi)ortion  to  its  size,  to  that  of  the  Orca.  When  grappling 
with  a  lish  too  large  to  be  swallowed  whole,  it  will  hold  and 


HABITS. 


593 


baiullc  it  between  its  fore  flippers,  and,  with  the  united  work 
of  its  mouth  .  .  .  the  wrigfjlhig  prize  is  demolished  and 
devoured  as  quickly,  and  in  much  the  same  umnuer,  as  a  squirrel 
would  eat  a  bur-covered  nut.    .    .    . 

"  Leopard  Seals  are  very  easily  captured  when  on  shore,  as  a 
sinjrle  blow  with  a  club  upon  the  head  will  dispatch  them.  The 
Indians  about  Puget  Sound  take  them  in  nets  made  of  large 
liump-line,  using  them  in  the  same  manner  as  seines,  drawing 
tliem  around  beaches  when  the  rookery  is  on  shore.  They  are 
taken  by  the  whites  for  their  oil  and  skins,  but  the  Indians  and 
£8<]uimaux  make  great  account  of  them  for  food."  He  adds 
that  the  natives  of  Pug^t  Sound  singe  them  before  a  fire  until 
the  hair  is  consumed  and  the  skin  becomes  crisp,  when  tbev 
are  cut  up  and  cooked  as  best  suits  their  taste.  * 

The  apparent  fondness  of  this  animal,  in  common  with  other 
species  of  the  family,  for  nuisic,  has  been  often  noted.  "  During 
a  losidcnce  of  some  years  in  one  of  the  Hebrides,"  writes  the 
Rev.  jMr.  Dunbar,  "  I  had  many  opportunities  of  witnessing  this 
peculiarity ;  and,  in  fact,  could  call  forth  its  numifestation  at 
l»k'asure.  In  walking  along  the  shore  in  the  calm  of  a  summer 
afternoon,  a  few  notes  from  my  flute  would  bring  half  a  score  of 
tliein  within  a  few  yards  of  me ;  and  there  they  would  swim  about, 
with  their  heads  above  water,  like  so  many  black  dogs,  evi- 
dently delighted  with  the  sounds.  For  half  an  hour,  or,  indeed, 
tor  any  length  of  time  I  chose,  I  could  fix  them  to  the  spot; 
and  \\hen  X  moved  along  the  water  edge,  they  would  follow  me 
with  eagerness,  like  the  Dolphins,  wlio,  it  is  said,  attended 
Arion,  as  if  anxious  to  prolong  the  enjoyment.  I  have  fre- 
quently witnessed  the  same  effect  when  out  on  a  boat  excursion. 
The  sound  of  the  flute,  or  of  a  common  fife,  blown  by  one  of  the 
boatmen,  was  no  sooner  heard,  than  h.alf  a  dozen  would  start 
up  within  a  few  yards,  wheeling  round  us  as  long  as  the  music 
phiyed,  and  disappearing,  one  after  another,  when  it  ceased."  t 

Although,  like  other  species  of  the  family,  evidently  attracted 
I'y  musical  sounds,  it  is  perhaps  questionable  whether  they  are 
not  as  much  influenced  by  curiosity  as  by  any  real  fondness 
for  nnisic.  Any  unusual  sounds,  or  unusual  movements  of  any 
kind ,  serve  to  stron  gly  attract  them .  Th(}  writer  last  quoted  states 
that  when  lie  and  his  pupils  were  bathing  in  a  small  bay  where 
these  Seals  were  abundant  they  would  crowd  around  them  in 

*Mariuo  Mam.,  pp.  105-167. 
tMacgillivray's  British  Quad.,  pp.  204-205. 

:Mi8c.  Pub.  No.  12 38 


u 


>'  Flit   »''*''} 


^.!i 


594 


PIIOCA   VITULINA — HARBOR    SEAL. 


I  'i 


numbers,  at  a  distance  of  a  few  yards,  as  though  they  fancied 
they  were  the  same  species  with  themselves.  '*  The  gambols  in 
the  water,"  he  writes,  "of  my  playful  companions,  and  their 
noise  and  merriment,  seemed,  to  our  imagination,  to  excite 
them,  and  to  make  them  course  round  us  with  greater  rai>i(lity 
and  animation."  Mr.  Bell  also  quotes  Mr.  Low  as  referring,  in 
his  "  Fauna  Orcadensis,"  to  their  possession  of  a  great  deal  <»f 
curiosity.  "  If  people  are  passing  in  boats,  they  often  come 
quite  close  up  to  the  boat,  an<l  stare  at  them,  following  for  a  long 
time  together;  if  i)eople  are  speaking  loud,  they  seem  to  won- 
der what  may  be  the  matter.  The  church  of  Hoy,  in  Orkney,  is 
situated  near  a  small  sandy  bay,  miu'h  frequented  by  these  crea- 
tures ;  and  I  observed  when  the  bell  rang  for  divine  service,  all 
the  Seals  within  hearing  swam  directly  for  the  shore,  and  kept 
looking  about  them,  as  if  surprised  rather  than  frightened, 
and  in  tliis  manner  continued  to  wonder,  as  long  as  the  bell 
rung."* 

The  Harbor  Seal  yields  readily  to  domestication,  and  may  be 
easily  taught  a  variety  of  tricks.  In  confinement  it  exhibits 
great  docility,  and  allows  itself  to  be  freely  handled  without 
offering  resistance  or  manifesting  fear.  A  specimen  exhibited 
some  years  since  in  Boston,  included,  among  its  varied  accom- 
plishments, performances  on  the  hand-organ.  It  is  said  to  gen- 
erally become  greatly  attached  to  its  keeper,  whom  it  will  follow, 
and  whose  call  it  readily  obeys.  Many  accounts  have  been 
published  of  its  intelligence  and  docility  in  confinement,  t 
Captain  Scammon  refers  to  his  having  had  several  young  ones 
on  ship-board,  and  says  that  "  in  every  instance  it  was  but  a 
few  weeks  before  they  would  follow,  if  permitted,  the  one  vbo 
had  especial  charge  of  them,  and  when  left  solitary,  they  would 
express  discontent  by  a  sort  of  mournful  bleating."  Of  a 
Leopard  Seal,  as  he  terms  this  species,  kept  at  one  time  in  Wood- 
ward's Gardens,  in  San  Francisco,  Callfomia,  he  says:  "Tliis 
little  favorite  has  been  a  resident  of  that  popular  and  interest 

J 

"Bell's  British  Qua<l.,  let  oil.,  pp.  265-266. 

tDr.  Edmonstoii  seriously  records  the  following:  "The  yonug  cues  an' 
easily  domesticated,  and  display  a  great  deal  of  sagacity.  One  in  particu- 
lar became  so  tame  that  it  lay  along  the  fire  among  tin-  dogs,  bathed  in  tbt 
sea,  and  returned  to  the  house,  but  having  found  the  way  to  the  byres. 
used  to  steal  there  unobserved  and  suck  the  cows.  On  this  accoimt  it  was 
discharged,  and  sent  to  its  native  element." — A  Fieiv  of  the  Ancient  (i"i 
Present  State  of  the  Zetland  Islands,  etc.    Vol.  ii,  1809,  p.  293. 


HABITS.  595 

iug  resort  for  over  three  years,  and,  although  a  female,  as  we 
were  informed,  is  lionored  with  tlie  titU'*of  'Commodore'.  The 
animal  generally  makes  its  appearanee  close  at  han<l  whenever 
within  hearing,  if  called  by  name,  and  when  its  keeper  appears 
on  the  lawn,  to  feed  the  pelicans,  black  swans,  and  other 
iKjuatic  birds,  which  are  its  companions  in  the  artificial  pond, 
the  Commodore  does  not  wait  to  be  invited,  but,  knowing  as 
well  as  its  keeper  the  meal-lM)nr,  is  on  the  watch,  and  the  mo- 
ment the  food-bearer  is  seen,  the  little  <;reature— which  is  not 
(.ver  four  feet  long— lifts  itself  out  of  the  water  over  the  ciu-b- 
stones  and  waddles  <iuick!y  to  its  master's  side,  then  holding 
ujt  its  head,  with  mouth  wide  open,  receives  the  choice  njorsels 
of  tish  which  droj)  from  his  hand."* 

The  food  of  this  species  consists  largely  of  fish,  but,  like 
otiier  species,  ;.t  doubtless  varies  its  fare  with  squids  and 
shrimps.  That  it  aspires  to  more  epicurean  tastes  is  evidenced 
by  its  occasional  capture  of  sea-birds.  This  they  ingeniously 
accomplish  by  swimming  beneath  tliem  as  they  rest  upon  the 
water,  and  seizing  them.  An  eye-witness  of  this  pastime  re- 
lates an  instance  as  observed  by  him  on  the  Scottish  coast. 
"While  seated  on  the  bents,"  he  writes,  "watching  a  flock  of 
[Herring]  Gulls  that  were  Ashing  in  the  sea  near  Donmouth, 
I  was  startled  by  their  Jerking  high  in  the  air,  and  screaming 
in  an  unusual  and  excited  manner.  On  no  previous  occasion 
liave  I  observed  such  a  sensation  in  a  Gull-hood,  not  even  when 
a  Black-head  was  being  pursued,  till  he  disgorged  his  newly- 
swallowed  flsh,  by  that  bla<;k-leg,  the  Skua.  The  excitement 
OS  explained  by  a  Seal  [presumably  Phoca  vitulina,  this  being 
the  only  species  common  at  the  locality  in  question]  showing 
above  the  water  with  a  Herring  Gull  in  his  mouth ;  on  his 
appearing  the  Gulls  became  ferocious,  and  struck  furiously  at 
tlie  Seal,  who  disappeared  with  the  Gull  in  the  water.  The 
Seal  speedily  reappeared,  but  on  this  occasion  relinquished  his 
victim  on  the  Gulls  renewing  their  attack.  The  liberated  Gull 
was  so  disabled  as  to  be  unable  to  fly,  but  it  had  strength 
euough  to  hold  up  its  head  as  it  drifted  with  the  tide."+ 

They  are  evidently  discriminaMng  in  their  tastes,  and  not 
loath  to  avail  themselves  of  a  fine  salmon  now  and  then  not 
of  their  own  catching.  Their  habit  of  plundering  the  nets  of 
tlie^fishermen  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  has  been  already 

"Miuiiu;  Miun.,  pp.  1CG-U)7. 

t  Zoologist,  5>(lscr.,  vol.  vi,  1871,  p.  2762. 


1  ^  i;i 


Il!;i; 


i    j 


596 


PIIOCA    VITULINA — HARBOR   SEAL. 


alluded  to,  but  this  peculiarity  is  evidentl>'*not  coufined  to  the 
Newibundland  ropresentativc  of  the  8i»ecies,  as  shown  by  the 
following  incident  related  by  the  writer  last  quoted.  "On  a 
sunny  noon  in  the  autunui  of  18G8,"  says  this  observer,  "  I  ob- 
served a  Seal,  not  far  from  the  same  place,  with  a  salmon  in 
his  mouth,  which  he  forced  through  the  meshes  of  a  stake  net. 
The  struggling  salmor,  whoso  head  was  in  the  jaws  of  the 
Seal,  struck  the  water  violently  with  his  tail,  which  gleamt'tl 
like  a  lustre  in  the  lessening  ray.  The  Seal  rose  and  sunk 
alternately,  keeping  seaward  to  escape  Eleys'  cartridges  from 
the  shore.  When  above  the  water  ho  shortened  the  silver  bar» 
which  continued  to  lash  his  sides  long  after  its  thickest  part 
had  disappeared,  by  rising  to  his  perpendicular,  as  if  to  allow 
the  precious  metal  by  its  own  weight  to  slip  into  his  crucible. 
The  Seal  evidently  swallowed  above,  and  masticated  below, 
water — the  jirocess  lasting  about  twelve  mituites,  during  which 
the  Seal  had  travelled  a  full  half-mile,"* 

In  their  raids  upon  the  nets  of  the  flshermen  they  become 
sometimes  themselves  the  victims,  being  in  this  way  frequently 
taken  along  our  own  coast  as  well  as  elsewhere.  They  are, 
however,  at  all  times  unweh;ome  visitors.  De  Kay  states  that 
formerly  they  were  taken  almost  every  year  in  the  "fyke-nots" 
in  the  Passaic  River,  greatly  to  the  disgust  of  the  tisheriiR'ii, 
the  Seals  when  captured  making  an  obstinate  resistance  and 
doing  much  injury  to  the  nets.  Their  accidental  capture  in  this 
way  often  aftbrds  a  record  of  their  presence  at  localities  they 
are  not  commonly  supposed  to  frequent,  as  in  the  Chesapeake 
Bay,  and  at  even  more  southerly  localities  on  the  eastern  coast 
of  the  United  States. 

Owing  to  the  difficulty  of  capturing  this  species,  and  its  com- 
paratively small  numbers,  it  is  of  little  commercial  importance, 
although  the  oil  it  yields  is  of  excellent  quality,  and  its  skins 
are  of  special  value  for  articles  of  dress,  and  other  purposes,  in 
consequence  of  their  beautifully  variegated  tints.  Though  not 
a  few  are  taken  in  strong  Seal-nets,  they  are  usually  captured 
by  means  of  the  rifle  or  heavy  sealing  gun.  On  rare  occasions 
they  are  surprised  on  shore  at  so  great  a  distance  from  water 
that  they  are  overtaken  and  killed  by  a  blow  on  the  head  witb 
a  club.  Like  other  species  of  the  Sesil  family,  the  Harbor  Seal 
is  very  tenacious  of  life,  and  must  be  struck  in  a  vital  part  by 

•W.  Craibe  Angus,  ZocSlogist,  2d  sen,  vol.  vi,  1871,  pp.2762,  2763. 


\imyM 


PnOCA    FCETIDA— RINGED   S?:AL. 


597 


oitlior  ball  or  heavy  sliot,  in  order  to  kill  it  on  the  spot.  Says  ]Mr. 
KcelvH,  "  I  liji  ve  Iwen  often  amused  at  jjublished  accounts  of  Seals 
shot  in  the  Thames  or  elsewhere,  but  which  'sank  immediately'. 
What  Seal  or  other  aniphibi(ms  animal  Avould  not  do  so  if 
'tickled'  with  the  fjreater  ]mrt  of,  perhaps,  an  ounce  of  No.  o 
sliotf '  lie  adds  tiiat  it  is  only  in  the  sprinj^  of  the  year  that 
this  Seal  will  "float"  when  killed  in  the  water,  but  says  that  he 
lias  never  seen  a  Seal  "so  poor,  which,  if  kille«l  dead  on  the  spot, 
would  not  have  floated  from  five  to  ten  seconds,"  or  long  enough 
to  {five  "ample  time  for  ix)wingf  alongside,"  supiwsing  the  ani- 
mal to  have  been  killed  by  shot,  and  the  boat  to  contain  "two 
hands".*  The  oil  of  this  species, according  to  the  same  writer, 
soils  in  Newfoundland  for  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents  a  gallon, 
while  the  skins  are  worth  one  dollar  each.  Mr.  Carroll  gives  the 
weightof  the  skin  and  blubber  of  afuU-grov  n  individual  as  rang- 
ing from  eighty  to  one  hundred  pounds,  while  that  of  a  young 
one  averages,  v  ten  weeks  old,  thirty  to  thirty-five  pounds. 
The  flesh  of  the  young,  the  same  writer  quaintly  says,  is  "  as 
pleasant  to  the  taste  as  that  of  any  description  of  salt-water 
l)ird."t  Its  flesh,  as  already  stated,  is  esteemed  by  the  Green- 
landers  above  that  of  any  other  species.  Few  statistics  relat- 
ing to  the  capture  of  this  species  are  available, but  the  number 
taken  is  small  in  comparison  with  the"catcli"of  other  species, 
particularly  of  the  liar})  or  Greeidand  Seal.  Dr.  Eiuk  states 
that  only  from  one  thousand  to  two  thousand  are  annually  taken 
in  Greenland,  which  is  about  one  to  two  per  cent,  of  the  total 
catch.  They  are  hunted  to  a  considerable  extent,  however, 
wherever  they  occur  in  numbers. 

The  Harbor  Seal  received  this  name  from  its  predih  ition  for 
bays,  inlets,  estuaries,  and  fjords,  from  which  habit  i.t  is  also 
often  termed  Bay  Seal,  and,  on  the  Scandinavian  coast,  Fjord 
Seal  (Fjordskiil),!  and  also  Kock  Seal  (Steen-Kobbe). 


PHOCA  (PUSA)  FCETIDA,  Fahricim. 
Kinged  Seal. 

i'/iom,  Albinus,  Acad.  Aiinot..  iii,  1756,  cap.  xv. 

ydlKek,  Chanz,  Hist,  vou  GrnMil.,  i,  17(55,  1()4;  ibid.,  Eiiglisli  version,  1767, 
124. 


'Zoologist,  2d  scr.,  vol.  vi,  1871,  p.  2541. 
tScal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  p.  11. 
fill  Greenland,  however,  according  to  Dr.  Kink,  it  is  the  PAoca/<B<>da  that 
receives  this  name. 


lil 


m 


8'  'i  — 


1] 
HI 


I  ' 


k 
.     T 

i  V 


'i    1 


f-il! 


598 


PlIOCA   FCETIDA RINGED   SEAL 


Jliiiiijh  Seal,  Pennant,  Syiiop.  (iuud.,  1771,341;  Hist,  tiuiul.,  3d  od.,  ii,  17!»3, 
•J7H. 

/>(-»•  niiihr  Serhund,  SriiUKHKU,  Siiii>;t.,  iii,  [177(»?]  'M2,  i>\.  Ixxxvi. 

Ihr  (jrau,  ScrhuiKl,  Sc'llltKliKH,  Siiiifrf.,  iii,  [177(!?'|  :<(iy. 

rhvcdj'dliilii,  Faiiiul'Hs,  MiiiliT'H  Zool.  Dim.  rrod.,  177(1,  vili  (iu>  dcHcrip- 
tioii):  rami.  (iniMil..  IT^K,  13.— Dksmakkm',  Miiiii.,  18*^0,  'J-JO.— 
•  Klcii.vUDsu.N,  I'air.v's -Jd  Voy.,  Siippl.,  lH-jr>,  33'2. — HaKLan,  Faim. 

Aimr..  isj-.,  11(1.— (i()i>.MA\,  Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  i,  1H2(;,  34.'!.— .J.  C. 
K'oss.  I'any's3d  Voy..  App.,  18:(!,  I'Jl ;  Kohs'h '^d  Voy.,  App.,  1H3."., 
xix.— KisciiKK,  Syii.  Mam.,  IH^'J,  377  (---.">77).— Okay,  (JiilHlirs 
Ciiv.  All.  Kiiij;.,  V,  1H'J7,  17H. — Hlasius,  Nutiirj;.  Siiu^^ct.  Dcu'scli., 
1857,  "ii'il,  linf,'.  138,  131).— Kautlkit,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Loud.,  1  <(W, 
67. — Von  Middkndouff,  Silu-rischti  Koine.,  iv,  W)7,  'J34.— Lii.i,- 
.IKDOH*!,  Paiiua  ofvcr  Svt'iijjes  «cli  Norgi<8  Kyj^yrads.,  1874,  (IHv!.— 
CoLLETT,  Hema-rk.  Norj^cH  Piitttidyrf.,  1876,  57,  footuotc— Ii'iXK, 
DuniHli  GrfM'ulivnd,  its  IVoplc  and  its  Products,  1877,  122,  430. 

CallocephaliiH  fwtidns,  Ghay,  Vili.  Si-als  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  23;  Proc.  Z<ml. 
Soc,  Loud.,  1862,  202  (young,  born  in  confinement). 

Pagomys  fwtidiiH,  Guay,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1864,  31;  Cat.  Seals  and 
Whales,  18(M),  23;  Zoologist,  1872,  3333,  3335  (Uritish  Islands); 
Haii<l-List  Seals,  1874,  6,  pi.  iii  (skull). — Kank,  Grinnoll  Exped,, 
1854,  — .— Giij.,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866,  12.  -Brown,  t^roc.  Zeul. 
Soc.  Loud.,  18(58,  340,  416;  Man.  Nat.  Hist.,  etc.,  Greenland,  1H7.'), 
Manu,  43. — Van  Benkden,  Ann.  du  Mns.  Roy.  d'Hist.  Nat.  du  Bel- 
gique,  i,  1877,  18  (geographical  distribution,  with  chart). — Ki'M- 
LiEN,  Bull.  \J.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  No.  15,  1879,  55  (habits  and  (!xternal 
characters). — "  Mai.mgken,  5fvora,  1863, 827 ;  Bihaug  Svenska  Exp., 
1864,  5";  S(!hwed.  Exp.  nach  Spitz.,  1861,  1864,  1868,  Passar<,'e's 
Genuan  trau.sl.,  1861*,  78,  180. 

Phoca  (Pagomys)  fatida,  Vox  Hkugun,  Roise  luich  dein  Nordpolarmecr,  iii, 
1874,  48 ;  ibid.,  i,  l.'')4,  207,  220,  228. 

Phoca  hinpida,  Sew  -"'kk.  Silugt.,  iii,  [1776?]  312,  pi.  Ixxxvi  ("Der  raidio 
Seohund''  t).— Euxleuen,   Syst.   Keg.  Anini.,  1777,  58!».— 

Gmet.t  .,t.^  i^  1778,  G4. — Fahriciu.s,  Skriv.  af  Nat.  Selsk.,  ii, 

IV"  ^.ii{,  Auini.  King.,  1792,  125. — Dksmakest,  Nouv.  Diet. 

d  ...,  XXV,  1817,  587. — "  Mei.ciiiou,  Danske  Stats  och  Norges, 

Ibo  ,   M." — Hamilton,  Amphib.  Cam. ,9  166,  pi.  viii  (from  F. 

Cuvier). — Gai.Maud,  Voy.  en  Island,  etc.,  Atlas,  1851,  pi.  x,  rigg.  1, 
2  (skeleton). — Mai.M(}«en,  Ofv.  af  Kongl.  Vctensk.-Akad.  Fiirli. 
Sto.ck.,  1863,  143;  Arch,  fiir  Naturg.,  1864,  82.— " HoLMOnEX, 
.Skand.  Du'ggdj.,  1865,  215,  fig." — Flower,  Proc.  ZoJU.  Soc.  Lond., 
1871,  5W5  (coast  of  Norfolk,  Engl. ;  synonymy). — Turner,  Journ. 
Anat.  and  Phys.,  iv,  1870,  260;  Proc.  Roy.  Soc.  Edinluirg,  1861),  70 
(fossil,  brick  clays,  Scotland).— Bell,  Hist.  Brit.  Quad.,  2d  cd., 
1874,  247,  ligg.  animal  and  skull.— Alston,  Fauna  of  Scotland, 
Mam.,  1880,  14. 

Callocephalus  hinpidiis,  F.  Cuvier,  M^m.  du  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  189,  pi.  xii 
(skull);  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  547.— Lesson,  Man.  de 
Mam.,  1827,  198.— Gray,  Cat.  Seals  Br.  Mus.,  1850,  23. 


BIBLIOGUAPHY. 


599 


rhocuvituUnn,  a,  Ekxi.khkn,  8yHt.  l{»'j{.  Aniin.,  1777,587. 

I'hoca  ritulina,  /J,  hotnicn,  Gmklin,  Syst.  Nat.,  i,  I7~8,  03. 

Fhoca  aniieUatii,  Nu.sson,  "Skaiid.  Faun.,  i,  1920,  UCiJ;  ninmin.  flg.  till 
Skantl.  I'iiuii.,  'iOnlc  liiilY,  1H40,  pi.  xxxviii";  Skun.  Fauua., 
Diijjy'lJ.,  1847,  a8:»;  Arch,  llli-  Niiturjr.,  1841,  312.— "TiuknemanN, 
Kci.sc  ill)  Nordon  Kiir(ii)a,  t'tc,  i,  I8"i4,  83,  pi.  ix  (atl.  feiiialo),  pi.  x 
(yomiK),  pi.  xi  (sluill),  ))1.  xii  (dij^cHtivc  orj^aii.s)." — ScuiNZ,  Naturg. 
u.  Abild.dcr  SiiiiK<"tli.,  18"«i7,  l(i7,  pi.  Ixiv. — Uai.i,,  Skotcbes  of  Irish 
Seals,  tig.  3(5  (.skidl,  IVoiii  Thifueinaiui). — SciiiNZ,  Synop.  Mum.,  i, 
1844,  482.— Waun'I'.u,  Siip|d.  Schrcbor's  SiliiKt.,  vii,  1840,  29,  pi. 
84  A.— GaimaiiI),  V(ty.  en  iHlaud,  etc.,  Atlas,  Maui.,  18.')1,  pi,  xi,  fig. 
7  (dentition).— Gikhki.,  .Siiuget.,  18.').'),  137.— Radde,  Keisen  im  SU- 
den  voni  Ost-Sibericn,  i,  18(12,  2y(),  pi.  xiii  (aidinal,  nkull,  denti- 
tion, hones  of  limits;  Lake  Baikal). — Kaiiscii,  1  lomschuck's  Areh. 
Skand.  Beitriige  /,ur  Naturgs.,  ii.  1850,  p.  32(i  (Lake  Ladoga). 

"CaJloce2)haliiH  aniivUatus,  RI'ppei.,  Vorzeichnoss,  1(57." — "Gray,Zo61.  Erebus 
aud  Terror,  3". 

CiiUocephaluH  discolor,  F.  CuviEU,  Mdm.  du  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  186 ;  Diet.  Scl. 
Nat.,  xxxix,  182G,  545.— Lehsox,  Man.  de  Mam.,  1827,  198. 

I'lioca  (Uxcolor,  Fisciiek,  Syu.  Mam.,  1829,237,  375  [=575].— GrA-Y,  Grif- 
fith's Cuv.  An.  King.,  v,  1827,  177. 

I'hoca  frederiei,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  416  (:v=7'.  dis- 
color, F.  Cuviar), 

I'hoca  achreberi,  Lessox,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  414  (=/*.  his- 
pida,  Sehrebor ;  P.  fwiida,  Fabricins ;  P.  annellata,  Nilsson). 

I'hoca  communis  var.  octonotata,  Kutorga,  Bull.  Soc.  Imp.  des  Nat.  de 
Mosc.,  1839,  189,  pi.  xiii,  fig.  1  (animal);  pi.  xiv,  figg.  1-3  (muzzle 
and  mystaeial  bristle) ;  pi.  xv,  figg.  1,  2,  5  (bones  of  forearm  and 
hand);  pi.  xvi,  figg.  1-4  (skull);  pi.  xviii,  fig.  1  (skull). 

Phooa  communis  var.  undulata,  Kutorga,  Bull.  Soc.  Imp.  des  Nat.  de  ^loso., 
1839,  191,  pi.  xiii,  fig.  2  (animal);  pi.  xiv,  figg.  4-6  (muzzle,  etc.); 
pi.  XV,  figg.  3,  4  (bones  of  fore  limb) ;  pi.  xvii  (skull) ;  pi.  xviii, 
fig.  2  (skull). 

"Phoca  dimidiata,  Sciilv-  el,  Mus.  Leyd."  {upud  Gray), 

Calhcephalus  dimidiatus,  Gray,  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  24. 

('allooephalus  f  dimidiatiis,  Gray,  Cat.  Seals  ami  vV hales,  1860,  22. 

Phoque  marbre,  F.  Cuvier,  Hist.  Nat.  des  Mam.,  livr.  ix,  1819  (coast  of 
Franco, — accidental). 

Seal  shot  near  the  Orkney  Islands,  HOME,  Phil.  Trans.,  1822,  pi.  xxviii  (skull). 

?  Fossil  Seal,  Thompson,  Joum.  Anat,  and  Phys,,  xiii,  1879,  318  (fossil,  Scot- 
land). 

Fiordscel,  Fadricius,  1.  c.  . 

Stink-Bobbe,  von  Middendorfp,  1.  c. 

Xatsek  or  Fjord  Seal,  Rink,  1.  e. 

"Netsick,  adults  generally;  Ttzak,  adult  males;  Neisiavi.^,  yomig  after 
shedding  till  one  year  old ;  Ibeen,  young  in  the  white  coat,  Cum- 
berland Eskimo  "  (Kumlien). 

GraSjal;  Gra-Wikare  Skdl;  BingladSkUl;  FikaresjUl,  Ftfca/aZ,  Swedish. 

Steenkobbe,  Norwegian. 

Der  (jeringelte  Seehund;  Der  rauhe  Seehund,  German. 


:!1 


'!%■. 


(I  hi 


600 


PHOCA   FCETLDA — RINGED    SEAL. 


,!    ■!( 


)',ji;is.  li  • 


;;;;!;•    | 

iiliiS    ■•  '• 

Nerpa,  Russian. 

Jiingid  Seal ;  Marbled  Seal ;  Floe  Bat,  English. 

"Pickaninny  Pussy,  young,  pigeon-English  of  tho  whalers"  (KUMLIEN). 

i  Bodach,  Hebridian. 

External  Characters. — Adult,  generally  blackish-bro\ni 
above;  darkest  on  the  back,  lighter  on  the  sides,  with  large 
oval,  whitish  spots;  beneath  nearly  uniform  yollowish-wliite ; 
nose  and  ring  round  the  eye  usuallj'  black;  niystacial  bristles 
and  claws  dusky  or  blackish  ;  pelage  rather  harsh.  Length  of 
the  adult  male,  5  to  0  feet;  female  smaller. 

The  i.ewly-born  young  are  usually  white  or  yellowish-white ; 
the  pelage  soft  and  woolly.  At  the  age  of  about  four  weeks 
this  gradually  gives  place  to  the  coarser,  more  rigid  pelage  of 
the  adult,  and  the  color  changes  to  dusky  marked  sparsely 
••  "th  small  blackish  spots.  Yearlings  are  often  yellowish- 
\  nite ;  dusky  along  the  middle  of  the  back,  with  here  and  there 
small  spots  of  blackish. 

There  is  a  wide  range  of  individual  variation  in  color,  in  the 
newly-born  young  as  well  as  in  the  adults,  as  the  following  re- 
marks will  show. 

Three  adult  specimens  from  Disco  Island,  Greenland,  pre- 
sent the  following  variations  in  color:  In  Fo.  8699  (Nat.  Mas.) 
the  general  color  above  is  yellowish- white,  irregularly  mottled 
on  the  back  with  oblong  spots  and  streaks  of  dusky  or  bluish- 
black;  whole  lower  parts  uniform  yellowish-v.hite.  In  No. 
8700  (Nat.  Mus.)  the  dorsal  surface  is  every  where  marbled  with 
light  spots  having  dark  centres.  There  are  also  i)atches  of 
dark  brown  of  very  irregular  outline.  The  dark-centred  light 
rings  are  much  more  distinct  than  in  No.  8699.  No.  8698  is 
yellowish-white  marbled  with  dark  brown,  the  latter  tint  form- 
ing chains  of  dark-centred  light  spots.  The  front  part  of  the 
head  is  blackish ;  the  lower  parts  are  uniform  yellowish-whito. 
Several  yearling  specimens,  from  Cumberland  Sound,  collected 
by  Mr.  Ludwig  Kumlien,  are  whitish  or  yellowish-white,  with 
small  dusky  or  blackish  spots. 

Wagner  has  described  a  specimen  from  Labrador  as  having 
the  back  blackish-brown,  with  a  greenish-gray  shimmer,  and 
marked  with  spots  of  yellowish  of  varying  size,  some  of  them 
occurring  singly,  and  others  joluf  in  pairs  into  8-shaped  ligures; 
on  the  sides  they  form  ^roups  of  rings,  rather  symmetrically 
arranged  on  the  two  sides  of  the  body ;  lower  surface  pale  yel- 
low, with  a  tinge  of  olive.    A  younger  specimen,  also  from 


KXTERNAL    CI  I  ARACTJ:R8. 


GOl 


Labrador,  is  doscribed  as  dnllor  in  color,  more  grayish,  and 
with  coal-black  niarkinj^s.* 

Ivutorga's  ^'ariety  octouotuta  is  described  as  bla«;kish,  darkest 
along  the  back,  with  Avhitish  spots  mostly  7-.-shai)ed ;  lower  sur- 


!,l    <         P      "  I  '/uWl    VL.'tMHlV'  ' 


lipii 


face  lighter  than  the  upper;  the  pelage  composed  of  rather 
soft,  fine  hair.  The  same  author's  variety,  itnditlatn.  is  de- 
scribed as  blackish-brown,  lighter  l)elow  and  darkest  along  the 


m 


Schreber's  Siiuyt.,  Th.  vii,  p.  'M. 


|4 


'  •!! 


602 


PHOCA   FCETIDA — RINGED    SEAL. 


back,  the  spots  silvery-white,  of  irregular  shape,  ami  rarely  in 
the  Ibriii  of  rinf>s.  * 

Xilsson  has  distiiiguished  a  black,  a  white,  and  a  brownish- 
gray  color-variety.  The  iirst  is  described  as  dark  brownish- 
black,  blacker  above  and  more  grayish-brown  below,  marked 
(everywhere  witli  pale  streaks,  which  sometimes  form  small 
whitish  oval  rings;  head  and  neck  with  single  small  whitish 
spots;  nose  ami  eye-rings  uniform  black;  limbs  uniform 
brownish-black.  The  white  variety  is  described  as  uniform 
soiled-white,  slightly  darker  on  the  mi<ldle  of  the  back.  The 
brown  variety  is  said  to  be  uniform  brownish-gray ;  paler  below. 

Mr.  Kumlien  states  that  the  new-born  young  are  also  "  very 
^'ariable  in  color ;  some  are  i)ure  white ;  others  white  tm  the 
lower  parts,  but  more  or  less  dusky  on  the  back;  others  again 
are  fine  straw-yellow,  with  the  same  dusky  variation  as  in  the 
white  ones.  The  yellow  is  also  variable  in  the  intensity  of  the 
shade.  Karely  sonie  are  found  that  are  <iuite  dusky  all  over, 
especially  on  the  head  and  back ;  these  are  generally  small  and 
scrawny.  The  hair,"  he  adds,  "'is  also  «piite  as  variable  in 
texture  as  in  color.  In  some  it  is  tine,  long,  and  woolly  (mostly 
in  the  pure  white  examples) ;  in  others  it  is  straight  or  wavy, 
while  some  have  short  and  (piite  hispid  hair." 

There  appears  to  be  also  a  quite  wide  range  of  variation  in 
size ;  at  least  the  statements  of  authoi"s  indicate  that  such  is 
the  case.  It  seems  probable  that  in  some  instances  measure- 
ments given  as  those  of  the  adult  were  really  taken  from  ex 
amples  not  full-grown.  Nilsson,  in  1837,  gave  the  length  of  the 
species  as  about  3  feet,  and  later  (1847)  as  3  to  4  feet.  Fa- 
bricius  says  it  rarely  exceeds  4J  feet  in  length.  Wagner  refers 
to  a  Labrador  specimen  as  being  4  feet  2  inches  long.  Capt.  .1. 
C  Ross  states  that  the  average  length,  from  the  nose  to  the 
end  of  the  tail,  of  twenty  specimens  measured  by  him,  was  .m 
inches,  or  4  feet  7  inches,  the  hind  Hipper  extending  9  inches 
beyond  the  body,  thus  giving  an  extreme  length  of  5  feet  4 
inches.  lie  gives  the  average  weight  of  these  same  specumeuH 
as  199  pounds,  and  the  circumference  immediately  behind  the 
fore  rti])pers  as  49.7  inches,  t  Dr.  Kink,  however,  gives  the 
tiverage  weight  o*"  "oven  specimens,  "perhaps  somewhat  below 
the  middle  size,"  as  only  84  pounds,  f  Lilljeborg  and  ]Mulm- 
gren  record  much  larger  dimensions.     The  former  gives  the 

*  Bull.  Soc.  Imp.  <U  s  Niit.  do  Moscou,  1839,  pp.  189,  191. 
t  Ross's  Secoml  Voyage,  Apj).,  p.  xx. 
t  Danish  (.{repiiland,  etc.,  p.  12S. 


INDIVIDUAL    AND   SEXUAL    VARIATION. 


603 


length  of  the  male,  from  the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  as  5 
feet  2  inches,  or  1,500  mm.,  and  from  the  nose  to  the  en<l  of 
the  hind  flippers  as  5  feet  7  inches,  or  1,710  mm.  The  same 
uimensions  of  the  female  ho  gives  as,  respectively,  4  feet  d 
inches  ( 1,380  mm.)  and  4  feet  9  inches  (1,170  mm.).*  ^lahngren 
states  that  the  hirgest  fnll-grown  individuals  he  had  seen 
(in  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia)  attained  a  length  of  5.^  Swedish 
feet  from  the  nose  to  the  euil  of  the  tail,  and  measured  nearly 
(»  feet  to  the  end  of  the  hind  flippers,  lie  further  states  that 
»yld  or  full-grown  specimens  are  rarely  taken,  and  that  the  meas- 
urements usually  given  are  those  of  specimens  one  or  two 
years  old.  He  further  observes,  "Sogar  in  den  finnischeu 
Lan«lseen  Ladoga  und  Pyhiifelka  soil  die  ganze  Liinge  der 
alten  Individuen  uach  der  Aussage  erfahrener  Manner  beinahe 
einer  Klafter,  d.  h.  sechs  Fuss  betragen.  Doch  in  diesen  Seen 
wird  diese  Kobbe  gewohnlich  im  zweiten  und  dritten  Jahre, 
selteu  erwachsen,  geschossen.  Dasselbe  ist  nach  Fabricius 
audi  Grouland  der  Fall ;  ich  vermuthe  daher,  dass  dies  die 
Ursache  ist,  wesshalb  die  LaiUge  des  Thieres  zu  klein  angege- 
ben  ist,  da  sie  wahrscheinlich  nach  den  ein-  oder  zweijahrigen 
Individuen,  die  man  am  gewohidichsten  erhiilt,  bestinnnt 
worden  ist."t  It  is  certainly  evident  that  the  specimens  de- 
scribed by  Nilssou  and  Wagner  were  young.  Lilljeborg  and 
Malmgreu  are  the  only  authors  who  have  apparently  tramiued, 
or  at  least  described,  full-grown  specimens. 

Mr.  Kumlien  states  that  the  young  are  about  two  feet  long 
when  born,  and  t  igh  from  4  to  GA  pounds,  and  that  they  aver- 
age 30  inches  in  length  (varying  from  23  to  36  inches). 


Individual  Variation  and  Variation  >s  dependent  upon 
Age  and  Sex. — The  Einged  Seai,  like  the  Uarbor  Seal,  varies 
greatly  in  color,  irrespective  t)f  sex  and  age,  both  in  respect  to 
the  grouml  color  and  the  markings,  as  has  been  already  shown 
in  the  description  of  the  external  ciiaracters.  Like  nearly  all 
the  Phocids,  the  young  when  born  are  covered  with  a  white  or 
yellowish-white  coat  of  rather  soft,  woolly  hair,  which  is 
changed  in  about  four  weeks  for  the  sparser,  harsher,  and 
darker  livery  of  the  adults.  The  younger  animals,  however, 
are  grayish  or  yellowish  brown,  darker  along  the  middle  of  the 
back,  and  marked  irregularly  with  snmll  dusky  spots,  the  mar- 

*  Fauna  Ofvor  Sverigos  och  Norges,  i,  pp.  683,  (W4. 
t  ArcbLv  fUr  Naturg.,  18(54,  pp.  83,  84, 


•    I' 


4 


.  li'l 


•i'.  1 


,1    !  % 


604 


PHOCA   FffiTIDA RINGED   SEAL. 


bled  coloring  usually  characterizing  the  adults  not  being  at- 
tained till  the  second  or  third  year.  The  sexes  vary  in  size,  as 
already  noted,  the  female  being  considerably  the  smaller.  This 
dift'erenco  of  size  is  well  ahowni  in  the  measurements  of  the 
skulls  given  below.  Aside  from  the  skull  of  the  female  beiiigf 
smaller  than  that  of  the  male,  its  sti'ucture  is  weaker,  the  sur- 
face less  roughened  for  the  attachment  of  muscles,  the  muzzle 
narrower,  the  teeth  smaller,  and  the  lower  jaw  much  slenderer. 
In  the  series  of  skulls  collected  by  Mr.  Kumlien,  which  were 
carefully  marked  for  sex,  the  old  males  have  an  average  length 
of  about  180  nnn.,  and  an  average  breadth  of  about  115  mm., 
while  the  same  dimensions  in  the  old  females  are  respectively 
1G8  mm.  and  108  mm. 

In  general,  skulls  of  the  Sf  ^  sex  and  of  corresponding  ages 
vary  considerably  in  details  of  structure  and  proportion,  but 
the  only  purely  individual  variations  worthy  of  special  com- 
ment are  exhibited  in  the  teeth,  which  are  surprisingly  variable 
in  respect  to  size,  and  in  the  number  and  shape  of  the  acces- 
sory cusps.  That  these  variations  are  not  due  to  age  and  the 
accidents  of  attrition  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  are  as  well 
marked  when  the  teeth  first  cut  the  gum  as  at  later  stages. 
The  last  upper  molar  is  especially  variable  in  size  aiul  in  the 
prominence  of  the  cusps,  the  accessory  cusps  being  sometimes 
well  developed  and  again  almost  wholly  obsolete.  The  last  upi^er 
molar  has  usually  only  two  points,  the  posterior  of  which  is 
small,  but  there  is  occasionally  another  still  smaller  on  the  an 
tericr  inner  border  of  the  tooth.  Generally  the  other  upper 
molars  have  eaeh  three  cusps,  of  which  the  anterior  is  the 
smallest,  and  frequently  is  wholly  obsolete  on  the  second  molar 
when  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  molars  are  each  3-pointed. 
Frequentlj',  however  all  the  upper  molars,  except  the  first,  are 
4-pointed,  while  in  a  nearly  equal  percentage  of  the  skulls  ex- 
amined the  molars  are  all  only  2-pointed,  or  all,  except  the 
third,  which  may  be  3-pointed.  Sometimes  the  third  or  fourth 
upper  molar  is  3-pointed,  while  the  others  are  2-pointed.  In 
one  skull  all  are  3-pointed,  inclnding  even  the  first. 

The  lower  molars  are  less  subject  to  variation  in  respect  to 
the  number  of  points,  they  being  almost  invariably  4-pointeil, 
except  the  first,  which  is  usually  3-pointed.  The  chief  varia 
tion  I  have  noticed  is  that  the  fifth  is  sometimes  only  3-pointed, 
like  the  first,  \\hile  the  first  is  sometimes  4-pointed,  like  the 
others.    The  size  and  shape  of  the  cusps  vary  greatly,  being 


INDIVIDUAL   AND   SEXUAL   VARIATION. 


605 


sometimes  thick  and  short  aud  again  slender  and  very  long 
These  variations  are  all  as  strongly  marked  in  the  young  killed 
a  few  c'  lys  after  birth  as  in  the  adult,  showing  that  the  varia- 
tion in  the  number  and  shape  of  the  cusps  is  not  due  to  pecu- 
liarities of  wearing.  In  the  3-pointed  teeth  two  accessory  cusps 
are  developed  behind  the  principal  one,  while  in  teeth  with  four 
points  there  is  also  a  small  accessory  cusp  in  front  of  the  prin- 
cipal one.  In  one  instance  a  first  lower  molar  has  two  minute 
points  placed  in  front  of  the  principal  one,  there  being  a 
(purely  supernumerary)  cusp  on  the  outer  anterior  border  of 
the  tooth.  In  the  males  the  teeth  average  (in  linear  dimen- 
sions) about  one-eighth  larger  than  in  the  females;  but  the  size 
varies  so  much  in  individuals  of  the  same  sex  that  the  teeth 
are  as  large  in  some  females  as  in  some  males. 


i.l 

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ills! 


i\'i 


,>      i 


l-»tr1 


606 


PnOCA   FOETIDA — RINGED    SEAL. 


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•BSnjnW  IB  1II151H  JO  lIJl)B(UtI  . 

■l|XBai-o)uojj  ju  i|)ii«<).iii  'Bonoq  ibbb^  | 
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COMPARISON    WITH   ALLIED   SPECIES. 


607 


Differential  Characters. — In  color  the  Kin}?ed  Seal  is 
not  easily  (listinjiiiishablc  from  certain  i)liases  of  the  Harbor 
Seal,  but  it  (lifters  from  it  in  its  general  form,  which  is  much 
.slenderer,  with  lonj-er  limbs  and  tail,  narrower  head,  and  more 
])ointed  nose.  The  Kinjicd  Seal  may,  however,  be  distin- 
'fiiishetl  externallv  from  both  the  Harbor  an<l  the  Greenland 
Seals  by  the  form  of  the  manws,  in  which  the  drst  difi'it  is  the 
loiifjest,  the  others  successively  slij;htl3'  decreasing.  The  cra- 
nial characters,  and  especially  the  dentition,  differ  too  widely 
from  those  of  the  Harbor  Seal  to  (iven  requin?  a  comparison  in 
tlie  present  connection,  as  do  also  most  of  the  principal  bones 
(tf  the  skeleton  (see  aniea,  ])p.  .lOo-aTl). 

The  Kinged  Seal  ditiers  externally  from  the  Greenland  Seal 
in  its  smaller  size  and  in  the  very  different  <;oloration  of  the 
adults  of  the  two  species.  AV'hen  in  the  "  white  coat,"  and  in 
the  earlier  spotted  stages,  coloration  often  fails  to  be  diagnostic, 
but  they  nuiy  be  distinguished  by  the  character  of  the  nianus 
already  gi.'en.  The  dentition  of  these  two  species,  allowing  for 
tbe  ditlerence  in  size,  is  (piite  similar,  although  the  teeth  are 
relatively  (as  well  as  absolutely)  larger  in  Phoca  (jroenlandica. 
In  the  general  form  of  the  skidl  there  is  also  a  close  resem- 
blance, although  the  facial  portion  is  rather  more  attenuated  in 
V.  firanlandiea.  The  form  of  the  imlatal  region,  however,  is 
\\i(U'ly  different  in  the  two,  the  broad  sliallow  posterior  nares, 
c()ini>letely  divided  into  two  separate  passages  by  a  bony  sep- 
tum, and  the  squarely  truncate,  instead  of  deeply  emarginate, 
liosterior  border  of  the  palatine  bones  serving  at  a  glance  to 
distinguish  7*.  f/rcenlandica. 

The  relationshi])  of  Phoca  fcetida  to  the  Baikal  and  Caspian 
Seals  (Phoca  sibirica  and  P.  caspica)  is  apparently  much  closer 
than  to  any  other.  The  earlier  waiters,  however,  as  Erxleben, 
Gnielin,  and  P.allas,  associated  them  with  Phoca  rituUna,  they 
t'orniing  respectively  Erxleben's  varieties  ,3  and  y  of  this  spe- 
cies, and  Gmelin's  varieties  sibirica  and  caspica.  The  Caspian 
'Seal  was  tirst  recognized  as  a  distinct  8pe«;ies  by  Nilsson  in 
bS.'57,  and  called  by  him  Phoca  caspica.  Later  its  specific  dis- 
tinctness was  admitted  by  Gray  (1844),  Wagner  (IS4<J),  and 
Ka<l(le  (18(52).  Nilsson  was  also  the  first  to  make  known  the 
t'iut  of  its  nuich  closer  resemblance  to  Phoca  fcetida.  (=  P.  an- 
itelhta,  Nilss.)  than  to  Phoca  vittilina.*    Wagner  arrived  at  the 

'Alter  detailing  its  charactors,  lie  remarks,  ".leder  siolit  elii,  dn.ss  dicso 
loriu  <ler  Ph.  anndlaia  viol  niilu'r  sti'ht,  alsdcr  I'h.  vitnUna.  Doili  bildet  .sie 
oliiif  iijk'ii  Zweifol  ciiio  von  er«tt'rer  bcstinmitvcrschii'dciic  Art :    sic  i.st  viol 


II  ili! ' ! 


1)1 


608 


PHOCA    FCETIDA — RINGED   SEAL. 


,1  t: 


Ht-/' 


H 


same  conclusion,  aflirmiug  most  emphatically  that  the  Caspian 
Seal  was  iu  no  way  closely  related  to  Phoca  vitulina,  but  f.AUid 
its  nearest  affine  iu  Fhoca  faitida.*  The  distinctive  characters 
claime<l  by  these  authors  for  the  Ca8i)iau  Seal,  as  compared 
with  Phoca  /wtula,  are  largta-  size,  smaller  and  more  widely  sep- 
arated teetn,  greater  convexity  of  the  cranium,  longer,  stitter, 
and  more  numerous  niystacial  bristles,  and  a  somewhat  differ- 
ent pattern  of  coloration.  The  differences  claimed  l)y  Nilsson 
and  Wagner  were  confirmed  by  Kaddet  in  1802,  who  gave  a 
detailed  comparison  of  the  cranial  characters  of  Phoca  canpica 
with  those  of  Phoca  fatida.  Yet,  in  face  of  all  this  testimony, 
we  find  Mr.  Andrew  Murray,  sis  late  as  18GG,f  afiirmiug  that  the 
Caspian  Seal  "is  Phoca  vitulina,"  and  that  the  Baikal  Seal 
is  nothing  but  Phoca  foetida.^     It  appears,  however,  that  the 

grosser,  anders  geflirUt,  hat  viol  starktTes  Uurthaar,  ahstoheudere  iiiul  klci- 
iiere  Ziibne,  nnd  deu  Zwisclieiibalkcn  nacli  hiiiteii  zii  abgeruudet,  wodurih 
eiue  ruudlicht'  Uebn^augKlliielio  zwiscbeu  Stirii  und  Scbb'it'engrubeontsteht, 
wo  sic'b  bci  Ph.  anncUata  stotti  eino  scbarfo  Kanti;  fiiulet." — Wiegmann'n 
Arch,  fiir  Xatitry,,  1841,  p.  :J14. 

*  On  tbis  point  be  says,  "  Aucb  aus  iiieiner  Vergleicbnug  {j;obt  es  bcrvor, 
dass  Phoca  caxpica  keineswcgs  niit  der  Ph.  vitulina,  sondcin  nnr  lait  der 
Ph.  anneUata,  iu  niicbsto  Bezicbnng  tretcii  kanu.  Als  Untersirbicde  tiiide 
ich,  das8  die  Ringelzcicbnung  bed  Ph.  canpica  niiudcr  ausgebiblet;  ist  datur 
sind  die  Bartscbnurrcn  wcit  zablicicbtT,  biuger  mid  steifer,  <lio  Kralliti 
scbwilfbor  nnd  nicbt  koblscbwarz  wio  bei  Ph.  annellata,  sonderu  bellbiauu 
mit ".t'lsslichcn  Spitzen.     .     .     ." — iS(7ice&er'«  SrtMjf//!.,  Tbeil  vii,  p.  35. 

tRidsen  im  Sixden  voni  Ost-Sibiricns,  vol.  1,  pp.  29G-304. 

tGeograph.  Distr.  Mam.,  p.  12(). 

^  It  is  perhaps  not  Strang;:  tbat  Mr.  Murray  sbould  bave  referred  the  Seal 
of  Lake  Baikal  to  Phoca  fwtida,  esjiecially  inasuuieb  as  Raddo  had  aflinned 
the  two  to  be  identical  after  having  compared  specimens,  but  his  strange 
perversion  of  the  record  in  the  case  of  the  Caspian  Seal  deserves  a  passing 
notice.  Ho  says:  "The  species  in  the  Caspian  [Sea]  (Phoca  caapica)  is  de- 
scribed as  very  nejirly  allied  to  our  common  Phoca  vitulina,  and  that  in  Lake 
Baikal  as  equally  close  to  Phoca  fwtida  (Ph.  annellata,  Nilss.),  a  species 
found  in  the  North  Atlantic ;  and  but  for  their  geograidiieal  position,  im 
one  would  think  of  separating  them  from  these  species.  In  fact,  the  one  i> 
the  PiiocA  VITULINA,  and  the  other  the  Phoca  F(Etii)a.  Nilsson  and  Gray 
no  doubt  both  consider  them  distinct,  but  I  do  not  apprehend  that  either  of 
them  does  so  from  actual  observation  [Nilsson  characterized  Phoca  caspica 
from  specimens!],  and  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  doubt  that  fhe  peculiarity 
of  the  locality  must  have  h.ad  some  inlluence  <ni  their  niiiidH.  On  the  other 
hand,  Pallas,  Gmelin,  Fischer,  [these  authors  referred  both  to  Phoca  vituliM 
as  varieties  of  that  species !]  and  Radde,  regard  them  as  belonging  to  the 
two  species  they  resemble,  and  Radde's  \iersonal  experiences  ntust  outweigh 
any  foregone  conclusion  arrived  at  by  others  who  have  not  had  the  advan- 
tage of  seeing  the  animals  themselves." — Geogr.  Distr.  Mam.,  p.  126.    That 


COMPARISON    WITH    ALLIED    SPECIES. 


609 


(';isi>iiin  Still*  is  (listiiij-uislied  not  only  by  well-inarked  exter- 
nal aiul  (iiiinial  eliaracters  but  by  certain  .sironyly-inarked  pe- 
culiarities of  habits,  coupled  with  which  are  to  be  considered 
its  lony-continued  {;eog:rai>hi(;al  isolation  and  otherwise  excep- 
tional conditions  of  envirounient. 

liiidde'H  vi<3\vH  arc  iniHreprosented  is  (^vi(lent  from  tlic  following:  "  Phoca 
nminvn,"  says  Kiuldo,  "steht  in  diesor  HiiiHiclit  [i.  <:,  iillfjeint'inen  Shadol- 
I'l'ini],  won')  icli  den  t-inzi^cii  nur  vorlifi^ondcii  Scliiidi'l  als  tyiiiMcLfn  be- 
tiacteii  diirf,  imbed ingt  dt-r  I'lioca  annMata  niihtT  als  dcr  fj;cnu'iuiMi  Robbe" 
{lichen  imSiitl.  vom  OHt-SibirivnH,  \,  p.  '■iQ7);  and  throughout liisarticlo takes 
pains  to  show  how  wid(!  arc  tlic  ditl'tTcnces between  Phoca  caspica  and  Phoca 
vUiiUnal 

•  PHOCA  (PUSA)  CASPICA,  Nihaon. 
I'asplan  8eal. 


Dfr  Seehund,  S.  G.  Gmemn,  llcisn  (hircb  Uuasl..  iii,  1770,  246. 

Der  caspUche  Seehund,  StiluKiiBli,  Siiugth.,  iii,  [1770  (]  310. 

Phiiea  vituUna,  y,  Eltxi.lciiEN,  SyHt.  Ue}.'.  Auiin.,  1777,  588. 

Phoca  vHulina,  i,  eagpiea,  (Jmei.iv,  Sj.st.  Nat.,  i.  1788,  C4.— Ki;Rn,  Anim.  King.,  1702,  124. 

I'linca  caspica,  Nilkson,  "K.  Vet.  Akml.  lluiidljir.  Stockholm,  1837, — ";  Arcb.  fur  Natnrg., 
1841,  313.— ScilI.NZ,  Syiiop.  Mam.,  i,  1844,  481.— Wauner,  Scbreber's  Saugtb.,  vii, 
184(1,  33.— It.uniE,  Itfi.srii  im  Slid,  vom  Ost-Sibivicna,  i,  1802,  297-302  (passim). 

('(illocephaluii  raspicns,  (rii.w,  "Zoiil.  KrobuH  and  Torior,  1844,  3";  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mna., 
1850,  24. 

(\dlunephaliu\  caapiciu,i}HAV,  Cat.  Seals  anil  WbaU's,  18(i6,  22. 

Phnca  canina  [var.  caapica],  Pallas,  Zoog.  Kosso-Asiat.,  i,  1831,  110,  nota  1  (in  part  onl.v). 


m 


Tho  history  of  the  Caspian  Se.al,  in  relation  to  its  literature  anil  syn- 
onymy, is  brietly  as  follows:  It  appears  to  have  been  first  described  in  1770 
liy  S.  (!.  Gnu'lin  in  the  narrative  of  hi.s  travels  in  Russia.  It  was  first  intro- 
iliKtd  into  systematic  zoology  by  Schreber,  about  six  year.s  later,  but  only 
under  a  vernacular  name.  Sclireber's  account  of  tho  animal  was  wholly  com- 
piled from  Gmelin.  Erxleben,  in  1777,  recognized  it  as  a  variety  of  Phoca 
ritiiHiia,  without,  however,  naming  it,  his  citations  embracing  Gmelin  and 
Schreber,  as  above.  J.  F.  Gmelin,  in  1788,  referred  it  also  to  Phoca  vituliiia, 
111  which  he  made  it  a  variety,  bestowing  ui)on  it  the  name  cai*pica.  The  next 
ivfi'venre  to  it  of  importance  is  made  l)y  Nilsson,  who,  in  1K$7.  dissevered  it 
•  Mtirely  from  Phoca  rittilina,  claimed  its  sjteciflc  distinctness,  and  showed  its 
(loser  relationship  to  P.  fcetida  than  to  P.  \-itulina.  Its  8nbs<;qnent  history 
lias  already  been  amply  detailed.  Respecting  the  habits  of  the  Caspian 
i^i  111,  Sehultz  writes  a**  follows : 

"These  Seals  gather  in  large  herd.s,  and,  plunging  continually  into  the 
filter,  ( iiase  scaly  fish,  of  which  they  eat  only  the  breast,  leaving  the  re- 
niiiiiider  of  the  body,  with  the  entrails,  to  the  sea-birds,  which  are  constantly 
boviring  above  them.  Endowed  with  a  very  acute  sense  of  smell,  the  Seals 
at  tiiiifs  escape  the  vigilance  of  their  enemies,  the  fishermen,  with  the  excep- 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 39 


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I'lIOCA    Id'/riDA lilNOKI)    HEAL. 


TIr"  l)iiikul  lvn\  wiis  siwciliciilly  <listiii}iuislio(l  imicli  later,  it 
liaviii};  been  rel'encd  cvi'ii  l>y  K'luhle,  as  lati^  as  IS)}!',  to  I'ltocn 
((Hinllotd  {=/uti(l<i).  Altli(»ii;ili  it  was  reeo^i'iiized  varietally  I),\ 
Erxlebeii  ami  (liuelin  a  century  ago,  ami  the  <|iiestioii  of  itsspe- 
eilie  tlisliiu'lness  laised  l)y  \iIsson  in  ISIJT,  it  was  lirst  foi-nially 
se|)arat«'<l  as  a  species  by  Dybowski  in  IST.'J,*  under  the  naiiii' 
riioca  IxiifdlcitNiN.  Fioni  three  years'  observaficui  of  the  livinj; 
animal,  and  from  study  of  the  skulls  of  young  and  lull-grown 
animals,  he  reached  the  con<-lusion  that  tla>  ISaikal  Seal  should 
not  bo  referred  to  "/'Aom  (iiiitcllatd,'"  it  being  easy  to  distinguish 
from  it  at  all  stages,  Dybowski  has  given  excellent  ligures  of 
the  skull,  and  detailed  descriptions  of  its  cranial  and  eNternal 
flmrat!ters,  and  of  its  habits,  but,  unfortunately,  makes  no  <'(mii- 
l)arative  references  to  any  other  species,  nor  does  ho  state  ex- 
plicitly in  what  its  distinctive  specillc  characters  consist.  His 
very  detailed  table  of  measui'ements,  and  <'xcellent  ligures  of 
the  skull,  however,  when  comi)are<l  with  Pltoca  Jatidtt,  leave  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  si)ecilic  distinctness  of  the  Uaikal  Seal  from 
that  species.  The  skull  of  the  Baikal  Seal  is  especially  remaika- 
ble  for  its  attenuation,  and  particularly  lor  the  length  and  nar- 
rowness of  tlu^  facial  ]»ortion.  Kven  the  brain-ciise  is  narrow, 
for  while  its  length  is  the  saino  as  in  average  skulls  of  P./aiido, 
its  width  is  less.  The  orbital  fossa'  are  disi)roi)ortionately  largo, 
whenco  results  a  great  lateral  ex])ansion  of  the  rather  slender 
zygonuitic  arches,  so  that  the  breadth  of  the  skull  at  the  orbits 
is  considerably  greater  than  at  the  mastoid  i)rocesses(as  10(1  to 
87),  instead  of  these  two  dimensions  being  alxmt  equal,  as  in  /'. 
fwUda.    Dybowski  gives  the  average  length  of  two  adult  skulls 

lion,  however,  of  tlic  young,  whitli,  iiiexitt'iionct'd  as  they  are,  follow  tlie 
lishiiig-boats  for  long  distances,  and  seem  to  take  special  i)leasur«'  in  lieariiif; 
the  liMhernien  whistle  or  sing  It  is  an  interesting  sjjectaele  to  see  the  youiij; 
Seals  lying  on  their  back,  sleepingpeaeealily  while  being  roekeil  by  the  waves, 
and  throwing  np  from  time  to  lime  small  Jets  of  water  by  breathing.''* 

It  further  appears  from  the  author's  d 'tailed  aceoinit  of  Seal-hunting  in  tin' 
Caspian  Sea  (see  antea,  pp.  r>l-t-r)17)  that  these  animals  are  preeuniieiitlv 
gregarious,  and  I'csort,  at  certain  seasons,  to  favorite  localities  on  the  slimv 
in  imnuMi.so  herds,  to  bask  in  the  sun.  The  pairing  season  occurs  about  tin' 
beginning  of  .January,  and  tlio  young  are  brought  forth  on  the  ice.  I" 
habits  the  Caspian  Seal  thus  dili'ers  notably  from  the  Kinged  Seal,  wliitli 
uever  resorts  to  the  laud  in  vast  luu'ds. 
"  Ab  translated  in  Rep.  IT.  S.  Com.  Fish  and  Fisheries,  pt.  iii,  1873-4  and  1874-5,  pp.  02,  »X 

*  Arehiv  fiir  Anatomic,  Physiologic  uud  WeissenschaftUchoMcdiciu,  .lalii- 
gang  1873,  ])p.  10'J-l'«i5,  i)l.  ii,  iii. 


A' 


COMPARISON    WITH    AIJ.ir.D    SPKCIES. 


GU 


.  02,  'i'i- 


tlic  sumo  diinon.sioiiM  in  oxcoptionally  larjic  old  iiiiilc  skulKs  of  P. 
fotUUx  to  be  l.S()  iiiiii.  ami  115  iiiiii.  The  width  at  the  mastoid 
]»ro('«'ss('s  in  the  Uaikal  Heal,  however,  is  only  100  mm.,*  against 
11-  mm.  in  I\f<vtUln.  A  very  strongly  marlved  diUcreni^e  is  ob- 
servable in  tin'  relative  len;ith\)f' the  liU'.ial  portion  of  the  skull 
ill  liie  two  speeies,  this  beinj;'  \('ry  much  nariowt'r  and  lonj^er 
ill  \\w  IJaikal  Seal  than  in  the  other,  this,  of  course,  involvinji' 
a  (tones) xmdin;;"  narrowness  of  tlu^  nasal  bones  and  the  palatal 
it'jiion.  Tile  vei-tii^al  liei<;ht  of  the  slcnll  is  also  much  less  than 
ill  I'./irtitht.  Without  fi'oinji'  further  into  <letails,  it  may  be  suf- 
llcieiit  to  state  that  the  skull  of  the  IJaikal  Seal  is  <'hara<'teri/,ed 
hy  jureat  attenuation  in  every  part,  with  j::rcat  expansion  of  the 
dibits.  In  (h'litition  and  in  tlie  }j;eneral  form  of  the  palatal  re- 
jiion  there  is  a  close  a;;reement  with  the  Hinyed  Seal,  the  IJaikal 
Seal  beinji',  in  a  word,  a  slemler  form  of  the  Phoa(  futida  tyj»e. 

It  also  dirters  notably  in  cohnation,  beiny;  appai'cntly  never 
spotted.  Accordinjif  to  Dr.  Dybowski,  the  adults  are  silvery- 
brown  ("silberbrauidich")  above,  and  dinjiy  silvery-brown 
("schmutzij''  si'.berbriiun")  below;  in  the  younj^er  animals  the 
silver-brown  color  has  a  whitish  lustre ;  in  the  newly-boni  young 
tile  tliick,  long  wool-hair  is  silvery-white.  The  length  of  the 
full-grown  animal  is  given  as  l,;iOOnnn. 

While  it  is  ])retty  clear  that  the  Caspian  Seal  and  the  JJaikal 
Seal  are  both  speciti(!ally  distinct  from  the  Kinged  Seal,  and 
that  neither  of  them  has  any  near  relationship  to  Phoca  vituUna^ 
the  jioints  of  difference  between  the  two  first-named  are  not  so 
evident.  In  coloration  the  Caspian  Seal  a]>pears  to  not  differ 
l^roatly  from  the  Ringed  Seal;  both  consequently  differ  sim- 
ilarly in  color  from  the  Baikal  Seal,  namely,  in  being  spotted, 
while  the  latter  is  concolor.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Caspian 
and  IJaikal  Seals  agree  in  being  considerably  larger  than  the 
Kinged  Seal,  an '  in  the  skull  being  narrower  in  i)roportion  to 
its  length,  with  the  upper  surface  more  convex.  The  Baikal 
Seal,  however,  ajjpears  to  be  distinguished  by  the  greater  atten- 
uation of  the  facial  region  coupled  with  a  much  greater  expan- 
sion of  the  zygomatic  arches. 

The  i)eculiar  features  of  coloration  presented  by  the  Baikal 
Seal  have  been  given  with  uniformity  since  the  time  of  Steller,t 
who  first  made  them  known.     Schreber's  short  description, 

*  Estiuiiitetl  tVoui  D.vbowski'8  ligure. 

t  Boscliieibiu  ;  vou  doui  Luucle  Kamtscbatka,  1774,  i>.  108. 


m 


i 


E 


•m' 


,¥h'] ' 


612 


PHOCA    rtETIKA — UlNGEU    SEAL. 


as  102  mm.,  an<l  tlicir  avori»j;o  broadth  as  118  nun.,  wliicli  I  fin<l 
founded  on  tliat  of  Stollor,  Is  as  follows:  "  lOr  ist  t'infaihi;;, 
sill)erw('iss  vom  Ilarrcn,  no  {^ross  alsdcrjjfi'niciin'."  lie  fiirtlicr 
says:  "Man  findct  iliin  in  di'U  bcidcn  sibiris(!lu'n  Landsccn 
Baikal  iind  Oron.  die  woit  von  <lein  Ocean  t'litfcrnt  sind  and 
niit  denisclbcn  dnrcli  keinoin  Fluss  (Icnicinscliaft  liaben."  Oli 
er  voni  deni  invrneincn  wesontlich  vcrschieden  sci.  ist  inir  uiclit 
bekanut."* 

Nilssou  refers  to  a  specamen  supposed  to  have  come  from  Lake 
Baikal  as  beiny*  "Braun^rau  eiufarbig  mit  lliisserer  Fiirbunji' an 
deu  uutern  Korpertheilen".  Uad«le  says  its  color  is  "sehiiu 
grau  (fast  stalilgrau)"  on  the  back,  beconnng  lif^hter  on  the 
sides,  and  yellowish-gray  beueath.t 

""Stcllor,  a.  o.  ." 

*  Siiugtb.,  iii,  ;U0, — Tho  above  in  Schrebcr's  account  in  full. 


-fr 


t  PHOCA  (PUSA)  SIBIRTCA,  Allen  ex  GwMn. 
Cslkal  Neal. 

The  Seal  [of  Lake  Baikal],  Bell,  Travels  from  St.  Poterab.  in  Kussia  to  diverse  parts  of 

Asia,  "i,  1708,  201";  ilml.,  1,  1788,  320. 
DievirleSorte  Scelnmdc,  Stellkii,  Bosclireibuiii;  vdii  dcm  Laudo  Kamtscbatka,  1774,  108. 
Der  gibirinche  ^Vc/nmd,  ScilUKliKii,  Siiugtli.,  iii  1 177(1?]  310  (ca;  Stellcr). 
Phoca  vituliiui,  ft,  Euxi.KiiKX,  SvHt.  Jic;;.  Auiin..  1777,  ."iKS  {ex  Stulli-r  et  Sdirober). 
Phoea  rituUna.  y,  sibirica,  Gmki.ix,  Syst  Xat.,  i,  1788,  04.— Kkuh,  Anini.  King.,  1702,  124. 
{  Phoca  anncllata,'iin.H80S,  Arcli.  I'iir  Naturg.,  1841,  .'il2  (in  ])art). 
Phoca  anncUata,  liAriDE,  Ilt'iscn  'm  SUd.  vom  Ost-Sibirieus,  i,  1802,  290  (in  jiart, — only  the 

Baikal  HptTimra). 
Phoca  baicalennis,  Dvdowbki,  Arcb.  fiir  Anat.  u.  Phys.,  1873,  109,  pll.  ii,  iii  (skulls  of  adult 

and  young). 

TliiH  species  was  apparently  firot  mentioned  by  Bell  (as  above  cited), 
in  17(W,  wbo  refers  to  its  babits,  but  gives  no  account  of  its  cbaractera.  It 
was  quite  fully  described  by  S teller  in  1774,  and  was  first  formally  intro- 
duced into  systematic  zoology  by  Scbrebec  about  two  years  later,  whose 
account  is  based  wholly  on  Steller's.  It  was  cited  as  a  variety  of  Phoca  vltu- 
Una  by  Erxleben  iti  1777,  and  named  as  a  variety  of  that  species  by  Gnioliu 
in  1788.  Nilsson  described  a  skin  and  an  imperfect  skull  under  Phoca  annel- 
lata  in  1837,  but  thought  it  might  prove  to  bo  a  distinct  species,  and,  more- 
over, was  not  certain  whether  or  not  his  specimen  came  from  Lake  Baikal. 
Radde,  tbo  first  naturalist  after  Steller  who  described  the  Baikal  Seal, 
from  an  authentic  specimen,  referred  it  unhesitatingly  to  Phoca  anncUata 
(^^fwtida).  The  single  skull  on  which  his  observations  were  based  lie 
etat^id  to  bo  that  of  a  female  about  three  or  four  years  old,  but  his  figures 
of  it  show  it  to  have  been  much  younger,  the  principal  sutures  being  rep- 
resented as   unobliterated.    He  found  it  to  be  considerably  smaller  than 


COMrAIlISON    WITH    ALLIED    SPECIES. 


613 


From  a  ii;vo'f!;r,\i>\mn\  staiul-poiiit  there  m  no  it  priori  roiisou 
for  their  i<h>iitity,  they  occupyiii};  entirely  distiiiet  (Irainiigo 
basins,  whieh  have  had  no  conneetioii  .since  comparatively  re- 
mote j,'eolofjical  times.  Their  {jfeographical  position,  indeed, 
considered  in  relation  to  tho,  present  di«tribntion  of  their 
nearest  allies,  as  well  as  to  their  peculiar  environment,  is  one 
of  the  most  interestiiiff  facts  in  their  history.  The  Baikal  Seal 
is  ail  iidiabitaiit  of  a  fresh  water  lake,  while  the  waters  where 
tiie  other  finds  a  home  are  only  to  a  slijjht  degree  salt.  Neither 
of  these  remote  interior  seas  has  had  any  recent  coiniection 
with  the  Polar  Seas,  where  alone  the  nearest  allines  of  these 
Seals  are  now  found.  If  their  oceanic  connection  was  south- 
ward (as  was  most  likely  that  of  the  Caspian  Sea),  at  the  renjote 

( ithcr  of  lii.s  skulls  of  Pkova  fivtida,  Itut  its  small  sizo  is  oxpluinablo  on  the 
Hioiiiid  of  its  iininatiirity.  llo  himself  states  that  his  speeimeu  of  the 
Hiiikal  Sral  welched  in  the  llesh  only  "HJPud"  (12G  pounds),  while  the 
\v(ii;ht  of  the  Baikal  Seal,  as  he  says  he  was  informed  by  the  Seal-hunters, 
raiifffs  from  "  8  zu  10  Pn(i"('-i88  to  liliO  pounds).  Radde's  evidently  erro- 
neous estimate  of  the  uge  of  his  specimen  is  pointedly  uoticed  by  Dr.  Dy- 
bdwski,  who,  in  ri-ferrinj;  to  the  faet  of  yoitng  Seals  being  often  nnstakeu 
I'oi  old  ones,  adds,  "  wio  es  G.  Radde  gethan  hat,  dcr  eiu  7-8  monatliches 
jiiuj^es  Thier  fiir  eiu  ^-4  jiihriges  ausgiebt."* 

Ill  187:i  Dybowski  described  the  species  with  admirable  fullness,  iucUaling 
its  ixtt^rnal  and  cranial  characters,  giving  ligures  of  an  adult  and  a  young 
skull,  together  with  a  detailed  account  of  its  external  characters,  of  not 
only  the  adult  but  young  of  various  ages.  He,  moreover,  was  the  first  to 
posit  ively  claim  its  specitie  distiuctnes.s,  and  it  is  an  open  (luestiou  Avhether 
bis  name  bcicalcnmt  ought  not  to  supersede  Gmelin's  long  previously  imposed 
imiiic  Hihirica. 

A((!ording  to  Dybowski,  these  Seals  are  pretty  common  in  Lake  Baikal, 
but  there  is  rarely  opportunity  for  observing  them  in  summer.  The  native 
liuuters  informed  hiui  that  they  are  often  seen  and  shot  in  the  mouths  of 
J«l\'  and  August  ou  the  rocky  southwest  shore,  by  lying  in  wait  for  them 
Inlund  rocks.  It  is  during  these  months  that  the  rutting  time  occurs,  and 
the  young  are  born  in  January  and  February,  so  that  consequently  the 
period  of  gravidity  must  bo  reduced  to  about  six  or  seven  months.  The 
young  are  said  to  depend  for  sustenance  exclusively  upon  the  mother's  milk 
for  about  four  months.  The  lake  becomes  closed  with  ice  in  January,  and 
from  that  time  till  the  middle  of  May — a  period  of  about  four  months — the 
•Seals  remain  wholly  under  the  ice,  but  have  their  breathing-holes  through 
which  they  obtain  air.  About  the  end  of  March  or  beginning  of  April,  af- 
ter the  deep  snows  have  become  melted  by  the  sun,  the  liunters  seek  out 
tliesc  breathing-holes  by  means  of  dogs  especially  trained  for  the  purpose, 
ami  capture  the  Seals  iu  nets  placed  in  tlie  breathing-holes. — Arch,  fiir  Anat 
«  PhijH.,  1873,  pp.  121-l!iJ5. — See  further  Bell's  account  oftheir  capture  about 
tbe  middle  of  the  last  century,  already  cited  {anted,  p.  612). 

*  Arch,  fiir  Anat.  u.  Phys.,  1873,  p.  122. 


m 

m 


ItlLh 


:\:i 


I,  J 


i'A 


•A 


h 


\i 


•614 


PIIOCA    FCETIDA RINGED    SEAL 


time  when  tliCiSe  basins  formed  a  part  of  the  jzreat  Tertiary  sea, 
of  \vhi(!h  the  Mediterranean  and  conneeted  interior  waters  are 
now  the  greatlj'  dinnnished  renniants,  whence  came  the  stock 
from  whicli  these  two  allied  species  of  Seal  are  the  descen<lants  ? 
Are  we  to  look  for  an  ancestor  in  I'liocn  fafula,  or  in  some  allied 
extinct  species,  from  which  came  not  only  these  species  bntalso 
their  present  northern  ally  i  As  shown  by  the  researches  of  Van 
Beneden,  Seals  were  abnndantin  the  Pliocene  seas  of  Southern 
EuroiJe,  and  amonj;'  then)  were  forms  more  or  less  nearly  re- 
lated to  each  of  the  existinjjf  tyjies,  his  genus  Phoeanella  beiiij; 
the  early  representative  of  the  modern  Phocafutula. 

(rEOGiiAPHicAL  DTSTiiiBt^rioN. — Altlioufjli  the  Ringed  Seal  is 
a  well-known  iidiabitant  of  the  Arctic  Seas,  of  both  hemispheres, 
the  southern  limit  of  its  distribution  cannot  be  given  with  cer- 
taint}'.  Wagner*  records  si)ecinjens  from  Labradoi",  which  is  the 
most  southern  i)ointon  the  eastern  coast  of  North  America  from 
which  it  seems  tolnive  been  reported.  It  is  not  enumerated  by 
Jukes  or  Carroll  as  among  the  species  hunted  by  the  Newfound- 
land sealers,t  nor  is  it  mentioned  by  Gilpin|  as  occurring  in  Nova 
Scotia.  Its  occasional  presence  here  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Saint 
Lawrence  is  doubtless  to  be  expecteil.  Further  northward,  and 
especially  along  the  shores  of  Davis's  Straits  and  Greeidand, 
its  abundance  is  well  attested.  It  has  also  been  found  as  iux 
north  as  explorers  have  penetrated,  having  been  met  with  by 
Parry  as  high  as  latitude  82°  40'.    J.  C.  Koss  states  that  it  is 

*Scbreber'n  Saugt.,  vii,  1840,  \k  M. 

tPr»tess(ir  Jukes  Hays  four  species  are  known  on  the  coast  of  Newibnnil- 
laud,  namely,  the  "Bay  Seal"  {Phoca  vitiiUnn),  the  Harp  Seal  (Phocn yneii- 
landica),  the  Hooded  Seal  {Cystophorn  crklafa),  an<l  the  "Square  Flipper" 
(probably  HiiIivhoruH  gri/pus).  The  tirst  ho  did  not  see  on  the  ice  anionj;  the 
Seals  pursued  by  the  sealers.  The  second  is  the  one  that  forms  Ihe  principal 
object  of  the  chase.  Tbt;  third  seems  not  to  be  numerous,  but  occurs  ociii- 
sioually  out  on  the  ice-Uoes  with  the  Harp  Seals.  The  fpurth  is  referred  to 
as  very  rare,  and  aa  IxMnjj;  larger  th.nn  the  Hooded  Seal.  Not  one  was  heard 
of  or  .seen  that  season  H<^  su])i)oses  it  may  be  the  Phoca  barhata. — l-Jsmr- 
sioiiH  in  Nnrfouiidlnnd,  vol.  i,  i)p.  ;U)8-;5l5j. 

Carroll  states  that  the  species  of  Seal  that  are  taken  on  the  coast  of  Ne\v- 
fimndland  are  the  "  Srpiare  Flipper  Seal "  (probably  HaHehwntB  (jrypua),  tlif 
'■Hood  Seal"  {CijHlopliora  crhlala),  the  "  Harp  Seal  "  ( Phocayrwiilandica),  iiml 
the  "  Dotard  "  or  "Native  Seal "  {Phoca  vitulimt). — Smland  Herring  Finheric 
of  Newfoundland,  \><!',\,  j).  10. 

tThe  species  given  l)y  Gilpin  as  found  on  the  coast  of  NovaSccjtia  are  tin' 
Harbor  Seal  (I'hoca  vitiilina),  the  Harp  Seal  {Phoca  grwnlandica),  the  Gray 
Seal  {HalichwrnH  grupun),  and  the  Hooded  Seal  {Cystophoru  cristata). 


M 


t  ml 

it  ■ 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


G15 


coiriiHon  on  both  sides  of  thelstlmiusof  IJootlua,  where  it  forms 
the  chief  nieans  of  subsistenee  to  the  inhiibitants  durinjj  eight  or 
nine  mouths  of  the  year.*  It  is  common  in  Iceland,  and  Mahn- 
yren  and  V^on  Ileuglin  state  it  to  be  numerous  at  Si)itzbergeu. 
The  last-named  author  gives  it  as  abundant  in  summer  in  the 
Stor-Fjord  and  its  branches,  m  llinlopen  Strait,  ami  in  the 
bays  of  the  northwest  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  o<!curring  in  great 
herds  as  well  as  singly,  in  the  open  water  along  the  shores  and 
in  the  oi>enings  in  the  icefloes.  He  states  that  it  i  also  numer- 
ous about  Nova  Zembla,  where  great  munbers  are  killed  for 
their  skins  and  fat.t  It  is  a  common  species  on  the  coast  of 
Finland,  and  further  eastward  along  the  Arcth;  coast  of  Europe 
and  doubtless  also  of  Western  Asia.f  It  is  also  a  common  in- 
habitant of  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  and  neighboring  waters,  and 
also  of  the  Ladoga  and  other  interior  seas  of  Finland.  It  is 
said  by  Blasius  to  extend  southward  along  the  coast  of  Midd.le 
Europe  to  North  Germany,  Ireland,  and  the  British  Channel. 
Professor  Flower  has  recorded  its  capture  on  the  coast  of  Nor- 
wich, England,  and  it  undoubtedly  occurs  at  the  Orkneys  and 
the  Hebrides,  where  it  is  supposed  to  be  rejjresented  bj'  the 
s]tecies  known  there  as  "  Bodach"  or  "  Old  Alan  ".  A  specimen 
was  also  taken  many  years  since  on  the  coast  of  France,  but  here, 
as  on  the  shores  of  the  larger  British  Islands,  it  can  occur  as 
merely  a  rare  straggler.§     Its  fossil  remains  ha>  e  been  reported 


'Rosh'h  Sec.  Vo.v.,  App.,  IH^.'),  p.  xix. 

tReiHC  micli  <Uaii  Noidjtolaniieer,  Tli.  iii,  i>.  50. 

tlu  ail  account  i)t'  Professor  Nonloiiskjold's  late  Arctic  voyage,  pulilislicd 
in  •■Nature"  (vol.  xxi,  p.  40,  Nov.  13,  1870),  it  is  stated  that  Phoca  falida 
"was  caught  in  great  nunibei-s,  and  along  with  fish  and  various  vegetables 
forms  the  main  food  of  the  natives"  at  Cape  Serdze  (about  120  miles  from 
Bcliriiig's  Straits),  the  ]»oint  where  the  "Vega"  wintered,  this  and  the  Polar 
Hi  ar  being  the  only  marine  mammals  seen. 

vN  Uesiiecting  the  southern  limit  of  the  habitat  of  this  species  in  Europe, 
Piofcssor  Flower  has  the  following:  "  Nilsson  speaks  of  it  as  being  found 
oil  all  the  Scandinavian  coasts,  and  as  having  been  met  with  as  far  south 
as  the  Ch.annel,  on  the  strength  of  specimens  in  the  Paris  Museum  from  that 
locality  ;  but  he  was  unable  to  liud  any  proofs  of  its  having  been  met  with 
oil  tin  coast  of  England.  Nor  have  I  been  able  toiliscover  any  positive  evi- 
ilt'iicf  that  it  can,  at  the  jtresent  day,  be  reckoned  a  British  sp'^cics,  altlnuigh 
there  is  little  doubt  that  it  must  occasionally  visit  our  shores,  where  its 
oicurrenco  woiihl  be  easily  overlooked." — /Voc.  Xoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1871,  p.  .'ilO. 

('"llett,  contrary  to  the  testimony  of  Nilsson,  excludes  it  from  tlu^  main- 
iimlian  fauna  of  Norway,  and  states  that  he  does  not  kiio\  an  autheutic 
iiwtanco  of  its  capture  on  the  Norwegian  coast. — IkmwrknMgvr  lit  Xorges 
I'uttcdyrfauna,  1870,  p.  rtl,  footnote  2. 


I 


i'l 


li     I 


i' 


t    K 


V, 


.N 


616 


PIIOCA    FCETIDA RINOKl)    SKAf. 


by  Profossor  Turner  aslijiviiifj  boon  found  in  tlio  brick  clays  of 
iScotlaiid.  It  iip]>oars  also  to  bo  a  common  sju'cies  in  the  Xortli 
PaciHc,  there  beinj::  specimens  in  tlie  Xational  Museum,  unques- 
tionably of  this  species,  from  the  coast  of  Alaska,  and  from 
Plover  P>ay,  on  the  Siberian  sid<^  of  Behring's  Strait.  Its 
southern  limit  of  distribution  alonj;  the  shores  of  the  North 
Pacific,  on  either  the  American  or  the  Asiatic  side,  cannot  at 
present  be  {iiven.  Judging;  from  its  known  distribution  in 
other  j)ortions  of  the  Arcti<!  waters,  there  is  no  reason  to  infer 
its  absence  from  the  northern  shores  of  Eastern  Asia  and  West- 
ern I^orth  America. 

(rENEUAL  HISTORY  AND  NoMENCLATUBE. — The  earliest 
notioM  of  this  species  in  systemati*;  works  are  based  on  the  brief 
a<'couiit  jifiven  by  (Jranz  in  17<Jr»,  but  there  appear  to  be  still 
earlier  references  to  it  by  Scandinavian  writers.  As,  however, 
they  involve  no  questions  of  synonymy,  and  may  in  part  relate 
to  the  (ii-ay  Seal  (Mali cheer uh  (/rypus),  they  call  for  no  special  re- 
mark in  the  present  connection.  The  "Gril.Sial"  of  Linnes 
"Fauna  Suecica"  (1747),  however,  wasreferrtid  by  Otto  Faliri- 
cius,  in  171)1,  to  Pkoca  /a'fula,  hut  recent  writers,  notably  Linje- 
borg,  have  assigned  it  to  Ilalichderus  f/rypm,  but  Linne's  a(!couiit 
seems  to  be  too  vague  to  be  ])ositively  identified,  although  it 
later  became  tlu^  basis  of  (xmelin's  I'hoca  eitulina  hotniea. 

As  already  noticed,  the  early  teciinical  history  of  the  species 
is  based  on  the  brief  notice  of  it  ])ublishedin  17().")  by  the  Dan- 
ish missionary,  (Jranz,  who,  in  his  "Historie  von  (Jronland,"  re- 
ferred to  it  under  its  native  or  Eskimo  name  Keitsel:  He  says 
it  is  not  very  ditterent  from  the  Attarsoak  (Phova  (fro^nlandiea 
of  systenmtists)  "in  size  or  color,  only  that  the  hair  is  a  little 
browner  or  a  pale  wnite,  nor  does  it  lie  smooth,  but  rough, 
bristly,  and  intermixed  like  pig's  hair."*  Pennant,  in  177 J,  in 
his  "  Synopsis  of  (Quadrupeds,"  called  it  the  Itongh  Seal,  aru 
paraphrased  Cranz's  description,  adding  theieto  the  conj«(! 
ture  :  "  Perhaps  what  our  Xeicfnundland  Seal-hunters  (!all  ISqioire 
rhii)per''\  In  177<}  it  was  enumerated  in  the  introduction  to  Miil 
ler's  "Zoologijc  Danica*  Prodronuus"  (p.  viii),  in  a  list  of  Green 
land  animals  supplied  by  Otto  Fabricius  after  the  nuiin  body  of 
the  work  had  been  i)rinted,  wlu^re  it  first  receives  a  systennitic 
nauie,  being  there  called  Plioca/hiida.  No  (ies(!ription  is  given, 
but  its  supposed  Icelandic  and  Greenlandic  names  arc  appended, 
namely,  "  I .  Ufnelr.  Gr.  KciUck.,  KeitHilek,^''  but  unfortunately  the 

•English  edition,  17(57,  vol.  i,  pp.  124,  125. 


(iKNKRAF.    HISTORY    AM)    NOMKXCLATURE. 


()17 


Seal  ciillp<l  llt-Selnr  by  tlio  Tcelandcrs  juoves  to  ho  ll((l!rltu:rus 
l/rypun.  It  thus  Ijiipju'iis  tliat  the  first  teitliuical  name  of  the 
speeies,  as  well  as  some  of  its  earliest  veriia(!ular  names,  lelates 
in  part  to  the  Gray  Seal.  At  about  the  same  time  (<r/:>rtainly 
not  earlier)  it  was  described  byj^ehrel)er  in  the  third  part  of  his 
••  Siiufithiere"  as  l)errauheS*'ehund,his(leseription  beinjjf  based 
«'ntir«'ly  on  Cranx/s  and  Pennant's.  No  Laiin  name  is  f^iven  in 
the  t<^xt,  but  on  the  i)late  appears  the  name  Pkoai  liinpithi.  The 
<iate  of  the  i)nbli('ati()n  of  the  fascicridus  eontainintr  Sclin^ber's 
(h\s('ri])t'on  and  fijiure  cannot  be  delinitely  determined,  but  (;on- 
tcr.iporary  evidence  indic-ates  that  it  nuist  have  appeared  during 
the  year  177«;,*  as  it  is  cited  by  ICrxleben  in  a  work  publislied 
the  followiuf;  year.  wh(>  ado])ts  I'hoea  hisphla  for  tiie  name  of 
the  species.  Ibit  Krxh'ben's  first  reference  is  to  tlie  "  Loufjf- 
necked  Seal''  of  Parsons,  whose  diajiuosis  of  which  Erxleben 
cites  in  full.  Tiie  Lonji-necked  Seal,  however,  is  some  indeter- 
minable speeies  of  Otary.  l>ut  all  of  Erxleben's  other  refer- 
ences, with  one  exce])tion  (for  here  "lltselr"is  aj»ain  (Mted), 
are  pertinent,  and  hisdia<inosisisevi«lently  based  on  the  Neitsek 
of  Craiiz, 

Three  years  later  (1780),  Fabricins,  in  his  "  Fauna  Gnenland- 
icii,"  gave  the  first  adequate  description  of  the  species,  uiuler 
the  name  Fhocafaiida^iuuX  «pu)ted  Phoca  /</.vy;<V/«  as  a  synonym. 
Eleven  years  later  (17JH),  in  his  celebrated  memoir  on  the  Green- 
land Seals,  he  reverts  to  the  name /(/.s7)*V/«,concedinf;'  it  priority, 
l>ut  on  what  ground  is  not  ai)parent.  The  case  is  thus  a  i;"cullar 
one, and  has  already  received  attention  at  the  hands  of  numer- 
ous writers,  the  matter  having  been  quite  recently  very  fully 
discussed  by  Professor  Flower,  t  Although  Flower  favors  the 
a(h)ption  of  hispida,  he  admits  that  "  There  is  Jiothing  either  in 
Schreber's  description  or  figure  to  identify  the  sjjecies ;  and  it 
has  since  been  thought  (as  by  A.  Wagner  in  Ins  continuation 
of  Schreber's  work,  184<>)  [*J  to  refer  to  a  totally  distinct  animal, 
viz,  Halk'ha'rus  (jrypm.''''  He  says,  further,  "Although  it  may 
still  be  a  matter  of  opinion  which  of  these  names  ought  to  be 

*Tli<'  (latf  on  tli;-  titlf-paK«'  of  tlio  " Drifter  Tlicil"  Ih  177H;  t!i«  two  pre- 
< iiliiifj  parts  an?  both  dated  177.").  The  Seals  occupy  the  first  pages  of  the 
tliinl  )»art. 

t  I'ror.  Zdfil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1871,  pp.  507-510. 

[  *  Gray,  apparently  iollowiug  Wagner,  referrsd,  botli  in  1850  and  in  ISGkS, 
Sdii'tbcr's  I'hoca  hinpida  to  IlaHohanis  grynus,  wliile  at  the  same  time  ho  ro- 
li'ircd  I^eswm's  Phoca  Hchreheri,  avowedly  =  Phoca  hinpida  Sclirobor,  tohisCa/- 
li>fil)haliin/wfidiiH\'\ 


<!i 


618 


PHOCA    rCETIDA RINGED    SEAL. 


adopted,  it  appears  to  me  that,  on  the  whoU',  i)referen(!e  sliouhl 
be  },'iven  to  hispida,  on  account  of  ])riority ;  for  althoiif^h  the 
earliest  descriptions  under  this  name  arc  very  niea<;re  and  in 
aci'urate,  they  are  avowedly  founded  on  tln^  NeiUek  o(  Craiiz, 
theapi>ellation  l>y  which  this  Seal  is  known  to  the  (rreenlanders 
to  this  day,  according  to  Mr.  K.  lirown,*  and  are  therefore  in- 
tended for  this  species,  and  esj)ecially  because  Fabricius,  in 
1700  1 1701],  detinitely  adoi>ted  the  name,  withdrawing  that  of 
ffetida.  I  am  further  strengthened  in  this  ojunion,"  he  con- 
tinues, "by  finding  that  those  eminent  Danish  naturalists  Steen- 
strupt  and  Keinhardtf  both  use  Jmpida  when  sjieaking  of  this. 
Seal."  As  regards  use,  although  good  authorities  have  adopted 
hispida,  by  far  the  greater  number  of  writers,  inchuling  equidly 
eminent  authorities,  among  them  Iiillje1>org  and  Collett  among 
recent  Scandinavian  writers,  adopt /a7/V/rf.  The  question  is  cit- 
tainly  pretty  evenly  balanced.  (Irauting,  however,  that  the  in- 
troduction of  the  two  names  was  practically  simultaneous,  and 
that/«'^«Vi«,  as  lirst  given,  was  unaccompanied  by  a  description, 
while  hkpida  had  this  backing,  it  is  admitted  that  neither  the 
description  nor  the  tigure  is  of  any  value  in  determining  what 
species  was  intended,  and  that  the  (Ireenland  Uiime  Neitsek  is 
the  only  clew  to  what  was  meant.  Just  this  clew,  backed  by  tlie 
best  authority — Fabricius  himself — we  have  also  in  the  case  of 
fcetida,  while  the  tlrst  real  descrij)tion  (in  "Fauna  (Jnenlaud- 
i(ta,"  1780)  of  the  species  was  given  under  this  name,  and  eleven 
years  before  the  sj)ecies  was  recognizably  des(!ribed  un<lei-  tiie 
name  hlspidu  (by  Fabricius  in  1701).  Fabricius  gave  as  his 
reasons  for  withdrawing  the  mime  fa'tida  and  adopting  lii.^pidn 
that  the  latter  was  not  only  an  appropriate  name  but  also  the 
oldest,  although  he  ascribes  the  name  Impkla  to  Erxlebeu.  It 
would  seem,  however,  that  he  really  adopted  the  name  from  Pen- 
nant, considering  Pennant's  name  "  Rough  Seal"  a  strict  equiv: 
lent  of  Phoca  his2)ida.^  The  name  fatida  ai)pears  certainly  o 
be  most  characteristic. 


*  "  'On  tilt!  Seals  of  Greunlaud,'  P.  Z.  S.,  Ifj68,  p.  414." 

t"  'MelketiindsiPttct  hos  Remniesifh'u,  Svaitsidcn,  og  rjordsielen  (Phoca 
barhata,  O.  Fabr.,  I'li.  gronlandiva,  O.  Fabr..  og  Ph.  hinpida,  Sclir.),'  \"u\. 
Medd.  f.  d.  Natiirh.  Forcniiig.  18()0.     Kjobh.  18til,  s.  '2'yWHM." 

{  "  '  Om  KlapniydstMiH  ul<WUe  Norgts  og  dt'iis  Mclketandsict,'  Naturh.  Fortii. 
Vidensk.  McdcU'lolser,  18»4." 

•^  As  being  of  inttiCHt  in  this  connection  I  submit  the  following  reudcriii}; 
of  Fabiicius's  opening  paiagiii])!!  of  his  history  (if  f'u  IMoitlsii-l :  "This,  mxt 
to  the  niaek-side,  is  the  species  which  is  most  numerously  met  with  in  Grii'-.i- 
laud.     1  give  to  it  the  Danish  name  Fiordsiel,  be(  auKc  it  Keeps  mostly  in  'ln' 


iJSttJt  -    4 


'Xu^i^. 


IIABITS,    PRODUCTS,    AND    Tlrt:   CHASE. 


619 


AiiotluT  name  of  considerable  i>ioiiiinencc  in  connection  with 
this  species  is  anncllata  of  Nilsson,  proposed  by  him  in  1820  for 
Scandinavian  rei)n'sentatives  of  tlie  species,  becanse  he  did 
not  feel  sure  of  their  identity  with  Greenland  exanii)les.  This 
name  was  adopted  later  by  \uirious  writers  for  a  species  sup- 
]»osed  to  be  distinct  from  the  Phoai  fat  Ida  of  Greenland,  notably 
anion};  whom  are  Wa};iier  and  Kadde,  while  (ri«'bel  held  both 
fu'tUhi  and  hispida  as  synonyms  of  aniicUaUtl 

The  name  discolor,  introduced  in  1824  by  F.  Citvier  as  that  of 
a  new  species,  was  later  abandoned  by  its  author,  and  never  ob- 
tained currency  except  with  a  few  comitilers.  Lesson,  in  1828, 
characteristically  changed  it  to  frederici,  and  at  tlu'  same  time 
renanu'd  Schreber's  hispida,  (salliu};  if  schrehcri. 

IlAiJiTS,  PiioDUCTS,  AND  IItnting. — The  Jiinf;ed  Seal  is 
prei'Uiinently  boreal,  its  home  beinj;  almost  exclusively  the  icy 
seas  of  the  Arctic  Kegions.  Its  favorite  resorts  are  said  to  be 
retired  bays  and  fjords,  in  which  it  remains  so  long  as  they  are 
liUed  with  tirm  ice;  when  this  breaks  up  they  betake  them- 
selves to  the  Hoes,  where  they  bring  forth  their  young.  It  is 
t'ss«Mitially  a  littoral,  or  rather  glacial  species,  being  seldom 
met  with  in  the  open  sea.  From  its  abundance  in  its  chosen 
haunts  it  is  a  specie!-  ^ell  known  to  Arctic  voyagers,  and  fre- 
(luent  reference  is  made  to  it  in  most  of  the  narratives  of 
Arctic  Explorations.  These  notices  are,  however,  mostly  inci- 
•lental  and  fragmentary,  no  one  having  given  a  detailed  and 
connected  histor  of  the  species.  1  am,  therefore,  gratitied  to 
he  able  to  jiresent,  in  addition  to  excerpts  from  various  morfe 
or  less  well-known  sources,  much  fresh  infornmtion  kindly  fur- 

tjDids  iiiul  ran'ly  {jocs  out  toscii.  In  my  Faniia  GronlaiMlica  I  oallort  it  Phoca 
fiilnht  Ix'caii.so  it  has  a  .stronj^«ir  stink  than  the  olhcr  Hpi-cics.  It  '.vas  jii'.'- 
viimsly  nu'utionc'd  unch'i-  this  name,  tirst  in  my  rpport  (jtiotcd  in  Miillt-r'H 
pKulronins  (Znoi.  Dan.  I'rodr.,  p.  viii).  It  was  then  lojiardcdas  a  new  h])v- 
<'i«'s,  aw  I  found  it  not  in  Linn(> ;  h»'  cilhordid  not  rccojcnizt'  it  or  did  noi  dis- 
iiii;iuish  it  from  the  conunon  Seal  {I'hixa  rifiiliiia).  tor  at  iriost  ht' only  r<'- 
jiaitlcd  it  as  a  variety  of  this  vunh-r  the  name  (Irii-Sjiil  (Faun.  Suee.,  p.  2, 
iimU'r  Spec.  4).  But  I'einiant,  however,  {jave  it  as  a  distinct  species,  with 
the  name  Koufih  Seal  (Syn.  Qua(h'.,  ]».  :?41,  n.  201);  afterwards  Schreljcr 
1  alh'd  it  Der  raidie  .Seeliund  (Siiu};th.  III.  Th.  p.  :?l'i),  and  Krxleben  I'hoca 
liixpidd  (Syst.  Refjn.  Anini.  ]».  ."i80),  whieli  name  (imelin  (Syst.  Nat..  i»,  <)4) 
lias  retained.  Tiiis  name  is  suitable  and  a  very  <.;ood  one  for  this  sjteeies 
im  account  of  it«  hair,  and,  although  this  is  also  found  in  tJie  Klapmyib^en 
t  I'hoca  leuninu,  Linnd),  so  are  some  other  characters;  wherefore  I  <lo  not  now 
licsjfate  topreler  the  name  liispUla  hvihivj'uiida,  esi)ecially  as  it  is  the  oldcHt, 
allliou;;h  the  stench  i.-i  so  ciniracteristic." — Skrirtcr  af  Xaturliistorie-Sels- 
I'llnil,  Iste  Hind,  -'dvt  Hefte,  1791,  pp.  74,  7.'). 


0-,  f '  -! 


ii 


li  'if 

n 

;(' 
'iU 


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1 

V 


f 

1; 


Hi*i 


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If'' 

■'"' 

■ 

J  ,    ■ 


620 


PlIOCA    FQ^TIDA — UINGLD    SE-.U,. 


uishod  me  by  Mr.  Liidwijjf  Kiimlim,  naturalist  of  the  recent 
nowpite  Polar  Expedition.  His  observations,  ni.'ule  eliielly 
dnriiiji  several  months  spent  in  Cumberlaud  Sound,*  are  sub- 
stantially as  follows: 

"This  Seal  is  very  common  in  all  the  fjords  and  bays,  from 
Hudson's  Straits,  northward,  alonj;'  (Jund)erland  Island,  to  the 
extreme  head  of  Cumberland  Sound ;  on  all  the  outer  islands 
about  Cape  Mercy,  and  on  the  vest  coast  of  Davis  Straits. 
1  !'  iVe  seen  skins  from  Lake  Kennedy  that  I  could  not  distin- 
}i..ish  from  those  found  in  Cund)erhind  Sound.  This  Seal  was 
never  noticed  mon^  than  a  few  miles  from  land ;  was  not  met 
with  in  the  pack-iee,  nor  on  theCJreenland  coast,  except  far  up 
the  fjords.  This  was  in  .Fuly  and  August;  but  1  am  informed 
that  they  become  more  common  toward  autunui,  and  are  found 
in  considerable  numbers  some  distance  from  laud;  they  are 

less  common  here,  however,  than  on  the  west  coast 

In  the  Cundjerland  waters  they  are  resident  and  do  not  migrate 
at  all  unless  nuich  distuvbetl,  and  then  they  merely  seek  a  more 
se(;luded  locality.  On  the  (}reenlahd  coast  they  appear  to  mi- 
grate up  the  ice-fjords  in  summer  but  to  be  more  generally  dis- 
tributed at  other  seasons. 

'*  The  Xetsick,  as  this  sj>ecies  is  called  by  the  Cumberland  Es- 
kimo, shows  a  decided  predilection  for  the  quiet,  still  bays  and 
fjords,  seldom  venturing  far  from  land.  They  are  the  only  Seal 
caught  through  the  ice  in  winter,  and  are  conse(iuently  the 
chief  and  almost  sole  d(!pendence  of  the  Eskimo  for  foo«l,  fuel, 
light,  and  clothing.  The  skins  of  the  adults  are  made  into 
summer  clothing,  while  the  young  are  in  great  denmn<l  for  un 
der  garments  and  for  trousers.  Children  often  have  entire  suUs 
made  of  the  skins  of  the  young  in  the  white  coat.  Such  cloth- 
ing looks  very  beautiful  when  new,  but  they  are  new  but  for  a 
few  days,  and  after  this  they  are  repulsive  enough.  The  fe- 
males were  found  enceinte  in  the  latter  part  of  October,  and  a 
foetus  nearly  ready  for  birth  was  taken  from  the  uterus  Jan- 
uary 16.  It  was  2  feet  from  the  end  of  the  nose  to  the  end  of 
the  hind  flippers.  It  was  so  doubled  in  il.;i  uterus,  however,  as 
to  occupy  a  space  hardly  a  foot  in  length  ;  the  hind  tlippers 
were  turned  forward  on  the  tibia^, ;  the  fore  flippers  hugged  the 

*  What  Mr.  Kuinlioii's  opitortuuitits  were  i'or  (lie  Mtiuly  of  Ibis  Hpmi;  s 
lUiiy  l)c  iiilencd  iioin  the  fact  that  among  th<^  spoils  hroiight  with  him  mi 
hi.s  ii'tiini  ai(!  .skulls,  .slcin.s,  ami  skeletons,  r.ingin<;  from  tbo  foetal  to  the 
adult  stag<',  to  the  number  of  about  fifty  specimens. 


HABITS,  PRODUCTS,  AND  THE  CHASE. 


621 


sitU's.  iiiid  the  licatl  was  bent  over  on  the  neck  and  inclined  to 
one  sitle. 

''  In  a  larji'e  fjord,  known  as  the  jrreater  Kinjiwak,  the  tide 
inns  so  swiftly  at  oni'  locality  that  it  nevei-  freezes  for  a  space 
varyinj;'  from  ten  to  one  hiyidicd  acres;  hen^  the  Xetsfli'k 
;iatliei'  in  c()nsideral>le  ininibers  all  winter,  and  it  is  a  favorito 
resort  lor  such  Kskiiuo  as  are  fortunate  enouyh  to  jtossess  a 
;,'un.  llein.u'  but  a  fe\,  niih's  from  our  wintei-  harbor,  almost 
daily  excursions  to  these  tide  rifts  were  mad(^  by  our  Kskjiuo 
hunters.  After  the  1st  of  March  very  tew  pre^iiiant  females 
were  killed  at  this  ]»lace,  tlu'y  having'  by  this  time  chosen  the 
localities  for  haviuj-'  their  younp,.  Those  killed  after  this  date 
were  all  adult  'Tijuak,'  (U'  old  stinkinj;'  males. 

''It  was  interestinjjc  to  observe  that  the  youiif? — yearlinjis 
;ind  some  two-year-olds,  and  such  as  ha«l  not  yet  arrived  .at 
maturity — were  seldom  if  ever  killed  in  this  open  water,  but 
lived  in  .olonies  by  themselves.  When  an  Eskimo  finds  a 
number  of  atluks  (breathing-holes)  near  together  he  always 
marks  the  i)lace  by  raising  little  mounds  of  snow  near  the 
holes,  for  he  knows  that  here  is  a  colony  of  young  aninnils, 
which  have  better  skins  and  me.i  ^  than  the  old  ones,  and  are, 
moreover,  much  easier  to  cai)ture.  1  have  counte«l  nearly  sev- 
enty of  these  atlnks  on  a  space  of  two  acres. 

"  When  a  i)regnant  female  has  chosen  the  i)lace  where  she  is 
to  have  h(»r  young  she  makes  an  excavation  irom  six  to  ten  feet 
in  length  under  the  snow,  and  from  three  to  live  feet  wide,  the 
height  varying  with  the  thickness  of  the  snow  covering;  the 
atluk  is  at  one  extremity  of  this  excavation,  and  in  such  a  po- 
sitiou  that  it  is  always  a  readj  channel  of  retreat  in  case  of 
danger. 

•'The  first  young  were  found  in  the  Cumberland  waters 
<lnring  the  iirst  days  of  March ;  still,  I  have  taken  a  tVetus 
tVom  the  mother  in  the  middle  of  April.  The  most  profitable 
time  fiH'  hunting  the  young  Seal  is  during  the  month  of  April. 
After  this  »late  they  have  shed  so  nnich  that  the  skins  are 
nearly  worthless  till  the  hispid  hair  has  got  to  be  of  the  proper 
length,  when  they  are  considere<l  as  the,  i)rime  article  and  sec- 
ond oidy  to  the  young  of  CaUoeephnlm  riinlinus  in  (juality. 

"The  first  young  one  that  had  begun  to  shed  was  taken 
April  1').  I  have  seen  exami>les  that  were  nearly  or  <inite  des- 
titute of  the  white  coat,  but  still  not  having  the  next  coat  in 
sight.    Such  specimens  were  found  to  have  a  very  fine  coat  of 


m':n 


622 


I'lIOCA    FCETIDA RIN(ii:D    SKAL. 


;ii  ii: 


>)i\ 


'  /i 


v.". 


i-rii 


i     !. 


the  lU'W  liair,  but  so  short  as  not  to  be  i»er(!eptible  exceptor! 
ch>se  examiiiatioii,  yet  sliowiny  the  exact  location  and  distribu- 
tion of  the  dark  and  liyht  niarkin{,'s;  the  skin  at  this  time  is 
very  black  and  often  much  scratched,  probably  by  the  mother 
in  trying  to  make  tlu'  young  one  shift  fjr  itself. 

"  I  often  examined  the  stomachs  of  yo  nij^-  ones,  as  well  as  of 
adults^ but  till  after  they  had  begun  shedding  the  white  coat, 
and  weie  in  all  inobabillty  twenty-five  to  thirty  days  old,  I 
found  nothing  but  the  mother's  milk.  After  they  begin  to  shift 
for  th  inselves  their  food,  for  a  time  .at  least,  consists  of  0am- 
mari  of  dirt'erent  species. 

"Before  the  young  begin  to  she«l  the  white  coat  they  are 
from  23  to  30  inches  from  the  nose  to  end  of  tlippers;  the  aver- 
age the  season  through,  from  a  good  series  of  nu^asurements,  was 
about  30  inches 

"They  weigh  at  birth  from  four  to  six  and  one-half  pounds, 
but  the  yotuig  grow  at  an  astounding  rate,  becoming  exceed- 
ingly fat  in  a  few  days.  The  blubber  on  the  young  a  few  days 
old  is  almost  white  and  thickly  interspersed  with  blood-ves- 
sels; it  is  not  lit  to  burn. 

"There  is  usiuilly  but  one  young  at  a  birth,  still  twins  are 
not  of  rare  occurrence,  and  one  instance  came  under  my  ob- 
servation where  there  were  triplets,  l>ut  they  were  small,  and 
two  of  them  would  probably  not  have  lived  had  tlu  y  been  born. 

"  The  season  for  hunting  the  young  at  latitude  07°  north  be- 
gins about  the  middle  of  March  and  continues  untnl  the  latter 
part  of  April.  The  lirst  two  weeks  of  April  are  the  most  pro- 
ductive, as  later  the  hair  is  apt  to  be  very  loose,  and  many 
even  have  large  bare  patches  on  them.  When  the  season  fairly 
opens  the  liskimo  hunter  leaves  the  winter  encampment  with 
his  family  and  dog  team  for  some  favorite  resort  of  this  Seal ; 
he  soon  constructs  his  snow  hut  and  is  as  well  settled  as  if  it  had 
been  his  habitation  for  years ;  for  the  Seals  he  catches  bring 
him  and  his  family  food  and  fuel,  and  snow  to  melt  for  water 
is  always  plenty,  so  that  his  wants  are  easily  supplied,  and  he 
is  contented  and  happy. 

"  The  manner  of  hunting  the  young  Seal  is  to  allow  a  dog  to 
run  on  ahead  of  the  hunter,  but  having  a  strong  Seal-skin  line 
about  his  neck,  which  the  Eskimo  does  not  let  go  of.  The  dog 
scents  the  Seal  in  its  excavation,  which  could  not  have  been  de- 
tected from  the  outside  by  the  eye,  and  the  hunter  by  a  vigor- 
ous jump  breaks  down  the  cover  before  the  young  Seal  cau 


mi 


HAKITS,    PUODrCTS,    AND    THE    CHASE. 


023 


rc'ucli  its  iitliik,  iiiul  if  he  bo  succx'ssful  enough  to  cut  ott'  its 
iptroat  it  becoiiM's  iui  easy  prey;  otherwise  he  irui.st  use  his 
seal inji-l look  very  quickly  oi'  his  ;;iinie  is  ;;oue.  It  souietiiues 
hapi>ens  that  tlie  liunter  is  uufortuuate  eiiouf"!!  to  juuip  the 
snow  <h)wn  direetly  over  tlie  lK)k',  when  he  gets  a  pretty  thor- 
oujiii  wetting.  The  women  often  take  part  in  tliis  kind  of  seal- 
in;;'  and  become  quite  expert.  The  chihh'cn  begin  when  they 
are  four  or  five  years  ohl;  the  teeth  and  llijtpers  of  their  tirst 
catch  are  saved  as  a  troi>hy  and  worn  about  the  Uttle  fellow's 
neck  ;  this  they  think  will  give  him  good  luck  when  he  begins 
the  next  year. 

"'There  exists  a  considerable  spirit  of  rivalry  among  the 
mothers  as  to  whose  otlsi)ring  has  done  the  best,  size,  etc.,  con- 
sidered ;  this  runs  to  such  a  high  pitch  that  I  have  known  some 
mothers  to  eatcli  the  8eal  and  then  let  the  child  kill  it,  so  as  to 
swell  the  number  of  his  captures. 

"Some  of  the  Eskimo  hunters,  belonging  to  the  'Florence,' 
brought  as  many  as  seventy  at  one  load.  They  were  kept 
frozen,  and  we  almost  lived  on  the  meat  during  the  season,  and 
learned  to  like  it  vciry  much. 

"  Some  of  the  Hispid  Seals  pup  on  the  ice,  without  any  cov- 
ering at  all ;  six  instances  of  this  nature  came  under  my  obser- 
vation, and  they  were  all  young  animals.  The  young  exposed 
in  this  manner  almost  always  become  the  prey  of  foxes  and 
ravens  before  they  are  old  enough  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

"As  the  season  advances  and  the  young  begin  to  shed  their 
coats  the  roof  of  their  igloo  is  often,  or  perhaps  always,  broken 
down,  and  the  mother  and  young  can  be  seen  on  sunny  days 
basking  in  the  w;'rm  sunshine  beside  their  atluk.  The  mother 
will  take  to  the  water  when  the  hunter  has  approached  within 
{iunshot,  and  leave  the  young  one  to  shift  for  itself,  which  gen- 
erally ends  in  its  staring  leisurely  at  the  hunter  till  suddenly  it 
finds  a  hook  in  its  side.  A  stout  Seal-skin  line  is  then  made 
fast  to  its  hind  flippers  and  it  is  let  into  the  atluk ;  it  of  course 
makes  desperate  efforts  to  free  itself  and  is  very  apt  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  mother,  if  she  is  anywhere  in  the  vicinity. 
The  Eskimo  (jarefully  watches  the  movements  of  the  young  one, 
and  as  soon  as  the  mother  is  observed,  begins  to  haul  in  on  the 
line ;  the  old  one  follows  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  surface,  till, 
at  last,  she  crosses  the  hole  at  the  proper  depth  and  the  deadly 
harpoon  is  planted  in  her  body  and  she  is  quickly  drawn  out. 
If  the  mother  has  seen  the  hunter  approaching  the  atluk,  how- 
ever, she  will  not  even  show  herself. 


i  '.I 


f  1"  I 


;>  i" 


't 


624 


I'lKX'A    F(I;T11»A l»'INGi:i)    HEAI.. 


"  I  have  never  known  ol'  an  instance  where  tlie.y  have  at- 
tempted to  defend  their  olVsprin;;  1Voin  man.  1  once  .saw  a 
raven  trvin},'  t()  kill  a  .voun^,'  Seal,  whiU(  the  mothei'  was  makinj; 
IVantiu  but  very  awkward  attemitts  to  catcii  the  bird  in  her 
month. 

''  Wlien  the  yonn;;'  tirst  assume  the  coat  of  the  adults  (about 
the  time  the  ice  bej>ins  to  h)osen)  tlu'y  seem  jwssessed  of  a  vast 
anuHuit  of  curio.sity,  and  wliih'  swimmin;^'  near  the  land,  as 
they  abuost  always  do,  can  be  lured  within  j;unshot  by  whist- 
lin}4'  or  sin^iny'.  They  would  often  i)lay  about  the  schooner^ 
divin;^  underneath  and  comiii}?  uj)  on  tlu;  opposite  side,  ai)par- 
ently  enjoyinj;'  it  huj^ely.  They  <lelij;ht  to  swim  amonj;"  the 
pieces  of  tloatinj^  ice  in  the  quiet  bays.  The  yonn;^'  and  year- 
lings of  this  species  are  often  found  together  in  small  bands. 

"  The  adult  fenuiles  will  averajie  four  feet  and  a  half  to  tlun 
end  of  the  flippers.  Such  specimens  are  |)i"i>ably  from  four  to 
seven  years  old.  The  nudes  are  a  little  laryi  i .  There  is  great 
variatitui  in  the  skulls,  but  the  sexes  can  readily  be  distinguished 
by  the  skull  alone,  the  males  having  a  longer  ami  narrowet 
liead,  with  the  ridges  more  pronunent. 

"It  is  only  the  adidt  males  (called  '  Tigah\'  =  Stinker,  by  the 
Eskimo)  that  emit  the  horribly  disagreeable,  all-j)ermeating, 
ever-penetrating  odor  that  has  suggested  its  specific  name. 
It  is  so  strong  that  one  can  snuill  an  Eskimo  some  distance 
when  he  has  been  partaking  of  the  flesh ;  they  say  it  is  mort; 
uourishing  than  the  flesh  of  the  females,  and  that  a  person  can 
eudure  great  fatigue  after  eating  it.  If  one  of  these  Tigak 
comes  in  contact  with  any  other  Seal  meat  it  will  become  so 
tainted  as  to  be  repulsive  to  an  educated  palate;  even  the 
atluk  of  the  Tigak  can  be  detected  by  its  odor,  [*] 

"The  food  of  the  adults  consists  largely  of  diflereut  species 
of  crustaceans,  and  during  winter  esjjecially  they  subsist  to  a 

[*Re8i)ecting  llie  footirt  odor  emitted  by  this  siH'cies,  Dr.  Rink  observes 
as  follows : 

"  It  derives  its  seieutitic  uame  from  tlie  nauseous  smell  iieeuliar  to  cfrtain 
older  individuals,  especially  those  captured  in  the  interior  ice-fjords,  which 
are  also  on  an  average  perhaps  twice  as  larye  as  those  generally  occurring 
off  the  outer  shores.  When  brought  into  a  hut  aiul  cut  up  on  its  lloor,  such 
a  seal  emits  a  smell  resembling  something  between  that  of  assafcetida  and 
onions,  almost  insupportable  to  strangers.  This  peculiarity  is  not  noHco- 
able  in  the  younger  specimens  or  those  of  a  smaller  size,  such  as  are  gen- 
erally caught,  and  at  all  events  the  smell  does  not  detract  from  the  utility 
of  the  flesh  over  the  whole  of  Greenland." — Danish  Greenlafid,  its  Feople 
and  its  Products,  p.  123.]  ' 


IIAIHTS,    PRODUCTS,    AND   THE   CHASE. 


625 


('on.si<lerable  extent  111)011  fish.  I  have  found  in  thorn  the  re- 
mains of  Cottm  Hcot'pius,  C.  ffrwnlandicus,  Oadm  ngce  (com- 
monly), and  Liparis  viiUiaris.  During  the  tinu'  the  iulults  are 
sheddiufi',  ami  for  nearly  a  nu)nth  previouvS,  1  couhl  detect 
iiothinj;  but  a  few  pebbles  in  their  stomachs;  they  become  poor 
at  this  time,  and  will  sink  when  shot  in  the  water. 

"The  milk  is  thick  and  rich,  and  is  sonmtimea  eaten  by  the 
natives.    The  excrement  looks  like  pale,  thickly  clotted  blood. 

"Albinos  are  sometimes  found,  of  which  the  Eskimo  tell  mar- 
velous stories,  one  beinj,'  that  when  they  rise  to  breathe  in  their 
iitluks  they  come  stern  lirst,  and  in  fact  they  think  such  ani- 
iiiiils  have  their  breathinj;  api)aratus  on  the  posterior  eiul  of  the 
body.  1  imaj^iue  this  orif;inated  from  a  native  once  harpooning 
an  albino  in  itsatluk  and  hnding  his  harpoon  fastened  in  one 
(if  the  hind  ili])pers.  A  hairless  variety  of  tliis  Seal  is  some- 
times cauglit,  which  the  Eskimo  call  O/iifoo/i.  I  have  seen  one 
such  skin;  it  had  a  few  line  curly  hairs  scattered  over  it,  but 
tiicy  were  different  in  texture  from  the  ordinary  hair.  1  do  not 
know  if  the  s])ecimen  otherwise  <litfered  from  the  ordinary  Seal. 

"  Toward  sjiring,  wluMi  the  sun  is  shining  brightly,  these 
Seals  can  be  seen  in  alldireeiions  basking  on  the  ice.  Although 
to  all  appearance  asleej*,  they  manage  to  wake  up  regularly 
every  few  minutes  to  make  sure  that  there  is  no  danger  about. 

"At  this  se;'son  it  is  a  favorite  method  of  the  Eskimo  to 
hunt  them  by  crawling  Hat  on  his  belly  toward  the  Seal,  and, 
when  (liscovered,  to  imitate  the  movements  of  the  animal,  and 
to  advance  only  when  the  Seal  looks  in  the  opposite  direction; 
in  this  manner  they  often  apj)roach  so  close  as  to  be  able  to 
luish  them  away  from  their  atluks. 

'•  This  Seal  is  of  some  commercial  importance,  the  Scotch 
whalers  often  buying  from  the  natives  durhig  the  winter  a  thou- 
sand skins.  These  are  brought  with  the  blubber,  and  often  cost 
the  purchaser  not  over  three  to  seven  cents  apiece,  and  this 
mostly  in  tobacco,  trinkets,  or  ship-stores.  To  encourage  them 
to  jnocure  more  skins,  they  are  furnished  with  a  cheap  breech- 
loading  gun  and  a  few  hundred  cartridges,  which  they  soon 
waste,  and  then  their  guns  are  of  course  worthless.  At  the  rate 
both  young  and  adults  are  slaughtered  at  the  present  day,  they 
will  soon  become;  so  scarce  that  there  will  not  be  enough  to  sup- 
lily  tiie  wants  of  the  natives."* 

"Copied,  with  sliglit  verbal  changes,  from  Mr.  Kiimlien's  MS.  notes,  since 
iMililishud  in  "  Bull.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,"  No.  15,  pp.  55-61. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 40 


I'  '     .: 


I'm  'i'r 


I 

mm 


i.  >  1 


62G 


PHOCA    FCETIDA RINGED   SKAI.. 


In  iulditioii  to  "^he  account  of  the  Uouj^li  or  Kiny:o(l  Seal  given 
by  Mr.  Kiiinlien — wliicli  is  by  far  the  most  important  .single  coa- 
tributioii  to  its  history, T  have  met  with — I  quote  tlie  following. 
Mr.  Kobert  Brown,  ii  his  account  of  the  Mammals  of  trreenland, 
says:  "They  delight  to  live  in  retired  bays  in  tlie  neighbor- 
hood of  the  ice  of  the  coasts,  and  seldom  frequent  the  ojicn 
sea.   In  the  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen  Seas  they  chiefly  live 
upon  ihe  floes  in  retired  situations  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  margin  of  the  ice.    Dr.  Wallace  observed  them  for  a 
considerable  time  in  the  months  of  June  and  July,  between  N. 
lat.  7(Jo  and  77^,  in  possession  of  a  large  tloe,  part  of  which  was 
formed  of  bay  ice,  where  they  had  their  'blow-holes'  {theatliil; 
of  the  Danes) ;  his  ship  lay  ice-bound  for  nearly  three  weeks, 
at  about  three  miles  from  this  large  tloe,  und  hence  he  had  con- 
siderable opportunity  of  observing  them.    They  passed  the 
greater  portion  of  their  time  apparently  asleep  beside  their 
holes ;  and  he  never  saw  them  all  at  one  time  olf  the  ice,  unless 
alarmed  by  parties  from  the  ship  or  by  the  Polar  Bear.     When 
the  ice  slackened  away  and  the  sheets  of  open  water  formed 
around  the  ships,  the  Seals  used  to  swim  near  them ;  and  occa- 
sionally at  these  times  a  few  were  killed.    In  the  water  they  are 
very  cautious,  swimming  near  the  hunter,  gazing  on  him  us  if 
with  feelings  of  curiosity  and  wonder ;  but  on  the  ice  beside 
their  blow-hole  it  is  almost  impossible  for  the  hunter  to  ap- 
proach them,  so  much  are  they  on  the  alert  and  so  easily 
alarmed.    In  Davis's  Strait  it  especially  feeds  about  the  base 
of  icebergs  and  up  the  ice-fjords.    The  great  ice-fjord  of  Jak- 
obshavn  is  a  favorite  haunt  of  theirs;  the  reason  for  this  pre- 
dilection is  apparently  that  their  food  is  found  in  such  localities 
in  greater  abundance.    The  bergs,  even  when  aground,  hsive  a 
slight  motion,  stirring  up  from  the  bottom  the  Crustacea  and 
other  animals  on  which  the  Seals  feed;  the  native,  knowing 
this,  frequently  endangers  his  life  by  venturing  too  near  the 
iceberg,  whicli  not  unfrequently  topples  over  upon  the  eager 
Seal-hunter."  * 

Dr.  Kane  thus  describes  their  behavior  when  basking  on  the 
ice.    Writing  under  date  of  May  20  he  says: 

"  The  seal  are  out  upon  the  ice,  one  of  the  most  certain  signs 
of  summer.  T'^ey  are  few  in  number,  and  very  cautious.  We 
notice  that  they  invariably  select  an  open  floe  for  their  bole, 

*  Brown,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1868,  pp.  414,  415;  Man.  Nat.  Hist, 
Geo!.,  etc.,  of  Greenhand,  Mammals,  pp.  44,  45. 


1IAIUT8,    PRODUCTS,    AND   THE    CHASE. 


627 


ii 


4iinl  that  they  nevor  leave  it  more  than  a  few  loii^tlis.  Their 
alertnesH  i.s  probably  due  to  their  viffilant  enemy,  the  bear. 
....  The  llrst  act  of  a  seal,  after  emerjjiug,  i.s  a  careful 
survey  of  his  limited  horizon.  For  this  })urpose  he  rises  oji  his 
lore  tlipjjers,  and  stretehes  his  n/'ck  in  a  manner  almost  dojj- 
like.  Tliis  maneuver,  even  durin;;'  apparently  complete  silence, 
i.s  repeate<l  every  few  minutes.  i\v.  \\v\t  commences  with  his 
liiiid  or  horizontal  llii)])erH  and  tail  a  most  singular  movement, 
allicil  to  sweepinj>',  brushinf;'  nervously  as  ii'  either  torubsomo- 
tliiufi'  iVom  himself  or  from  benciith  him.  Then  comes  a  com- 
plete series  of  attitudes,  stretchiu};,  collapsinfj,  curlinj;',  v.'a{:f- 
li\U}£',  then  a  luxurious,  baskin}>'  rest,  with  his  face  toward  the 
sun  and  his  tail  to  his  hole.  Presently  he  waddles  olf  about 
two  of  his  own  awkward  len};ths  from  his  retreat,  and  begins 
to  roll  over  and  over,  pawing  in  the  m(>st  ludi»u'ous  manner  into 
the  empty  air,  stretching  and  rubbing  his  glossy  hide  like  a 
horse.  He  then  recommences  his  vigil,  basking  in  the  sun 
with  uneasy  alertness  for  hours.  At  the  slightest  advance  up 
;joes  the  pryin"g  head.  One  searching  glance,  and,  wheeling  on 
his  tail  as  on  a  pivot,  he  is  at  his  hole,  and  descends  head  fore- 
most."* 

Dr.  Ricliardson  describes  this  si)ecies  as  being  less  cautious 
and  less  active  than  the  Harbor  Seal,  observing  that  it  is 
"easily  surprised  either  on  land  or  water,  and  is  moreover  a  sol- 
itary and  lazy  animal,  being  wont  to  lie  basking  in  the  sun  in 
lilace  of  hunting  after  its  })rey,  and  thus  being  often  found  lean 
from  want  of  nourishment."!  They  appear,  however,  to  behave 
quite  diflerently  under  different  circumstances ;  at  least  the  ac- 
counts of  authors  on  these  points  are  more  or  less  at  variance. 
Thus  Captain  J.  C.  Ross  states :  "  In  the  month  of  May,  the 
Kough  Seal,  with  its  young,  lie  basking  in  the  sun  close  to 
lioles  in  the  ice,  and  are  at  that  time  very  difficult  to  approach ; 
but  ihe  natives  imitate  both  their  cry  and  action  so  exactly  as 
to  deceive  the  animals  until  they  get  sufficiently  near  to  strike 
them  with  their  spear.  Fabricius  says  it  is  the  most  heed- 
less of  all  the  Seals,  as  well  on  the  ice  as  in  the  watei*.  From 
our  experience  we  would  certaiidy  give  them  a  very  different 
character,  for  none  of  our  sportsmen  were  ever  able  to  get  suf- 
ficiently near  to  shoot  them.    The  natives  of  Boothia  say  they 

»Griimell  Exp.,  1854,  pp.  ;J75,  370. 
t  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  App,,  p.  333. 


i4: 


628 


PHOCA    IHETIDA RINGED    SEAL. 


■    a 


tire  not  in  their  prime  nntil  the  third  year,  and  we  never  heard 
them  coniphiin  of  the  offensive  smell,  whi(5h  their  more  fastidi- 
ous brethren  in  Greenhnid  are  said  to  dislike  so  extremely."* 

Malmgren  states  that  even  the  young,  when  lying  on  the  ice, 
are  extremely  difficult  to  kill,  for  they  go  immediately  into  the 
water  on  the  first  view  of  the  hunter,  while,  on  the  contrary,, 
he  observes,  the  young  of  the  Gray  Seal  {Halichccrus  gnjpus) 
has  such  a  terror  of  the  water  while  it  wears  its  woolly  coat 
that  it  scrambles  out  on  to  the  ice  as  soon  as  it  is  thrown  into 
the  water,  t 

The  habits  of  the  Kinged  Seal,  as  observed  in  European 
waters,  seem  to  agree  with  what  has  alreatly  been  related  re- 
spe(!ting  their  life-history  in  Davis's  Strait  and  Cumberland 
Sound.  ]\Ialmgren,  *br  example,  states  that  the  females  bring 
forth  thciir  young  on  the  western  coast  of  Finland  on  the  ice 
near  the  edge  of  great  openings  between  the  24th  of  February 
and  the  25th  of  ^larch,  or  at  the  time  given  by  Fabricius  and 
later  writers  for  the  same  event  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  and 
in  no  respect  does  their  mode  of  life  appear  to  differ  in  the  icy 
seas  about  Spitzbergen  from  what  has  alreadj'  been  related. 

Tlie  Eingcd  Seal  is  of  far  less  commercial  value  than  the 
llarp  'eal,  but  in  this  respect  may  be  considered  as  holdin;; 
the  second  rank  among  the  uorrhern  Phocids.  Brown  states 
that  "it  is  chiefly  looked  upon  and  taken  as  a  curiosity  by  tlu' 
wlialers,  who  consider  it  of  very  little  conuuercial  importance 
and  call  it  'Floe-rat.'"  Von  Heuglin,  however,  states  that 
niiny  thousands  are  annually  taken  by  the  sealers  for  tiieir 
skir.s  arid  fat,  in  the  vicinity  of  Nova  Zembla  and  Spitzbergen. 
It  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  however,  to  the  Esquimaux 
and  other  northern  tribes,  by  v/hom  they  are  captured  for  food 
and  clothing.  Mr.  Brown  inff  .rms  us  that  it  forms,  during  the 
latter  x>art  of  sunnaer  and  autumn,  "  the  principal  article  of 
food  in  tin;  Danish  settlements,  and  on  it  the  writer  cf  tiiese 
n^  tes  and  his  companions  dined  many  a  time ;  we  even  learned 
to  like  it  and  to  become  quite  epicurean  conn'^isseurs  in  all  the 
<iui.!itic»,  titbits,  and  dishes  of  the  well-beloved  Xeitsik!  The 
skin,"  he  continues,  "  forms  the  chief  material  of  clothing  in 
North  Greenland.  All  of  the  •>'  m  i  \oi  dress  in  Neitsik  breeches 
and  jumpers;  and  we  snjourn(._.i  from  a  far  country  soon  en- 


*  Ross's  '2d  Voy.,  Apj).,  p.  xx. 
t  Arch,  fiir  Naturg.,  i8C4,  p.  83. 


HABITS,    PRODUCTS,    AND    THK    CHASE. 


029 


cased  ourselves  in  the  somewhat  hispid  but  most  comfortable 
uotber  garments.  It  is  only  high  <'ignitaries  like  '  Ilerr  Inspek- 
tor'  that  can  aftbrd  such  e\travaj,ance  .is  a  Kassigiak  (Callo- 
cepltaluH  vitulinitu)  wardrobe !  The  Ai"(5tic  belles  monopolize  them 
all."  *  llink  states  that  the  nuiiiJ[)or  annually  cai)tured  in  South 
Greenland  has  been  calculated  at  51,000.  t  Cai)t.  J.  C.  Ross 
states  that  the  Escjuimaux  wholly  depejul  upon  it  for  their 
winter  fjod,  and  Von  Schrenck  alludes  to  the  great  importance 
of  thif  animal  to  the  natives  of  Amoor  Land. 

Although  the  methods  of  capture  employed  by  the  Eskimo 
have  already  been  to  some  extent  described,  I  transcribe  the  fol- 
lowing from  Captain  lloss,  who  says:  "...  when  all 
other  animals  have  retired  to  a  more  tem})erate  climate  tLo 
Seal  is  sought  by  the  Es(]uimaux,  whose  dogs  are  trained  to 
hunt  over  the  extensive  floes  of  level  ice,  and  to  scent  out  the 
concealed  breathing-holes  of  the  Eough  Seal.  So  soon  as  one 
is  discovered,  a  snow  wall  is  built  around  it,  to  protect  the 
huntsman  from  the  bitterness  of  the  passing  breeze ;  where, 
with  his  spear  uplifted,  he  will  sit  for  hours  until  his  victiia 
rises  to  breathe,  and  falls  an  easy  sacrifice  to  his  unerring  aim. 
hi  tais  manner  a  party  of  thirty  hunters  killed  150  of  these 
animals  during  the  first  two  months  they  remained  in  our 
neighborhood ;  tlu;  fishery  for  ten  or  twelve  miles  around  was 
then  completely  exhausted;  so  they  broke  uj)  into  various 
smaller  parties  and  dispersed  ii  various  directions."  f 

Dr.  Rink  states  that  the  Netsek  is  "  stationary  throughout  the 
coast"  of  Danish  Greenland.  -'Only  stray  individuals  of  this 
species",  he  observes,  "emigrate  to  the  main  drift-ice  of  Baf- 
flu's  Bay  in  July,  and  return  to  the  coast  when  the  first  bay-ice 
y  forming  in  Septembei,  or  occasionally  appearing  wheuever 
the  weather  has  been  stormy.  But  the  chief  stock,  whose  favor- 
ite haunts,  as  haa  been  described,  are  ice  fjords,  does  not  seem 
to  leave  the  coast  at  all.  It  is  almost  exclu  ■'.  vely  this  seal  that 
is  captured  as  'utok'  and  by  means  of  the  ice-nets."  § 

*ri(i(;.  Zoiil.  Soc  Loud,,  1868,  p.  417  ;   Na^.  Hist.,  Geo!.,  etc.,  Greenland, 
Mum.,  ]>.  45. 
tDiniisli  Gn^tuhuul,  etc,  p.  123. 
tRo.ss'.s  2tl  Voy.,  App.,  p.  xix. 
i  Diiuisli  Greenland,  etc.,  p.  123. 


V^ 


If  ! 


1: 


(    ! 


Ui 


til 


1  {■ 


630 


PlIOCA   GRCENLANDICA HARP   SEAL. 


PHOCA  (PAGOPHILTTS)  GRCENLANDICA,  Fabridus. 

Harp  Seal. 

Phoca  urnnlaiuUra,  Faiuuch's,  MUIUt's  Zool.  Dan.  Troil.,  177(),  viii;  Fauna 
(Jva'iil.,  17H0,  11;  Skriv.  Nat.  S.'lsk.,  i,  1790,  H7,  pi.  xii,  lijj.  1 
(skull).— EiiXUCiiKN,  S.VMt.  Keg.  Aniiii.,  1777,  .W-.— (i.MKUN,  Sy.st. 
\at.,  i,  17^*1.  (14.— Kkiu!,  Aiiiin.  King.,  179:2,  l'J5.— 8haw.  (icn. 
Z(m;1..  i,  l!-:00,  2(52.— Desmakest,  Nonv.  Diet.  Sc  Nat.,  xxv,  1.-'17, 
.".7(;;  Mam.,  18'iO,  'M'>,  S7G.— "Nils.son,  Skand.  Faun.,  i.  If'JK,  :?T0; 
Kongl.  Vet.  Akad.  Handl.,  Stockholm,  18^57,—";  Arch,  tlir  Na- 
turg.,  1841, 314;  Skand.  Faun.  Dilggdj.,  1047,  ;288,— '<Tiiii:xi.:maxn, 
Rem'  ini  Norden  von  Europa,"  etc.,  i,  1824,  104,  pi.  xiv  (ad.  male), 
pi.  XV  (ad.  female),  pi.  xvi  (male  of  two  years),  pi.  xvii  (iiialf  of 
one  year),  pi.  xviii  (young  eight  days  old),  pi.  xix  (skull),  jil.  xx 
(digestive  organs),  pi.  xxi  (attitude  in  swimming). — Riciiaudsox, 
Parry's  2d  Voy.,  Suppl.,  1825,  3:56.— Haki.an,  Faun.  Auier.,  1825, 
109.— GoDMAN,  Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  i,  1826,  343.— Gray,  Griffith's  An. 
King.,  V,  1827,  177,  pis.  xci,  xcii.— J.  C.  Ross,  Parry's  3d  Voy., 
1828,  191;  Ross's  2d  Voy.,  Append.,  1835,  xx.— Fischer,  Synop. 
Mam.,  1829,  238,  57(j.— Bell,  Brit.  Quad.,  1837,  269;  ibid.,  2d  ed,, 
1874,  252,  ligg.,  animal  and  skull. — Macgillivray,  Brit.  Quad., 
1838,  209,  pi.  xix. — Hamilton,  Amphib.  Camiv.,  1839,  1,^6,  pi. 
viii. — Blainville,  0.st6og.,  Phoca,  1840-1851,  pi.  v  (skull),  pi.  ix 
(dentition).  —  Jukes,  Fxcurs.  in  Newfoundland,  i,  1842,  309.— 
SCHINZ,  Synop.  Mam.,  i,  1844,  482. — Wagner,  Schreher'sSiiugt.,  vii, 
1846,  21,  pi.  Ixxxv  A.— Gierel,  Saugeth.,  18,55. 130.— Blasii's,  Na- 
turgs.  Wirbel.  Deutschl.,  i,  18,57,  255,  tigg.  140,  141. — Nordmanx, 
Vit.  Medd.  Naturh.  Forening,  1860  (1801),  25.— Malmgren,  Ofv. 
af  Kongl.  Vet.  Akad.  Fiirhl.,  Stockholm,  1863,  139;  Arch,  fur 
Naturg.,  1864,  78.— Von  Middendorfk,  Sibirische  Reise,  iv,  Tli. 
2,  1867,  934.— Flower,  .lourn.  Anat.  and  Phys.,  iii,  1868,  27ii, 
tig.  3  (niilk-dentiti(ni).— Quennerstedt,  Kougl.  Sveus.  Vetensk. 
Akad.  Handl,,  vii.  No.  3,  1868,  12,  pi.  i,  tig.  1.—"  Kinberg,  Ofv.  af 
Kongl.  Vet.  Akad.  Forhl.,  .Stockholm,  1869,  13,"  (fossil,  Swcdcn),- 
MURiK,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lirnd.,  1870,  604,  pl.xxxii  (attitudes  ami 
terrestrial  locomotion). — Von  Heuglin,  I'etermaini'sGeogr.  !.Iltth., 
1872,  30. — Lilljerorg,  Fauna  iifver  Svcrigcs  och  Norges  Ryggrads- 
jur.,  1874,  690.— Turner,  .Jouni.  Anat.  and  Phys.,  ix,  1874,  ICf 
(Brii.  Isl.).— COLLETT,  Bema-rk.  Norges  Pattedyrf.,  1876,  ,58.— EiXK, 
Danish  Greenland,  its  Peojtle  and  its  Products,  1877,  124,  4;!0,— 
Dawson,  Cana<l.  Nat.,  2d  ser.,  viii,  1877,  340  (fossil,  Postplioi't'iir 
clays,  nca/  Ottawa,  Canada).-i-AL8T0N,  Faun.  Scotland,  Maui., 
1880,  14. 

CallocephaliiH  .jrmnlandicux,  F.  CuviER,  Mem.  du  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  186,  pi.  xii, 
Hg.  2 ;  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826, 546. — Lesson,  ^tan.  de  Mam,, 
1827,  197. 


t.  I 


lilHLIOGRAPHY. 


631 


Pagophilus  granlandirus,  Gray,  Cat.  St-als  Brit.  Mns.,  1850,  25,  iig.  8;  Cat. 
SealH  iuid  Whiilfs,  IHOii,  ^H,  li<r.  y;  Zoolojjjist,  1H72,  ;{:m,  3:536 
(Brilisli  Coast,  accidcutal);  IlaiKl-List  of  Seals,  IST-l,  (i,  pi,  iv. — 
Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  186(),  1'2.— Pack.mid,  Proc.  Best.  Soc. 
Nat.  Hist.,  X,  18()(),  *J71.— Bhown,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loud.,  1HG8, 
340,  41t;.— Rkkks,  Zoiiloijist^  1871,  2541.— Vax  Bknkden,  Aun.  du 
Mils.  roy.  d'llist.  Nut.  du  Belj^icpie,  i,  1877,  20  (geogr.  distr.). — 
Malm,  GJitcborgs  ocli  Boliiisliins  Fiiiiiia  Kyggradsjuren,  1877,  144. 
Phoca  n'arnniunus)  (jranUiudka,  Vox  Hkuglix,  Reiaenuach  dom  Nordpolar- 
wwx'T,  iii,  lf^74,  51. 

Plioca  i/rwiilandkv  var.  iiiiini,  Kk.ub,  Anim.  King.,  1792,  125. 

Phoca  oveanica,  Li'.rr.tiiix,  Act.  .Vcad.  Petrop.,  i,  1777  (1778),  295,  pll.  vii, 
viii. — Di;sAL\ijKST,  Mam.,  1820,  242,  275. — Fischer,  Synop.  Maiu., 
1829,  238.— Ma  MIL  ION,  Anipliih.  Carniv.,  1839.  102,  pi.  viii*. 

Callocephahm  ocmniciin,  Lessox,  Man.  do  Mam.,  1827,  196. 

•'Phoca  HemiliDiarin,  Boddakut,  Klcn.  Anim.,  1785,  170." 

Phoca  alhkauda,  Desmakest,  Maunn.,  Snppl.,  1822,  839  (locality  unknown). 

Phoca  lagura,  G.  Cuviek,  Oss.  foss.,  3d  ed.,  v,  1825,  206  (young,  "Terra 
Ncuvo").— Fisc'iiEK,  Synop.  Mam.,  1829,238  (same).— Blainville, 
Osidogr.,  Phoca,  1840-1851,  pi.  ix  (dentition).— ScHlNZ,  Synop. 
Mam.,  i,  1844,  483. — Gaimard,  Voy.  cu  Islaude,  Atlas,  1851,  i)l.  xi, 
fig.  6  (.skull). 

Callocej)hah:':  lagura,  F.  Clvier,  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  546, — 
Gray,  Griffith's  An.  King.,  v,  1827,  177. 

PluMM  miilleri,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  413. 

Phoca  deamaresH,  Lessox,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  416  (=:P. 
albicaudu,  Desm.). 

Phooa  pilayi,  Lessox,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  416  (=P.  lagura. 
G.  Cnv.). 

Ph^ca  dor8ata,  Palla.'*,  Zoogr.  Rosso-Asiat.,  i,  1831,  112. 

?  Phoca  albini,  Alexandra,  Mem.  Acad.  Torino,  ii,  1850,  141,  pi.  i-iv 
(skeleton). 

Phoca  annellata,  Gaimard,  Voy.  eu  Islande,  Atlas,  1851,  pi.  xi,  tig.  9. 

Swart-sUde,  Egede,  Det  ganile  Gr^nlands  nyo  Perliistratiou,  1741,  46,  lag. 

Blackmde  Seal,  Ellis,  Voy.  to  Hudson's  Bay,  1748,  plate  facing  p.  134. 

Attaraoak,  Craxz,  Hist,  von  Gronl.,  i,  1765,  163. 

Vadeselur,  Olafsex,  Ueise  dnreh  Island,  i,  283,  ii,  42. 

Schiiar::KnUye  Seehund,  Schreber,  Siiugt.,  iii,  310. 

Harp  Sml,  Pexnaxt,  Syn.  Quad.,  1771,  342;  ibid.,  1793,  ii,  279,  pi.  xcix. 

I'hoque  a  croissant,  BuFFOX,  Hist.  Nat.,  Suppl.,  vi,  1782,  325. 

Harp  Seal,  Saxby,  Zoologist,  1864,  9099  (Shetland).— Carroll,  Seal  and 
Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  1873,  15. 

Voiinlanditjdl,  Swedish. 

(IriiiilandaiU.  Sitlryg,  Svarlside,  Norwegian. 

Smrtside,  Danish. 

Crriinlands-Rohhe,  Sattel-Rohhv,  Gronlandiache  Seehund,  German. 

Phoque  a  croisHont,  French. 

Harp  Seal,  Greenland  Seal,  Saddleback,  Whilecoata  (young),  Ei.'glish. 

Jiioluk,  Cumberland  Eskimo  (Kumuex). 


i; 


I 


'-    |i4 


■' 


'  ] 

:  i 

'M 
1 

,.1; 

M 

;'i-i^ 


■'^ 


632 


I'HOCA    (iUtKNl.A.v  iCA HAKl'    SHAL. 


F'^XTKUXAL  ClIARACTEKS.  —  Adlllt  Mdlc. — (IciHTill  color 
wliitisii  or  ycllowisli-wliite,  nose  iiiid  Iioiul  to  licliiiid  tlio  eyes 
black  ;  chin  and  throat  usnally  with  black  s[)()ts.  A  broad, 
biiiatc  si)ot  of  black  on  the  sides,  extendin}^"  IVcmm  the  shoulders 
nearly  to  the  tail,  j;enerally  broadest  anteriorly  where  the  two 
bands  unite  on  the  nu'diau  line;  narrower,  and  sonietiines  in- 
terrupted, posteriorly,  but  usually  aj^ain  meetinyon  the  hinder 
portion  of  the  ba(!k,  thus  foi'nun«;'  an  ellipsoidal  lifiuiv.  Thesis 
black  bands  usually  be{>iu  over  or  a  little  anterior  to  the  shoul- 
ders, and  extend  backward  to  the  end  of  the  tail.  There  are 
also  j'cnerally  irregular  spots  of  black  on  the  hind  lind)s. 
Length  about  5  to  aA  feet,  rarely,  it  is  said,  attaining  the  length 
of  (J  feet. 

Adult  Female. — Similar  in  general  color  to  the  male,  but  with 
the  black  markings  indistitict  or  wholly  absent.  Size  about 
one-fourth  less. 

Young. — The  new-born  young  are  white  or  yellowish-white, 
sometimes  j)ale  golden,  the  pelage  soft  and  woolly.  This,  after 
a  few  weeks,  gives  i^lace  to  the  coarser,  harsher  pelage  of  the 
adult,  and  the  coh  r  becomes  pale-gray,  darker  on  the  head  and 
lighter  below,  often  with  small,  dusky  spots  on  the  dorsal  sur- 
face. In  the  second  and  third  years  the  general  color  remains 
the  same,  but  the  spots  become  larger  and  darker.  In  the  fourth 
year,  in  the  males,  the  spots  are  still  larger,  and  begin  to  coii- 
lesce;  the  head  becomes  black,  and  the  saddle-shaped  mark  on 
the  sides  begins  to  be  clearly  distinguishable,  but  the  mature 
pattern  of  coloration  is  said  to  be  not  fully  deve]oi)ed  till  the 
fifth  year. 

Few  Seals*  vary  so  much  in  color  with  age  as  the  Harp  Seal. 
This  was  long  since  mentioned  by  Oranz,  who  says  :  "All  Seals 
vary  annually  their  colour  till  they  are  full  grown,  but  no  sort  so 
much  as  this  [the  Attarsocik]^  and  the  Greenlanders  vary  its 
name  according  to  its  age.  They  call  tLef<Btus  iblaii;  in  this  state 
these  ar<;  white  and  woolly,  whereas  the  other  sorts  are  smooth 
arul  coloured.  In  the  1st  year  'tis  called  AttaraJ:,  and  'tis  a 
cre;!in-(!olour.  In  the  2d  year  Attcitsiak,  then  'tis  gray.  In 
the  .')d  AfileJdol;  ])aiuted.  In  the  4th  MilaMolc,  and  in  the 
5th  year  Attarsoah:  Then  it  wears  its  half-moon,  the  signal  of 
maturity."'! 

Fabricius  states  that  it  is  called  during  the  first  year  Atdiak, 

*  Proliiiltly  piinillcl  viiriiitions  dccni'  in  llinfv'io})Uo<afaxviala. 
t  Hist,  of  Greenland,  Englished.,  vol.  i,  1707,  p.  I'^l. 


KXTKUNAL    ('IIARAt'TEUS. 


CuV,\ 


and  later  in  the  same  sunnncr  (after  the  hrst  moult),  Ataitsiol; 
by  which  name  it  is  also  called  durin<,Mhe  lirst  winter;  the  sec- 
ond year  it  is  called  J'loh'tltsiak ;  the  third  y(>ar  Af/Mtok  or 
Afjieltioigoah;  and  in  the  winter  Aylelii/tsial-;  the  fourth  year  it 


"iii;:;!|i!R"-.ii, 


fl..:iij!iiii!li||. 

''■•\.ilM;!ii:'l'Vl:i!i! 


|-;'l!i!| 


-m 


m 


,  l,iiH'||ii nuni  I'l-i^'' 

111*'" 


icraiiis  tlie  same  name  A<ik'1nl\,  also  varied  to  AfflcktorsoaK;  but 
ititci' the  fourth  moult  takes  the  name  MiUalioh.  Later  it  is 
'■ailed  AtHraodli* 


liri 


•  Skrivter  iif  Xatiirli.-SclHkabct.  IJiiid  i,  Hrf).'  1,  1790,  i.)..  '(•,2-;i|. 


jj? 


% 


I  u 


r 


.11 


w 


>il 


634 


PIIOCA    GUa:NLANI)ICA HARP    SEAL. 


Dr.  Riiik  .slivtes  that  iit  i\w  i)ro.seiit  day  tlio  Greeiilanders,  as 
woU  as  tlie  Europeans,  divicU^  the  "Saddle-backs"  into  t'onr  or 
llvr  difl'erent  <;lass(.'s  according;'  to  their  aj^'e,  but  that  in  faniihiir 
hmf^uajj^ethey  only  distinguish  by  different  names  thi^  full-fi,ro\vn 
animals  from  the  halt-^rown  ones,  the  latter beinjf  called  "  lUue- 


. "  * 


sides 

The  young',  when  first  born,  are  called  by  the  Newfoundland 
Sealers  "White-Coats";  later,  duriny  the  first  moult,  "Jla^ycd- 
.Fackets";  when  they  have  attained  the  black  crescentict  marks 
they  are  termed  "Harps",  or  "Sadlers",  and  also  "IJreedin;; 
Harps";  the  yearlings  and  two  year-olds  are  called  "  Vonnj;- 
Harps  "or  "  Turn  inj«- Harps",  and  also  "IJedliuieis"  (or  "Bel- 
lamers",  also  spelled  "  Hedlamers").  The  older  and  some  recent 
writers  state  that  the  mature  pattern  of  coloration  is  not  at- 
tained till  the  fifth  year,  while  Jukes,  Brown,  Carroll,  and  others 
state  that  it  is  acquired  in  the  third  or  fourth  year.  There  is 
also  a  diversity  of  statement  respectiuj;  the  sexual  differences 
of  color  in  the  adults,  some  writers  affirmin^j:  that  the  sexes  an* 
alike,  while  others  state  that  the  female  is  without  the  harp- 
mark,  or  has  the  dark  markings  of  the  male  only  faintly  indi- 
cated. Mr.  Carroll  says :  "  The  reason  why  they  are  called  harjy 
seals,  or  'sadlers,'  is,  the  male  seal,  as  wt^ll  as  the  female,  has 
a  dark  stripe  on  each  side  from  the  shoulders  to  the  tail,  leaving 
a  muddy  white  stripe  down  the  back.  The  male  harp  seal  is 
very  black  about  the  head  as  well  as  under  the  throat.  .  .  . 
The  female  harp  is  of  a  rusty  gray  about  the  head  and  wliite, 
under  the  throat."  Both  Jukes  and  Reeks,  however,  refer  to 
the  absence  of  the  harp-mark  in  the  female. 

Mr.  lirown,  in  his  account  of  the  Seals  of  Greenland,  has  given 
a  very  full  account  of  the  changes  of  color  resulting  from  age 
and  sex,  and,  in  default  of  a  suflicient  series  of  specimens,  and 
of  personal  experience,  I  transcribe  his  observations,  as  present- 
ing the  most  explicit  and  detailed  statement  avaihible.  He 
says: 

"It  seems  to  be  almost  unknown  to  most  writers  on  this  group 
that  the  male  and  female  of  the  Saddleback  are  of  different 
colours ;  this,  however,  has  long  been  known  to  the  Seal-hunters. 
Male. — The  length  of  the  male  Saddleback  rarely  reaches  (5  feet, 
and  the  most  (!omnion  length  is  5  feet,  whili^  the  female,  in  gen 
eral,  rarely  attains  that  length.  The  colour  of  the  male  is  of  a 
tawny  grey,  of  a  lighter  or  darker  shade  in  diit'erent  individuals, 

*  Danish  (irccnluiul,  its  People  audits  Products,  p.  124. 


EXTERNAL   CHARACTERS.  635 

on  a  slightly  straw-coloui'od  or  tawiiy-yc^lowisli  ground,  having 
sonu'tinies  a  tendency  to  a  reddish-brown  tint,  wliich  latter  colour 
is  often  seen  in  both  males  and  fenndes,  bnt  especially  in  tho 
latter,  in  oval  spots  on  the  dorsal  aspect.  The  i)ectoral  and 
abdominal  regions  have  a  (lingy  or  tarnished  silvery  hue,  and 
are  not  white,  as  geniM'ally  described.  But  the  chief  character- 
istic, at  least  that  which  has  attracted  the  most  notice,  so  mm'h. 
as  to  have  been  the  reason  for  giving  it  several  names,  from 
the  peculiar  appearance  it  was  thought  to  present  {e.  g.  '  Harp 
Seal,' '  Sjuldleback,'  &c.),  is  the  dark  marking  or  band  on  its 
dorsal  and  lateral  aspects.  This '  saddle-shaped '  band  commences 
at  the  root  of  the  neck  posteriorly,  and  curves  downwards  and 
bacjkwards  at  each  side  superior  to  the  anterior  llippers,  reaches 
downwards  to  the  abdominal  region,  whence  it  curves  back- 
wards anteriorly  to  the  posterior  flippers,  where  it  gradually  dis- 
appears, reaching  further  in  some  individuals  than  in  others.  In 
some  this  band  is  broader  than  in  others  and  more  clearly  im- 
pressed, while  in  many  the  markings  only  present  an  approxi- 
mation, in  the  form  of  an  aggregation  of  spots  more  or  less 
isolated.  The  grey  colour  verges  into  a  darker  hue,  almost  a 
black  tint,  on  the  muzzle  and  flippers;  but  I  have  never  seen  it 
white  on  the  forehead  as  mentioned  by  Fabricius.  The  muzzle 
is  more  prominent  than  in  any  other  northern  Seal. 

'"'■Female. — The  female  is  very  difterent  in  appearance  from  the 
male ;  she  is  not  nearly  so  large,  rarely  reaching  5  feet  in  length, 
and  when  fully  mature  her  colour  is  a  dull  white  or  yellowish 
straw-colour,  of  a  tawny  hue  on  the  back,  but  similar  to  the  m^  <  e 
on  the  pectoral  and  abdominal  regions,  only,  perhaps,  somewhat 
lighter.  In  some  females  I  have  seen  the  colour  totally  differ- 
ent ;  it  i^resented  a  bluish  or  dark-grey  appearance  on  the  back,^ 
with  peculiar  oval  markings  of  a  dark  colour,  apparently  im- 
pressed on  a  yellowish  or  reddish-brown  ground.  These  spots 
are  more  or  less  numerous  in  difterent  individuals.  Some  Seal- 
hunters  are  inclined  to  think  this  a  difterent  species  of  Seal 
from  the  Saddleback,  because  the  appearance  of  the  skin  is 
ofteji  so  very  difterent  and  extremely  beautiful  when  taken  out 
of  the  water,  yet  as  the  females  are  always  found  among  the 
immense  flocks  of  the  Saddleback,  and  as  hardly  two  of  the 
latter  females  are  iilike,  bnt  varying  in  all  stages  to  the  mature 
female,  and  on  account  of  there  being  no  uiales  to  mate  with 
them,  I  am  incli'.ied  to  believe  with  Dr.  Wallace  that  these  are 
only  younijer  female  Sad<llebach;s.     The  nnizzle  and  ttip])ers  of 


636 


PHOCA    GRCENLANDICA IIAliP    SKAL. 


Ctitii 


If 


i.l 


(       " 


ill         i 


the  i'cinale  present  the  same  (lark-clieHtiiut  appearance  as  in  the 
mule." 

In  respect  to  the  color  of  the  yoniifj,  and  to  changes  of  color 
with  a};e,  he  observes :  "  (a)  Thecolour  alter  birth  is  a  pure  woolly 
white,  which  ^radmilly  assumes  a  beautiful  yellowish  tint  when 
conti'asted  with  the  stainless  i)urity  of  the  Ai'ctic  snow ;  they  are 
then  calletl  by  the  sealers  'white-coats,'  or  '  whirey-coats';  and 
they  retain  this  colour  until  they  are  able  to  take  to  the  water 
(when  about  14  or  120  days  old)."  At  this  time  the  color  ''(/J) 
.  begins  to  change  to  that  of  a  dark  speckled  an<l  then 
spotted  hue ;  these  are  denominated  '  hares '  by  the  sealers.  (;') 
This  colour  gradually  changes  to  a  dark  bluish  <!olour  on  the 
back,  V,  hile  on  the  breast  and  belly  it  is  of  a  <lark  silvery  hue. 
Young  Seals  retain  this  ai)pearance  throughout  the  summer  and 
are  termed  '  Bluebacks '  by  the  sealers  of  Spitzbergen, '  Aglektok ' 
by  the  Greecilanders,  Blaa-siden  by  the  Danes.  ('))  The  next 
stage  is  called  Millaktok  by  the  Greenlanders.  The  Seal  is 
then  approaching  to  its  mature  coat,  getting  more  s[)otted,  &c., 
and  the  saddle-shape  band  begins  to  form,  (s)  The  last  stage 
(in  the  male  to  which  these  changes  refer)  is  the  assumption  of 
'he  halfmoon-shaped  mark  on  either  side,  or  the  'saddle'  as  it 
is  called  by  the  northern  sealers. 

"  I  consider  that  about  three  years  are  sufiQcient  to  complete 
these  changes.  This  is  also  the  opinion  held  in  Newfoundland, 
though  the  Greenland  people  consider  that  live  years  are  nec- 
essary. I  wish,  however,  to  say  that  these  changes  do  not  pro- 
ceed so  regularly  as  is  usually  described,  some  of  them  not  last- 
ing a  year,  others  longer,  while,  again,  several  of  the  changes 
are  gone  through  in  one  year ;  in  fact,  the  coats  are  always 
gradually  changing,  though  some  of  the  more  prominent  ()nes 
may  be  retained  a  longer  and  others  a  shorter  time.  It  would 
require  a  very  careful  and  extended  study  of  this  animal  to  decide 
on  this  point,  which,  owing  to  their  migrations,  it  is  impossible 
to  give.  After  all,  these  changes  and  their  rai)idity  vary  accord- 
ing to  the  season  and  the  individual,  and  really  will  not  admit 
of  other  than  a  general  description."* 

]Jr.  Kink  gives  the  weight  of  a  full-grown  Saddleback  of  me- 
dium size  as  353  pounds,  the  skin  and  blubber  weighing  110 
pounds,  the  blubber  alone  in  winter  ajnpniiting  to  80  i)ounds, 

'  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  T.onil.,  IHIiH,  pj).  417-4^0 ;  Man.  Nut.  Hist.,  Gool.  iiiid  Ph.VH. 
of  Grtcnlaiul,  t'tc,  1875,  Mam.,  jip.  4.')-4'J. — C'oniyiiio  alse  von  llciiylin.  Kt^iseii 
uacb  dem  Nonlpolainicer,  «itc.,  1874,  pp.  ^>'.i-M. 


SEXUAL    AND    INDIVIDUAL    VARIATION. 


6a7 


wliilo  in  Rummer  it  is  s(;aic<?ly  24  i)oniuls.  Carroll,  however, 
pfives  a  mneh  larjjer  weifflit.  He  states  that  "  when  th«\v  are  in 
lull  flesh  the  weight  of  a  male  JIarp  Seal  varies  from  700  to  SOO 
pounds,"  and  that  "when  prime"  the  skin  and  fat  alone  will 
weifjh  200  jKmnds,  and  the  same  parts  of  a  female  125  poimds. 
lie  jifives  the  weif^ht  of  a  Ilai-j)  Seal  when  horn  as  0  to  8  i)ounds, 
a<!cordin}^  to  the  aj^e  of  the  mother.  At  fifteen  days  old  he  says 
the  "skin  an<l  fat  will  weifjfh  40  to  45  pounds,"  and  the  carcass, 
after  the  fat  is  taken  otf",  about  15  pounds.  When  thirty  d.aj's 
old  the  weight  of  the  skin  and  fat  he  says  is  only  30  pounds, 
and  at  nine  jnonthsold  not  more  than  40  ])ounds,  but  at  twelve 
ujonths  is  90  pounds ;  the  young  Seals,  as  stated  by  other  ob- 
servers, losing  nnich  of  their  fat  on  being  left  by  their  mothers 
to  secure  their  own  food,  although  the  general  size  continues 
slowly  to  increase. 

Sexual  and  Individual  Varia  tion,  and  Variations  de- 
pendent UPON  AoE. — The  variations  in  size  and  color  dejtend- 
ent  upon  sex  and  age  having  been  already  noted,  little  remains 
to  be  said  in  the  ])resent  connection  beyond  a  brief  reference  to 
the  skull.  Here  the  age  and  sexual  variations  ajjpear  to  be 
stri(!tly  parallel  with  those  alreadj'  described  in  Phocafceiida. 
The  purely  individual  variation  is  also  similar  in  (sharacter, 
except,  so  far  as  can  be  judged  from  the  snmll  series  of  skulls 
before  mc,  the  variations  in  the  teeth  are  less  marked.  The 
subjoined  table  of  measurements  of  skulls  indicates  the  range 
of  variation  in  size  and  other  features.  None  of  the  skulls  are 
])ositively  marked  for  sex,  but  there  seems  to  be  little  difficulty 
in  distinguishing  the  sex  by  the  smaller  size,  weaker  structure, 
narrower  muzzle,  and  the  much  weaker  dentition  in  what  may 
be  doubtless  safely  assumed  to  be  the  female,  sin{!e  very  old 
skulls,  strictly  comparable  as  respects  age,  vary  in  just  these 
points.  Female  skulls  appear  to  rarely  exceed,  or  even  quite 
attain,  a  length  of  200  mm.,  while  old  males  range  from  about 
210  mm.  to  228  mm. 


m 


m 


638 


PHOCA  GRCENLANDICA — HARP  SEAL. 


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GENEUAF-    HIHTOUY    AND    NOMENCLATUKK. 


639 


Geneual  IlrsToitY  AND  NoMENCLATUiiE. — Tlio  Harp  80ill, 
like  Mie  Crested  !S«'al,  presents  eliiirsjeters,  at  least  in  the  male 
sex,  that  readily  attract  the  attention  of  even  the  casnal  ob- 
ser\er — the  one  by  its  "saddle"  or  "harp-mark"  of  black  on  a 
li^iht  fii'onnd,  the  other  by  its  inllatable  hood.  Aecordinjily  both 
Avere  mentione<l  by  various  eii4ly  writers,  bnt  notably  by  Ejifedt;, 
Ellis,  and  ( 'ran/,  and  the  indications  they  j;ave  of  their  existence 
enter  into  the  technical  history  of  the  species,  ibrminj^'  as  they 
do  tlu'  basis  of  the  first  systensatie  names.  Krxleben  described 
the  species  in  1777,  nnder  the  nanie  Phoca  jirdcnlandiea,  his  «le- 
scription  beiny;  foundi'd  mainly  on  information  i>revioiisly  made 
public  by  Cranz.  Fabricius,  however,  had  alrea«ly  ilesij^nated 
the  species  by  this  name  the  [)revions  yeai",  but  the  only  clue 
he  furnished  to  the  species  meant  consists  merely  in  his  citing 
its  I<!elandic  aii<l  Greenlandic  names.  In  177<S  Lepechin  de- 
scribed and  flgured  the  si)ecies  under  the  name  Phoca  oceanica^ 
between  which  and  grocidamUea  there  is  thus  almost  a  question 
of  priority.*  Althoufjh  Fabricius  in  1700  <'orrectly  referred  Le- 
pechin's  species  to  P/toca  grcenlandica,  it  has  since  frequently  iig- 
ured  in  the  works  of  compilers  as  a  distinct  species,  although 
his  ligures  and  description t  clearly  indicate  its  relationshii). 

Boddaert,  in  1785,  added  another  synonym  by  renaming  the 
spe(Mes  fiemilunaris,  while  Desmarest,  in  182L^,  described  what 
is  believed  to  have  been  a  young  individual  of  this  species 
under  the  name  Phoca  albicauda.  G.  Cuvier,  in  1825,  also  de- 
scribed a  young  specimen  as  Phoca  layura,  this  name  having 
for  a  time  considerable  currency  as  that  of  a  veritable  species. 
Lesson,  in  1828,  made  here  his  usual  contribution  of  synonyms 
by  deliberately  changing  names  jjreviously  given  for  those  that 
better  suited  his  fancy,  at  his  hands  the  Phoca  grcenlandica  of 
authors  becoming  Phoca  miilleri,  and  the  two  nominal  species 
previousi.y  mentioned  as  based  on  young  specimens  becoming 
respectively  Phoca  desmaresti  and  Phoca  pilayi.  In  1831  the 
species  was  again  intentionally  renamed  dorsata  by  Pallas,  \siio 
(juotes  as  synonyms  of  dorsata  both  Phoca  grcenlandica  and 

*Lopecliin  is  usually  (luotod  at  1777,  but  his  paper  .appears  not  to  have 
been  published  till  the  following  year,  thus  giving  Erxlebcn's  name  one 
year's  priority,  and  Fabricius's  two. 

tLepechiu  gave  the  incisive  formula  as  ^, — "In  maxilla  superior!  inci- 
soresIV";  "in  maxilla  inferiori  incisores  modo  lY."  As  suggested  by  Fa- 
bricius nearly  ..  ?entui'y  ago,  in  the  lirst  case  "IV"  is  evidejitly  a  lapsus 
lor  YI.  (See  Fabricius,  Skrivter  af  Naturhistorie-Selskabet,  Bd.  i,  Hf.  1, 
IT'JO,  p.  <»7,  footnote.  ■) 


i 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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PHOCA  GRCENLANDICA — HARP  SEAL. 


Phoca  oceanica.  Gaimard,  in  1851,  simply  throufjh  malideiitifi- 
catiou,  referred  examples  of  the  present  species  to  Phoca  annel- 
lata. 

Of  the  nine  synonyms  of  this  species  one  is  nearly  contem- 
poraneous with  the  tenable  name,  and  under  the  circumstances 
of  its  occurrence  was  unavoidable;  live  are  due  to  deliberate, 
intentional,  and  needless  change  of  names;  two  are  based  ou 
immature  examples,  and  one  is  the  result  of  malidentiflcation. 

Geographical  Distribution.— Although  the  Hari>  Seal 
has  a  circumpolar  distribution,  it  appears  not  to  advance  so  far 
northward  as  the  Ringed  Seal  or  the  Bearded  Seal ;  yet  the  icy 
seas  of  the  North  are  preeminently  its  home.  It  is  not  found 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  in  any  numbers  south 
of  Newfoundland.  A  few  are  taken  at  the  JVIagdalen  Islands, 
and  while  on  their  way  to  the  Grand  Banks  some  must  pass 
very  near  the  Nova  Scotia  coast.  Dr.  Gilpin,  however,  includes 
it  only  provisionally  among  the  Seals  that  \'isit  the  shores  of  tluit 
Province.  It  doubtless  occasionally  wanders,  like  the  Crested 
Seal,  to  points  far  south  of  its  usual  range,  as  I  find  a  skeleton 
of  this  species  in  the  collection  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  bearing  the  legend  "Nahant,  Mass.,  L.  Agassiz".  I 
have  at  times  felt  doubtful  about  the  correctness  of  the  as 
signed  locality,  as  this  seems  to  be  the  only  proof  of  tlie  oc- 
currence of  this  species  ou  the  Massachusetts  coast.  I  have, 
however,  recently  been  informed  by  Dr.  C.  C.  Abbott,  of  New 
Jersey,  that  a  Seal,  described  to  him  as  being  about  six  feet 
long,  white,  with  a  broad  black  band  along  each  side  of  the 
back,  was  taken  near  Trenton,  in  that  State,  during  the  winter 
of  1878-79.  This  description  can  of  course  refer  to  no  other 
species  than  Phoca  grcenlandica,  and  as  it  comes  from  a  wholly 
trustworthy  source  it  seems  to  substantiate  the  occasional  oc- 
currence of  this  species  as  far  south  as  New  Jersey.  Von  Heug- 
lin  gives  it  as  ranging  "in  den  amerikanischen  Meeren  siid- 
warts  bis  New  York,"*  but  I  know  not  on  what  authority. 

The  Harp  Seals  are  well  known  to  be  periodically  exceed- 
ingly ab'indaut  along  the  shores  of  Newfoundland,  where,  dur- 
ing spring,  hundreds  of  thousands  are  annually  killed.  In 
their  r.iigrations  they  pass  along  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and 
appear  with  regularity  twice  a  year  off  the  coast  of  Southern 
Greenland.    Capt.  J.  C.  Koss  states  that  in  Baffin's  Bay  they 

*  Keiscn  nacli  dom  Norili>olarni»H'r,  j).  ')(). 


m. 


MIGRATIONS    AND    BREEDING   STATIONS. 


641 


keep  mostly  "to  the  loose  floating  floes  whicli  constitute  what 
is  termed  by  the  whale  fishers  'the  middle  ice'  of  Bafiin's  Bay 
and  Davis  Straits."  He  says  he  never  met  with  them  in  any 
part  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  but  states  that  they  are  reported 
by  the  natives  to  be  very  numerous  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Boothia,  but  that  they  are  not  seen  on  the  east 
side.*  They  are  well-known  visitors  to  the  shores  of  Iceland, 
and  swarm  in  the  icy  seas  about  Jan  Mayen  and  Spitzbergen. 
They  also  occur  about  Nova  Zembla,  and  Payer  refers  to  their 
abundance  at  Franz  Josef  Laud.t  They  occur  in  the  Kara 
Sea,  and  along  the  Arctic  coast  of  Europe.  Malmgren,  Lillje- 
l)org,  and  CoUett  state  that  it  is  of  regular  occurrence  on  the 
coast  of  Finmark,  where  it  occurs  in  small  numbers  from  Oc- 
tober and  November  till  February.  Although  reported  by  Bell 
and  others  as  having  been  taken  in  the  Severn,  and  by  Saxby| 
as  observed  at  Baltasound,  Shetland,  the  capture  of  a  speci- 
men in  3Forecombe  Bay,  England,  reported  by  Turner  §  in  1874, 
Mr.  E.  R.  Alston  says  is  "  the  first  British  specimen  that  has 
been  properly  identified."  || 

The  distribution  of  this  species  in  the  North  Pacific  is  not 
well  known.  Pallas  (under  the  name  Pfioca  dorsata)  records 
it  from  Kamtschatka,  where  its  occurrence  is  also  affirmed  by 
Steller.  Temminck  mentions  having  examined  three  skins  ob- 
tained at  Sitka,  but  adds  that  it  was  not  observed  by  "  l.es  voy- 
ageurs  neerlandais  "  in  Japan.  In  the  collections  in  the  National 
Museum  from  the  North  Pacific  this  species  is  unrepresented, 
the  species  thus  far  received  from  there  being  the  following 
four,  namely :  Phoca  vituUna,  Phocafoetida,  Erignathm  barbatus, 
and  Histrioplwca  fascista. 

Migrations  and  Breeding  Stations. — The  Saddleback, 
although  found  at  one  season  or  another  throughout  a  wide 
extent  of  the  Arctic  seas,  appears  to  be  nowhere  resident 

*  Ross'b  Secuud  Voyage,  App.,  p.  xxi. 

tNew  Lands  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  1877,  p.  266. 

tMr.  Henry  L.  Saxby,  writiuguuderdateofBaltasouri'l,  She  Jand,  March 
14,  1864,  say8,  "Several  Harp  Seals  are  now  to  be  seen  in  the  deep  shel- 
tered voo  at  Baltasound.  This  species  can  scarcely  be  considered  very  rare 
here,  but  it  is  said  to  occur  in  bad  weather,  and  certainly  the  present  visit 
fonas  no  exception  to  the  rule,  the  wind  having  for  some  days  been  blow- 
ing heavily  from  N.  E.,  accompanied  by  sleet  and  snow." — ZoSlogUt,  vol. 
xxii,  1864,  p.  9090. 

Mourn.  Anat.  and  Phys.,  vol.  Ix,  1874,  p.  168. 

II  Zoul.  Rec,  1874,  p.  10;  Fauna  of  Scotland,  Mam.,  1880,  p.  14. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 41 


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642 


PHOCA  GRCENLANDICA — HARP  SEAL. 


the  whole  year.  It<  very  extended  periodical  migrations  re- 
late apparently  to  the  selection  of  suitable  conditions  for  the 
l)roduction  of  its  young,  and  occur  with  gieat  regularity. 
Where  it  spends  portions  of  the  year  is  not  weTl  known,  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  found  with  the  utmost  certainty 
at  particular  localities  during  the  breeding  season.  Its  most 
noted  breeding  stations  are  the  ice-floes  to  the  eastward  of 
Newfoundland,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Jan  Mayen,  at  which  lo- 
calities they  appear  early  in  spring  in  immense  herds. 

The  Seals  seen  about  the  shores  of  Greenland  in  autumn  and 
early  winter  are  supposed  by  most  writers  to  pass  the  breeding 
season  in  the  seas  to  the  eastward  of  Jan  Mayen,  but  doubt- 
less a  very  large  proportion  of  the  Seals  of  Hudson's  Straits 
{»nd  neighboring  waters  to  the  northward,  if  not  also  of  Baf- 
fin's Bay,  really  move  southward  along  the  Labrador  coast  to 
the  Newfoundland  waters,  since  herds  of  migrating  Seals  are 
regularly  observed  in  autumn  to  pass  in  this  direction ;  besides, 
it  is  hard  to  conceive  of  any  other  origin  for  the  immense  num- 
bers that  resort  to  the  ice-floes  oft'  the  coast  of  Southern  Lab- 
rador and  Newfoundland  to  bring  forth  their  young. 

As  has  been  long  well  known,  the  Greenland  Seal  visits  the 
shores  of  Greenland  both  in  fall  and  spring.  Dr.  Rink  states 
that  "It  appears  regularly  along  the  southern  part  of  the 
coast  in  September,  travelling  in  herds  tiom  south  to  north,  be- 
tween the  islands,  and  at  times  resorting  to  the  tjords 

In  October  and  November  the  catch  is  most  ])lentiful ;  theu  it 
decreases  in  December,  grows  scarce  in  January,  and  becomes 
almost  extinct  in  February."  *  Mr.  Kundien  states  that  they 
"  disappear  from  the  Cumberland  waters  when  the  ice  makes,'' 
returning  a;>ain  in  spring  with  the  appearance  of  open  water. 

Their  passage  southward  along  the  Labra<lor  coast  occurs 
before  the  ice  forms,  and  during  this  journey  they  are  said  to 
"hug  the  shore"  and  ireely  enter  the  gulfs  and  bays.  They 
appear  first  in  small  detachments  of  half  a  dozen  to  a  score  or 
more  of  individuals ;  these  are  soon  followed  by  larger  com- 
panies, which  increase  in  frequency  and  numbers;  in  a  few 
days  they  form  one  continuous  procession,  filling  the  sea  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach.  Floating  with  the  Arctic  current,  their 
progress  is  extremely  rapid,  and  in  one  short  week  the  whole 
multitude  has  passed.  Arriving  at  the  Straits  of  Belleisle,  the 
great  body  are  deflected  eastward,  but  many  enter  tho  Straits 

'Danish  Greenland,  etc.,  p.  124. 


ml 


MIGRATIONS   AND   BREEDING   STATIONS. 


643 


and  pass  round  to  the  southward  of  Newfoundland  -  some, 
however,  spend  the  winter  in  the  Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence, 
where  they  bring  forth  their  young  on  the  ice  in  spring.  But 
the  great  mass  continue  onward  along  the  eastern  coast  of  New- 
foundland as  far  as  Baccalieu^Island,  at  the  entrance  of  Trinity 
Bay,  where  they  leave  the  shore  for  the  Grand  Banks,  at  which 
they  arrive  about  the  end  of  December.  Here  they  rest  for  a 
mouth,  and  then  turn  again  northward  to  seek  the  ice-floes  for 
breeding  stations.  Slowly  onward  they  struggle  against  the 
strong  current  that  aided  them  so  much  in  their  southward 
journey,  till  they  reach  the  great  ice-fields,  stretching  from  the 
Labrador  sLore  f  ^r  eastward, — a  broad  continent  of  icc.  By 
the  end  of  Febru  rry  the  breeding-sites  have  been  chosen,  and  I 
the  young  are  born  shortly  after  (generally  between  the  5th  j 
and  10th  of  March).  Many  of  the  younger  Seals  (yearlings  1 
and  two-year-olds),  however,  still  remain  on  the  southern  banks.  \ 
By  the  end  of  April  the  newly-born  Seals  are  strong  enough  to 
secure  their  own  food,  and  in  May  the  numberless  multitude 
resume  their  northward  route,  keeping  far  out  at  sea  to  avoid 
rUe  strong  current  that  courses  along  the  coast.  In  May  they 
begin  to  again  arrive  on  the  coast  of  Southern  Greenland,  and 
later  visit  the  more  northern  shores. 

The  Seals  that  resort  in  such  great  numbers  to  the  ice-floes 
east  and  north  of  Jan  Mayen  in  spring  are  believed  to  come 
mainly  from  Greenland,  but  doubtless  a  large  part  really  come 
from  the  eastward  and  northward.  Lindeman,  speaking  of 
their  dispersion  after  the  breeding  season,  says :  "  By  the  end 
of  June  they  start  on  their  homeward  journey  to  the  north  and 
east,  the  young  following ;  they  pass  from  one  outlying  point 
of  ice  to  another,  where  they  lie  to  rest.  In  a  single  instance 
they  were  followed  all  the  way  to  Spitzbergen,  and  were  here 
also  observ^ed  to  still  pursue  an  easterly  direction.  Whither 
they  go  and  where  they  keep  themselves  till  the  next  spring  is 
certainly  a  worthy  subject  of  investigation."* 

As  a^.  >ady  stated  in  the  general  account  of  Seal-hunting 
{anted,,  pp.  496  et  seq.),  the  Harp  Seals  assemble  early  in  spiing 
iu  countless  numbers  in  the  vicinity  of  "  the  dreary  island  of  Jan 
Mayen",  the  ice  floes  a  little  to  the  eastward  and  northward  of 
which  form  their  great  central  rendezvous  during  the  breeding 
season,  and  consequently  the  scene  of  the  grand  annual  Sea,! 
slaughter  in  the  Arctic  seas.    Their  principal  breeding-resort 

*  Fetermann's  Geograpb.  Mittbeil.,  Ergunzungs  Heft  Nr.  26,  1869,  p.   -. 


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644 


PHOCA  GRCENLANDICA — ^HARP  SEAL, 


appears  to  be  a  small  circular  area.,  having  a  breadth  of  about 
four  hundred  miles,  within  which  Jan  Mayen  Island  occupies  a 
nearly  central  point.  They  are  not,  however,  equally  numer- 
ous throughout  even  this  limited  district,  but  are  most  densely 
massed  between  the  72d  and  73d  degrees  of  north  latitude, 
on  or  near  the  7th  meridian  east  of  Greenwich.  The  exact 
point,  however,  varies  in  different  years,  in  accordance  with 
the  varying  position  of  the  ice-fields,  which  is  influenced  by 
the  prevailing  winds  and  the  character  of  the  season.  Thus, 
according  to  Dr.  Wallace,  as  quoted  by  Mr.  Brown,  they  were 
found  in  1859  "in  considerable  numbers  not  far  from  Iceland, 
the  most  northerly  point  of  which  is  in  N.  lafc.  66°  44' ;  this 
leads  me  to  remark,"  Mr.  Brown  continues,  "that  the  Seals 
are  often  divided  into  several  bodies  or  flocks,  and  may  be  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  each  other,  although  it  is  most 
common  to  find  these  smaller  flocks  on  the  skirts  or  at  no  great 
distance  from  the  main  body."  Where  the  Seals  that  here  con- 
gregate in  such  numbers  during  the  breeding  season  spend  the 
rest  of  the  year  is  not  well  known.  Says  the  writer  last  quoted, 
"After  the  young  have  begun  to  take  the  water  in  the  Spitz- 
bergen  sea,  they  gradually  direct  their  course  to  the  outside 
streams,  where  they  are  often  taken  in  considerable  numbers 
on  warm  sunny  days.  When  able  to  provide  for  themselves, 
the  females  gradually  leave  them  and  join  the  males  in  the 
north,  where  they  are  hunted  by  the  sealers  in  the  months  of 
May  and  June ;  and  it  is  especially  during  the  latter  month 
that  the  females  are  seen  to  have  joined  the  males ;  for  at  the 
'old  sealing'  (as  this  is  called),  in  May,  it  has  often  been  re- 
marked that  few  or  no  males  are  seen  in  company  with  the 
females.  Later  in  the  year,  in  July,  there  are  seen,  between  the 
parallels  of  76°  and  77°  N.,  these  flocks  of  Seals,  termed  by 
Scoresby  '  Seal's  weddings';  and  I  have  found  that  they  were 
composed  of  the  old  males  aud  females  and  the  bluebacka  [year- 
lings and  two-year-olds],  which  must  have  followed  the  old  ones 
in  the  north  and  formed  a  junction  with  them  some  time  in 
June.  There  is  another  opinion,  that  the  old  females  remain 
and  bring  their  young  with  them  north ;  but  all  our  facts  are 
against  such  a  theory  ( Wallace). 

"These  migrations  may  vary  with  the  temperature  of  the  sea- 
son, and  are  influenced  by  it ;  it  is  possible  that  iu  the  Spitz- 
bergeu  sea  as  the  winter  approaches  they  keep  in  advance  of 
it  and  retreat  southward  to  the  limit  of  the  perpetual  ice,  off 


Il>'l. 
>?i! 


MIGRATIONS   AND   BREEDING    STATIONS. 


645 


the  coast  of  GreeulaDd,  somewhere  near  Iceland,  where  they 
spend  the  winter.  We  are,  however,  at  a  loss  regarding  the 
winter  habits  of  these  Seals  in  that  region ;  here  no  one  winters, 
and  there  are  no  inhabitants  to  note  their  migrations  and  ways 
of  life.  Different  is  it,  however,  on  the  Greenland  shores  of 
Davis's  Strait,  where  in  the  Danish  settlements  the  Seals  form, 
both  with  the  whites  and  Eskimo,  the  staple  article  of  food  and 
commerce,  and  accoruingly  their  habits  and  arrival  are  well 
known  and  eagerly  watched.  The  Atarsodkj  as  it  is  commonly 
called  by  the  Eskimo,  the  'Svartsidede  Saelhund'  (Black-sided 
Sealhound)  of  the  Danes,  is  the  most  common  Seal  in  all  South 
Greenland.  It  is  t  liually  by  this  Seal  that  the  Eskimo  lives, 
and  the  ' Kongl-Gronlandske  Handel'  makes  its  commerce. 
In  South  Greenland  when  the  Seal  generally  is  talked  of,  or  a 
good  or  bad  year  spoken  about,  everybody  thinks  of  this  Seal ; 
on  the  other  hand,  in  North  Greenland,  Pagomys  foetidus  and 
Callocephakis  vitulimis  are  the  most  common.  These  last  two 
species  arc  the  only  Seals  which  can  be  properly  said  to  have 
the  tr  home  in  Greeidand,  affecting  ice-fjords  and  rarely  going 
far  from  the  coast.  This  is  not  the  case  with  P.  grcenlandicus  ;  at 
certain  times  of  the  ^sear  they  completely  leave  the  coast;  there- 
fore the  Seal-hunting  in  South  Greenland  is  more  dependent 
upon  contingencies  than  in  North  Greenland.  This  Seal  arrives 
regularly  in  September  in  companies  travelling  from  the  south 
to  north,  keeping  among  the  islands ;  occasionally  at  this  time 
individuals  detach  themselves  from  the  drove  and  go  up  the 
inlets.    .    .    ."* 

Both  Dr.  Eink  and  Mr.  Brown  believe  that  it  is  very  improb- 
able that  the  Seals  of  South  Greenland  visit  Jan  Mayen  in  the 
breeding  season,  deeming  it  more  likely  that  they  resort  for 
this  purpose  to  the  southern  ice-floes  off  the  Labrador  coast. 
"As  to  their  whereabouts  during  their  absence,"  however,  ob- 
serves the  former,  "  we  are  somewhat  at  a  loss  for  perfect  infor- 
mation. There  can  bo  no  doubt  that  in  spring  they  retreat  to 
the  icefields  of  the  ocean  for  the  purpose  of  producing  their 
young.  It  seems  most  unlikely  that  the  seals  from  the  west 
coast  should  have  such  breeding  places  to  the  east  of  Green- 
land in  the  Spitzbergen  sea,  which  would  require  the  whole 
stock  of  them  to  round  Cape  Farewell  at  least  twice  a  year. 
But,  considering  that  just  opposite  to  the  west  coast  extensive 


*  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  pp.  421,  4vJ,};  Man.  Nat.  Hist. 
laiul,  Mam.,  pp.  51,  52. 


etc.,  Groen- 


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ill 


646 


PHOCA   GLOSWLANDICA HARP   SEAL. 


masses  of  dritt-ice  from  Baffin's  Bay  are  moving  southward 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  tlie  year,  nothing  seems  more 
reasonable  to  believe  than  that  the  seals,  having  gone  their 
usual  beat  along  the  west  coast  of  (Ireenland  put  to  sea  in 
various  latitudes ;  after  which,  on  crossing  Davis  Strjiit,  they 
almost  every  where  will  meet  with  tlie  drift-ice,  which  they  will 
then  follow  on  its  course  southward,  and  on  returning  they  will 
make  the  coast  of  Greenland  at  some  more  southerly  point, 
begin  their  usual  migration,  and  so  on."*  Mr.  Brown,  however, 
adds:  "Every  one  knows  when  it  commences  its  migration 
from  the  south  to  the  north,  but  nobody  knows  where  the  Seal 
goes  to  when  it  disappears  off'  the  coast.  Between  the  time 
they  leave  the  coast  in  the  spring  and  return  in  the  summer  they 
beget  their  young;  and  this  seems  to  be  accomplished  on  the 
pack-ice  a  great  distance  from  land,  viz,  in  the  Si)itzber;,'en  sea. 
It  is  at  this  period  that  the  seal-ships  come  after  them.    .    .    ." 

From  what  has  been  already  stated  respecting  their  pas- 
sage southward  at  the  beginning  of  winter  along  the  Labrador 
coast  and  the  shores  of  Newfoundland  to  the  Grand  Banks, 
their  subsequent  movement  northward  at  the  beginning  of 
spring  to  the  ice-floes  to  bring  forth  their  young,  and  their 
later  migration  northward,  it  seems  safe  to  assume  that  the 
Greenland  division  of  these  Seals  resort  mainly  in  winter  to  the 
open  waters  of  the  Grand  Banks,  southeast  of  Newfoundland, 
and  that  after  the  breeding  season  they  return  northward  to 
the  Greenland  coast;  furthermore  that  the  great  herds  that 
congregate  about  Jan  Mayen  belong  mainly  to  the  Arctic  waters 
of  the  Spitzbergen  sea,  migrating  northward  and  southward, 
and  more  or  less  westward,  with  the  changes  of  the  season  and 
the  position  of  the  ice-flelds,  and  that  piobably  none  of  the 
Seals  of  Baffin's  Bay  and  adjoining  waters  migrate  to  the  Jan 
Mayen  seas. 

As  already  stated  the  Harp  Seals  visit  the  southern  coast  of 
Greenland  in  May,  and  appear  on  the  more  northern  coast  in 
June.  "Having  visited,"  says  Rink,  "the  fjords  in  numerous 
herds,  they  again  disappear  in  July  and  return  in  September,  t 
Consequently  this  seal  deserts  the  coast  twice  a  year,  and  as 
regularly  returns  to  it  in  due  season,  always  first  making  its 

*  Danish  Greenland,  etc.,  1877,  p.  12r). 

tMr.  Brown  says,  "This  Seal  leaves  the  vicinity  of  .Jakobshavn  ice-fjonl 
about  the  middle  of  .Jnly  or  beginning  of  August,  and  comes  back  in  Oc- 
tober very  fat.  In  August  and  September  there  are  none  on  that  part  of 
the  coast." 


HABITS. 


647 


appejirance  iu  the  southern,  and  somewhat  later  in  the  north- 
ex'n  regions."  Why  they  leave  the  Greenland  coast  iu  August 
and  again  visit  it  iu  September,  and  there  remain  for  several 
months  before  departing  for  the  south,  and  where  they  go  dur- 
ing their  absence,  are  quest^ions  for  which  there  is  as  yet  no 
satisfactory  answer.  It  has,  however,  by  some  been  supposed 
to  relate  to  the  pairing  season,  which  occurs  iu  August,  the 
females  on  their  return  iu  September  being  found  to  be  with 
young.  Mr.  Kumlieu  states  that  "a  few  schools  were  noticed 
at  dittbrent  times  during  September,  1877,  and  October,  1878, 
from  the  islands  of  the  Labrador  coasf:  to  Cumberland,  at  times 
a  couj^iderable  distance  from  laud.  It  hence  seems  probable 
that  many  pass  this  portion  of  the  year  at  points  far  to  the 
southward  of  Greenland." 

Habits. — The  Harp  Seal  is  remarkable  alike  for  its  abun- 
dance and  its  pelagic  and  roving  habits.  Eminently  gregarious 
at  all  seasons,  and  doubtless  outnumbering  all  the  other  species 
together,  it  forms  the  chief  basis  of  the  great  sealing  industry 
of  the  northern  seas.  It  is,  however,  as  already  shown,  no- 
where a  pern;anent  resident,  and  during  its  periodical  journey- 
ings  traverses  a  wide  breadth  of  latitude.  Although  often  met 
with  far  out  at  sea,  it  is  never  seen  far  from  the  floating  ice- 
fields, it  generally  keeping  near  the  edges  of  the  drifting  ice. 
It  appears  never  to  resort  to  the  shores  and  to  be  seldom  met 
with  on  the  firm  ice.  This  is  doubtless  due  to  the  fact  that, 
unlike  the  Ringed  and  the  Bearded  Seals,  it  never  forms  foi* 
itself  an  atluJc  or  breathing-hole  through  the  ice,  aud  conse- 
quently is  obliged  to  keep  near  the  large  openings  formed  by 
winds  or  ocean  currents.  It  is  generally  regarded  as  less  saga- 
cious than  most  other  species,  and  as  submitting,  without  show 
of  resistance,  to  the  attacks  of  the  sealers. 

About  the  beginning  of  March  they  assemble  at  their  favorite 
breeding  stations,  selecting  for  this  purpose  immense  ice-fields 
far  from  land.  Their  best  known  breeding-grounds  are  the  ice- 
packs off  the  eastern  coast  of  Newfoundland,  and  about  the 
island  of  Jan  Mayen.  A  few  are  said  to  breed  on  the  floating 
ice  in  the  Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence,  and  there  are  doubtless  nu- 
merous small  outlying  colonies  in  various  parts  of  the  North  At- 
lantic and  Arctic  waters.  Mr.  Carroll  states  that  off  the  New- 
foundland coast  the  young  are  chiefly  born  between  the  5th 
aud  10th  of  March,  or  about  a  week  earlier  than  is  the  case 


it 


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648 


PHOCA    GROSNLANDICA HARP    SEAL. 


with  the  Hooded  Seal  or  the  "Square- flipper"  (probably  Hail- 
ccehrufi  grypus).  According  to  Lindeman,  the  young  are  boni 
much  later  at  the  Jan  Mayen  breeding  grounds,  or  not  till  the 
23d  or  24th  of  March,  the  "whelping-time"  (as  this  period  is 
termed  in  sealing  parlance)  lasting  till  about  the  5th  of  April. 
Only  rarely  does  the  female  bring  forth  more  than  a  single 
young  one  at  a  birth.  The  period  of  gestation  is  supposed  to 
be  about  nine  months.  If  left  undisturbed  the  females  are 
said  to  suckle  the  young  about  fifteen  to  eighteen  days,  when 
the  young  are  so  far  developed  thu  t  they  are  able  to  take  to  the 
water  and  seek  their  own  nourishment.  At  this  time  they  be- 
gin to  shed  their  white  woolly  coat,  and  take  on  the  harsher, 
grayer  pelage  that  succeeds  the  foetal  dress. 

According  to  Mr.  Carroll,  the  old  "Breeding  Harps''  are  the 
first  to  leave  the  fishing-ground  for  the  purpose  of  "whelping.'' 
In  selecting  their  breeding  stations  they  endeavor  to  go  as  far 
north  aS  they  can  advance  with  safety,  or  until  they  meet  the 
heavy  northern  ice,  for  they  know  that  the  more  northern  the 
station  the  more  safety  there  is  for  the  young  from  the  wash  of 
southern  storms.  Yet,  in  spite  of  their  delicate  instincts,  and 
notwithstanding  their  great  cautiousness,  says  Lindeman,  "it 
still  sometimes  happens  that  heavy  northeast  storms  drive  the 
whole  area  chosen  into  the  open  sea,  and  the  immense  mass  of 
young  Seals  become  unfortunately  destroyed.  I  saw  many  in- 
teresting examples,"  ho  adds,  "  of  how  courageously  the  mother 
worked  under  such  an  accident  in  order  to  bring  her  young  again 
upon  the  firm  ice,  either  by  trying  to  swim  with  it  between  her 
fore  flippers  or  by  driving  it  before  her  and  tossing  it  forward 
with  her  nose."  Carroll  states  that  all  kinds  of  Seals  found  about 
Newfoundland  "  will  at  all  times  endeavor  to  whelj)  as  near  the 
shore  as  possible,  because  instinct  teaches  them  that  the  nearer 
the  rocks  the  shallower  the  water,  so  that  when  they  abandon 
their  young  ones  the  little  creatures  will  see  the  bottom  so  us 
to  enable  them  to  procure  their  food.  When  young  Seals  are 
whelped  near  the  shore,"  however,  he  continues,  "and  a  heavy 
sea  comes  on,  thousands  of  them  are  ground  to  pieces  with  the 
sea  against  the  rocks.  I  have  frequently  watched  the  old 
female  harps  bolt  up  through  the  ice  in  a  heavy  sea  and  drag 
their  young  ones  oil'  the  ice  into  the  water  out  of  danger. 
Again,  when  the  ice  begins  to  raft  where  young  Seals  are, 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  them  are  also  chopped  into  piece- 
meal." 


HABITS. 


649 


The  females  take  up  their  stations  on  the  ice  very  near  to 
each  other,  the  young  being  thus  sometimes  born  not  more  than 
three  feet  apart ;  they  also  all  bring  forth  their  young  at  very 
nearly  the  same  time.  The  males  accompany  the  females  to 
the  breeding  stations,  and  remain  in  the  vicinity,  yet  rarely 
upon  the  ice,  congregating  mostly  in  the  open  pools  between 
the  ice  floes.  The  mothers  leave  their  young  on  the  ice,  to  tish 
in  the  neighborhood  for  their  own  subsistence,  but  frequently 
return  to  the  young  to  suckle  them.  The  young  increase  rap- 
idly in  size,  and  when  three  weeks  old  are  said  to  be  nearlj- 
half  as  large  as  the  old  ones.  At  this  time  they  are  the  fattest 
and  are  considered  to  be  in  best  condition  for  killing.  Later 
the  fat  diminishes  although  the  general  bulk  continues  to  in- 
crease. Ii  undisturbed  the  old  Seals  will  i*emain  amongst  the 
ice  at  the  breeding-grounds  till  after  the  moult,  whict  occurs 
late  in  the  spring,  for  the  purpose  of  rubbing  off  the  old  hair 
against  the  ice. 

The  annual  moulting-time,  or  "skin-sickness"  {^^ Hautkrank- 
heW),  as  the  Germans  expressively  term  it,  is  evidently  a  period 
of  great  discomfort,  and  occurs  within  four  or  Ave  weeks  after 
the  birth  of  the  young.  During  this  time  they  rapidly  lose 
their  fat,  and  become  more  watchful  and  restless.  As  Mr.  Car- 
roll puts  it,  about  the  middle  of  April  the  oid  Seals,  and  the 
yearlings  and  two-year  olds,  "  mount  the  ice  to  scrub  them- 
selves". If  the  day  be  warm,  he  adds,  "the  skin  on  the  back 
is  sure  to  be  sunburnt,  so  much  so,  that  you  can  tear  it  off  with 
your  fingers;  they  will  remain  on  the  ice  to  be  killed  when 
once  they  get  sunburnt  rather  than  go  in  the  water.  When 
they  do  get  in  the  water  they  will  cry  with  pain  and  sometimes 
mount  the  ice  again." 

For  breeding  stations  the  Seals  select  "sheet-ice",  in  which, 
says  Mr.  Carroll,  they  keep  holes  open  through  which  they  may 
get  to  their  young.  A  rim  soon  forms  around  these  holes 
caused  by  the  freezing  of  the  water  forced  up  by  the  Seals  in 
passing  through  them,  but  they  are  sure  to  keep  one  side  of  the 
bole  on  a  level  with  the  water,  the  side  they  use  in  going  up 
and  down.  They  assemble  in  such  numbers  that  the  cry  of  the 
vast  number  of  the  old  and  young  may  be  heard  to  the  distance 
of  several  miles,  particularly  if  the  ear  be  applied  to  the  ice. 
The  same  author  states  that  at  the  Newfoundland  breeding- 
grounds  no  wind  will  break  up  the  "whelping  ice"  equal  to  a 
strong  southeast  wind ;  no  matter  how  deep  the  northern  ba.vs 


I:: 


I'lii 


650 


PHOCA   ORCENLANDICA — HARP   SEAL. 


may  be,  such  wind  will  be  sure  to  break  up  the  ice.  It  is  well 
understood,  he  adds,  that  the  "whereabouts"  of  the  young 
Seals  depends  "  on  wind  and  tide  ". 

Mr.  Carroll  ascribes  great  sagacity  to  thy  Seals  in  discerning 
the  character  of  the  weather  when  they  are  in  danger  of  being 
"embayed".  "They  are  sure  to  swarm  out,"  he  says,  "at  least 
two  and  sometimes  three  days  before  the  wind  blows  in  on  the 
land ;  they  also  know  when  a  lake  of  water  is  in  the  sheet  or 
drift  some  hundred  miles  more  or  less  from  where  they  are  by 
the  reflection  of  the  light  through  the  ice  [\\.  .  .  .  When  Seals 
get  embayed  and  jire  kept  there  some  number  of  days  and  vnn- 
not  get  into  the  water  owing  to  the  ice  being  jammed,  they 
begin  to  travel  out  in  a  direct  line  for  the  wa  ^r.  Supposing 
the  water  to  be  fifty  miles  from  them,  they  know  well  by  scent 
where  it  is,  for  you  will  see  them  stretch  out  their  necks  and 
sniff;  should  the  ice  part  in  any  direction  from  them  they  will 
at  once  turn  round  and  avail  themselves  of  it.  Much  depends 
upon  the  character  of  the  ice  they  have  to  travel  on  as  to  their 
rate  of  ^peed ;  they  travel  principally  by  night.  I  have  killed 
them  with  the  hair  and  skin  worn  off  the  fore  flippers  and 
bleeding."  The  same  writer  states  that  in  cool  nights  Seals 
will  travel  at  an  average  rate  of  one  mile  per  hour.  Their 
speed  depends  much,  however,  upon  the  character  of  the  ice, 
on  level  ice  an  old  Seal  being  able  to  outstrip  a  smart  runner 
in  a  distance  of  sixty  yards.  They  move  laboriously,  by  lifting 
themselves  oft"  the  ice  on  their  fore  flippers  and  drawing  up  the 
hind  part  of  the  body,  resulting  in  a  "  sidelong  loping  gallop." 
In  travelling  they  sometimes  become  overheated,  in  which  case 
the  hair  becomes  loosened  and  the  skin  worthless.* 

The  young  Seals  are  said  not  to  voluntarily  enter  the  yater 
until  at  least  twelve  days  old,  and  that  they  require  four  or 
five  days'  practice  before  they  acquire  sufiicient  strength  and 
proficiency  in  swimming  to  enable  them  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves. After  they  take  to  the  water  they  congregate  by  them- 
selves, and  when  they  mount  the  ice  assemble  in  quite  compact 
herds. 

Professor  Jukes  refers  to  a  young  one  that  was  taken  alive 
on  board  his  ship  as  fonning  a  very  gentle  and  interesting  pet. 
"He  lay  very  quiet  on  deck,  opening  and  closing  his  curious 
nostrils,  .  .  and  occasionally  lifting  his  fine  dark  lustrous 
eyes  as  if  with  wonder  at  the  strange  scenes  around  him."  His 
*  The  Seal  and  Herring  Fislieries  of  Newfoundland,  1873,  pp.  24, 25. 


^bM 


ENEMIES. 


651 


short  thick  fur  being  dry  and  clean,  gave  him  a  very  warm  and 
comforfAble  appearance.  On  being  patted  on  the  head  he  drew 
it  in  till  his  face  was  peri)endicnlar  to  his  body,  knitted  his 
brow  and  closed  his  eyes  and  nostrils,  thereby  assuming  a  very 
comical  expression  of  countenance.  Although  he  was  fierce 
when  teased,  and  attempted  to  bite  and  scratch,  he  immediately 
became  quiet  on  being  stroked  or  patted.  They  are  doubtless 
easily  tamed,  and  might  be  made  very  interesting  pets.  lu  the 
present  instance  the  poor  brute  was  cruelly  teased  by  dogs  and 
men  till  he  became  exhausted,  and  Professor  Jukes  passed  his 
knife  into  his  heart  to  end  his  misery.* 

The  Harp  Seals  are  stated  to  swim  with  great  rapidity,  pro- 
pelling themselves  with  their  powerful  h'  id -flippers,  one  writer 
estimating  their  speed  when  "bolting"  under  the  ice  as  "at 
least  ohe  hundred  miles  per  hour,"  and  observes  that  as  they 
pass  beneath  you  you  "  will  observe  only  a  blue  shade,"  even 
if  the  water  is  perfectly  clear.  Their  favorite  position  when 
swimming,  as  aftirmed  by  numerous  observers,  is  on  the  back 
or  side,  in  which  position  they  also  sleep  in  the  water. 

Their  so.  d  and  gregarious  instincts  seem  to  be  manifested 
on  all  occasions ;  they  not  only  'nigrate  in  dense  herds,  and 
assemble  on  the  ice  in  compact  bodies,  but  are  rarely  met  with 
singly,  though  occasionally  in  small  groups.  As  noted  on  pre- 
ceding;; pages,  immense  herds  sometimes  fill  the  sea  as  far  as 
the  'jye  can  reach,  or  thickly  cover  the  ice  over  areas  of  many 
square  miles  in  extent. 

■;•■■-  •      -  :^j 

Enemies. — Aside  from  their  destruction  by  man,  and  not 
unfrequently  by  the  elements,  they  find  a  formidable  enemy  in 
the  sword-flsh,  and  are  extensively  preyed  upon  by  sharks. 
Mr.  Carroll,  my  chief  authority  on  this  point,  says  that  when 
the  Seals  ai  e  floating  about  on  single  "  pans,"  he  has  seen  sword- 
flsh,  sharks,  and  other  kinds  ^^  fish,  taking  them  off.  The 
sword-fish,  he  says,  will  get  on  one  side  of  the  pan  and  press  it 
down  to  such  an  angle  "that  the  Seal  must  slip  ott'  among 
them  and  be  torn  to  pieces".  The  Seals  appear  to  have  a  great 
terror  of  these  remorseless  enemies,  for  the  same  authority  adds, 
"I  have  been  on  pans  of  ice  when  seals  mounted  the  ice  to 
avoid  the  sword-flsh  and  sharks,  and  obliged  to  fire  at  the  mon- 
sters to  keep  them  oft".  A  seal  will  shake  with  fear,  and  should 
a  man  be  on  the  pan  when  sword  fish  and  sharks  are  after  them, 

*  Excnrn.  in  Newfoundland,  vol.  i,  pp.  283,284. 


ill' 


*1^ 


I.  If: 


■ ;:  Si 


'li 


652 


PHOCA   GRCENLANDICA — HARP   SEAL. 


\ 


they  will  nin  between  a  man's  legs  for  protection  ".*  Doubtless 
manj'  young  Seals  not  only  become  the  prey  of  these  creatures, 
but  also  of  the  rapacious  Orea,  so  well  known  to  prey  upon  the 
young  of  the  Fur  Seals. 

Food. — Like  all  the  Phocids,  the  Harp  Seal  is  well  known  to 
subsist  chiefly  upon  fish,  but  also  in  part  upon  Crustaceans 
and  Mollusks.  White-fish  and  the  cod  seem  to  form  their  chief 
food  off  the  shores  of  Newfoundland  and  Labrador,  and  from 
the  abundance  of  the  Seals  the  quantity  they  consume  must  be 
immense.  It  has  even  been  supposed  that  the  small  catch  of 
codfish  about  the  island  of  Newfoundland  is  due  to  the  great 
destruction  of  these  fishes  by  the  Seals,  several  millions  of  the 
latter,  it  is  estimated,  spending  several  months  of  each  year  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  island.  Allowing  only  one  fish  a  day  to 
each  Seal  during  the  time  they  stay  about  the  island  would  re- 
quire the  annual  destruction  of  several  million  quintals  of  these 
fishes.  In  their  southward  migration  in  autumn  along  tho 
coast  of  Labrador,  they  are  said  to  follow  the  schools  of  white- 
fish,  on  which  to  a  large  extent  thej'  are  also  known  to  feed. 
They  also  follow  them  into  all  the  bays  along  the  coast  in 
spring.  "As  long  as  white-fish  are  in  with  the  land,"  says  Mr. 
Carroll,  "so  sure  will  seals  of  every  description  be  there". 
That  they  also  prey  upon  the  codfish  is  well  proven  by  Seals 
being  1  illed  with  these  fish  in  their  mouths,  as  well  as  by  find- 
ing t'lc^m  on  the  ice  to  which  the  Seals  have  carried  them,  Mr. 
Carroll  believes- that  the  greater  the  increase  of  Seals  on  the 
Newfoundland  coast  the  more  will  the  codfish  decrease  on  the 
same  coast.  The  scarcity  of  the  one  thus  seems  to  imply  the 
abundance  of  the  other,  so  that  an  abundance  of  Seals  along  a 
coast  where  cod-fishing  is  prosecuted  is  not  altogether  an  un- 
mixed good.  .  >  ,  , 

Hunting  and  Products. — As  so  large  a  part  of  what  has 
been  already  said  in  the  general  account  of  the  Seal-fishery  of 
the  North  Atlantic  and  Arctic  wateis  necessarily  relates  to  the 
present  species,  it  is  scarcely  requisite  in  the  present  connec- 
tion to  more  than  recall  the  leading  points  of  the  subject,  with 
the  addition  of  a  few  details  not  previously  given.  As  already 
stated,  the  sealing-grounds  par  excellence  are  the  ice-floes  oft*  the 
eastern  coast  of  Newfoundland  and  around  Jan  Mayen  Island, 

*Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  p.  26. 


HUNTING   AND   PRODUCTS. 


653 


where  the  present  species  forms  almost  the  sole  object  of  pur- 
suit. The  sealing  season  lasts  for  only  a  few  weeks  during 
spring;  the  enterprise*  gives  employment  during  this  time  to 
hundreds  of  vessels  and  thousands  of  men,  the  average  annual 
catch  falling  little  short  of  a  million  Seals,  valued  at  about 
three  million  of  dollars.  While  the  pursuit  is  mainly  carried 
on  in  vessels,  sailing  chiefly  from  English,  German,  and  Nor- 
wegian ports,  or  from  those  of  Newfoundland  and  the  other 
British  Provinces,  many  are  caught  along  the  shores  of  the 
countries  periodically  visited  by  these  animals,  as  those  of 
South  Greenland,  Southern  Labrador,  Newfoundland,  and  the 
Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence.  The  pursuit  with  vessels,  and  the  va- 
rious incidents  connected  therewith,  have  already  been  detailed, 
and  sufficient  allusions  have  perhaps  also  already  been  made 
to  the  Greeidand  method  of  Seal-hunting  {antea,  pp.  522-545). 
In  consequence  of  the  gregarious  habits  of  the  species,  and 
the  foct  that  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  those  taken  are  young 
ones  that  are  not  old  enough  to  make  any  effectual  attempt  to 
escape,  the  success  of  a  sealing  voyage  depends  ^''Imost  wholly 
upon  the  mere  matter  of  luck  in  discovering  the  herds.  While 
the  old  Seals  are  mostly  shot,  the  young  ave  killed  with  clubs. 
In  respect  to  the  ease  and  facility  with  which  they  are  cap- 
tured it  may  be  noted  that  it  is  not  at  all  unusual,  in  the  height 
of  the  season,  for  the  crew  of  a  single  small  vessel  to  kill  and 
take  on  board  from  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  in  a  day.  Mr. 
Brown  states:  "In  18G6  the  steamer  Camperdown  obtained 
the  enormous  number  of  22,000  Seals  in  nine  days,"  or  an  aver- 
age of  2,500  per  day.  "  It  is  nothing  uncommon,"  he  adds, 
"  for  a  ship's  crew  to  club  or  shoot,  in  one  day,  as  many  as  from 
500  to  800  old  Seals,  with  2,000  young  ones".t  Such  slaughter 
is  necessarily  attended  with  more  or  less  barbarity,  but  this 
seems  to  be  sometimes  carried  to  a  needless  extreme.  The 
Seals  are  very  tenacious  of  life,  and,  in  the  haste  of  killing, 
many  are  left  for  a  long  time  half  dead,  or  are  even  flayed 
alive.  Jukes  states  that  even  the  young  are  "  sometimes  bar- 
barously skinned  alive,  the  body  writhing  in  blood  after  being 
stripped  of  its  skin,"  and  they  have  even  been  seen  to  swim 
away  in  that  state,  as  when  the  first  blow  fails  to  kill  the  Seal 
their  hard-hearted  murderers  "  cannot  stop  to  give  them  a  sec- 
ond".     'How  is  it,"  he  adds,  "one  can  steel  one's  mind  to  look 

*  For  statistics  of  the  Seal-lishery,  see  antetl,  pp.  497-502. 
tMan.  Nat.  Hist.,  Geol.,  etc.,  Grceulaud,  Maui.,  p.  67,  footnote.* 


'^v-i? 


ir 


m 


11 


654 


GENUS   ERIGNATHUS. 


on  that  which  to  read  of,  or  even  think  of  afterwards,  makes 
one  shudder?  In  the  bustle,  hurry,  iind  excitement,  these 
things  pass  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  as  if  necessary ;  but  they 
are  most  horrible,  and  will  not  admit  of  an  attempt  at  pallia- 
tion."* Scoresbyt  and  other  writers  refer  to  similar  heartless 
proceedings, — as  though  the  necessary  suffering  attending  such 
a  sacrifi(je  of  unresisting  creatures  were  not  in  itself  bad 
enough  without  the  infliction  of  such  needless  cruelty.  The 
young  Seals  not  only  do  not  attempt  any  resistance,  but  are 
said  to  make  no  effort  to  move  when  approached,  quietly  suf- 
fering themselves  to  be  knocked  on  the  head  with  a  club.  The 
old  Seals  are  more  wary,  and  are  generally  killed  with  fire- 
arms. Scoresby  relates  that  "When  the  Seals  are  observed 
to  be  making  their  escape  into  the  water  before  the  boats  reach 
the  ice,  the  sailors  give  a  long-continued  shout,  on  which  their 
victims  are  deluded  by  the  amazement  a  sound  so  unusual 
produces  and  frequently  delay  their  retreat  until  arrested  by 
the  blows  of  their  enemies  ".  f 

The  annual  catch  of  Harp  Seals  in  Greenland  is  stated  by 
Eink  to  be  17,500 full-grown  "  Saddle-backs"  and  15,500  "Blue- 
sides",  or  33,000  in  all.  The  catch  from  the  Newfoundland 
ports  alone  often  reaches  500,000,  and  in  the  Jan  Mayen  seas 
often  exceeds  300,000,  so  that  the  total  annual  catch  of  this 
species  alone  doubtless  ranges  from  800,000  to  900,000. 

The  commercial  products  are  the  oil — used  in  the  lubrication 
of  machinery,  in  tanning  leather,  and  in  miners'  lamps — and 
the  skins,  which  are  employed  for  the  manufacture  of  vaiious 
kinds  of  leather  and  articles  of  clothing.  The  skins  are  said 
to  be  mostly  sold  to  English  manufacturers,  who  employ  them 
in  the  preparation  of  a  superior  article  of  "patent"  or  lacquered 
leather.  The  flesh  is  esteemed  by  the  Greenlanders  as  superior 
to  that  of  their  favorite  NeiUek  {Phoca  fcetida). 

Genus  ERIGNATHUS,  Gill. 

Phoca,  Gray,  "  Zool.  Erebus  and  Terror,  1814  ";  Cat,  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850, 
27,  not  of  Linn^.    Type,  Phoca  barhata,  Fabricius. 

Erignathus,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866,  9.    Type,  Phoca  6u  iata. 

Miizzle  broad,  forehead  high,  convex;  small  supraorbital 
processes.    Dental  formula  as  in  Phoca;  teeth  small,  molars 

•  Excurs.  in  Newfoundland,  vol.  i,  p.  290. 
tHist.  of  the  Arct.  Reg.,  vol.  i,  p.  510. 
tlbid.,  vol.  i,  p.  5ia. 


d 


.,  J? 


ERIGNATHUS  BARBATUS — BEARDED  SEAL. 


655 


spaced,  slightly  imi)lanted,  early  becoming  defective  by  attri- 
tion ;  partly  deciduous  in  old  age.  Palatal  area  broad,  ellipti- 
cal, deeply  euiargiuate  posteriorly ;  uarial  septum  incomplete. 
Lower  jaw  short,  small,  the  rami  outwardly  convex.  Scapula 
with  no  acromion  process.  Iliac  crests  not  abruptly  everted 
and  produced.  Middle  digits  of  the  mauus  longest.  ]Mamm£E  4. 
In  respect  to  the  general  form  of  the  skull,  Erignathus  differs 
from  Phoca  in  the  great  height  of  the  skull  at  the  anterior  border 
of  the  frontals.  It  differs  also  in  the  great  breadth,  arched  form, 
and  elliptical  outline  of  the  palate,  and  in  the  great  depth  of 
the  narial  fossai.  Although  its  single  species  is  still  commonly 
placed  in  the  genus  Phoca,  other  osteological  characters,  espe- 
cially the  absence  of  the  acromion  process  of  the  scapula  and 
the  slight  eversiou  of  the  iliac  border  of  the  pelvis,  seem  to 
warrant  its  separation.  Although  the  animal  attains  to  a  large 
size,  the  teeth  are  weak,  aid  in  young  specimens,  or  before 
they  have  become  modified  by  r,ttrition,  are  not  longer  antero- 
posteriorly,  though  rather  thicker,  than  in  Phoca  fcetida,  and 
are  consequen  :ly  several  times  smaller  than  in  Phoca  vitulina. 
The  first,  second,  and  fifth  upper  molars  are  2-pointed,  only  the 
posterior  accessory  cufep  being  developed ;  the  third  and  fourth 
are  3-poiuted,  also  without  an  anterior  cusp.  All  the  lower 
molars  are  3-pointed,  there  being  an  accessorj^  cusp  both  in 
front  of  and  behind  the  principal  cusp.  Quite  early  in  life  the 
teeth  become  much  worn,  and  in  old  age  the  crowns  of  the  three 
middle  molars  become  often  wholly  worn  away,  leaving  only 
the  fangs,  and  even  these  sometimes  in  part  disappear.  Mr. 
Kumlien  states  that  '4n  many  adults  the  teeth  can  almost 
be  plucked  out  with  the  fingers,"  so  slight  is  their  attachment. 

ERIGNATHUS  BARBATUS  {Fabricius)  Gill. 

Bearded  Seal. 

Phoca  harbata,  Fabricius,  MUUer's  Zool.  Dau.  Prod.,  1776,  -viii;  Fauna 
Groenl.,  1780,  15 ;  Skriv.  Nat.  Selsk.,  i,  1790,  139,  pi.  xiii,  fig.  3.— 
Ebxleben,  Syst.  Reg.  Anim.,  1777, 590.— Gmeun,  Syst.  Nat.,  i,  1788, 
65.— Kerb,  An,  King.,  1792,  126,— Suaw,  Gen.  Zool.,  i,  1800.— J, 
Ross,  Ross's  Ist  Voy.,  App.,  1819,  xli.— Desmarest,  Mam.,  1820, 
246,  378.— "NIL880N,  Skand.  Faun.,  1,  1820,  374  ;  K.  Vet.  Akad. 
Handl.,  Stockholm,  1837,  — "  ;  Wiegmann's Arch.  fiirNaturg.,  1841, 
317;  Skand.  Faiuui  Diiggdj,,  1847,294. — "  Thienemann,  Raise  im 
Nordeu  von  Enropa,  etc. ,  i,  1824, 23,  pi.  i  (ad.  female),  p?.  ii  (male  of  two 
years),  pi.  iii  (male  of  one  year),  pi.  iv  (skulls)." — Richardson, 
Parry's  2d  Voy.,  Suppl.,  1825,  335.— Harlai  ,  Faun.  Amer.,  1825,  111. 


!'    I", 


In 


y 


656 


ERIGNATHUS   BARBATUS — BEARDED   SEAL. 


— GODMAN,  Aiucr.  Nat.  Hist..,  i,  1826, 34ii.— Ghay,  Grhiith's  Auiiii. 
Kiug.,v,  1827, 178;  "Zool.  Erebus  and  Terror";  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus,, 
1850,  27,  fig.  9 ;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  180(5,  31,  iig.  10 ;  Suppl.  Cat. 
Seals  aud  Whales,  1871,  3;  Hand-List  Seals,  1874,  8,  pi.  v. — Fis- 
cher, Syn.  Mam.,  1829,  240. — J.  C.Ross,  Ross's  2d  Voy.,  App.,  1835, 
xxi. — Bell,  Brit.  Quad.,  18:J7,  275,  fig.  of  skull  (in  part  only).— 
Macgiluvray,  Brit.  Quad.,  1838,  212  (in  part  only).— Hamilton, 
Amphib.  Carn.,  1839,  145,  pi.  "3" — i.  o.  5  (in  part  only);  not  the 
British  references,  nor  the  young  specimen  in  Edinb.  Mus.,  apvd 
Brown,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc,  1868,  419. — Blainville,  Ostdogr.,  Phoca, 
1840-1851,  pi.  ix.— Temminck,  Faun.  Japon.,  Mam.  Marius,  184'J, 
8  (Japan  -f  Jukes,  Excurs.  in  Newfoundland,  i,  1842,  312.— Wag- 
NEB,  Schreber's  Siiugth.,  vii,  1842, 18.— Schinz,  Synop.  Mam.,  i,  1844, 
481. — Von  Middendorff,  Sibir.  Reise,  ii,  2,  1853,  122.— Giebel, 
Siiugeth.,  1855,  134.— Von  Schkenck,  Amur-Lande,  i,  1859,  181.— 
Malmgren,  Ofv.  af  Kongl.  Vet.  Akad.  Stockh.,  1863,  135;  Arch.fiir 
Naturg.,  1864, 74.— Steenstrup,  Vid.  Medd.  f.  d.  Naturh.  Forening, 
1864  (1805),  209.— Collett,  Bemserk.  til  Norges  Pattedyrf.,  1876, 
58. — Von  Middendorff,  Sibirisch"  Reise,. iv,  Th.  2,  1807,  934.— 
Lloyd,  Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  1867, 
408,  pi.,  animal.— QuENNERSTEDT,  Ivongl.  Sveus.  Vetensk.  Akad. 
Handl.,  vii,  No.  3,  1868,  10.— Brow  .,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868, 
340,  424;  Man.  Nat.  Hist.,  Geol.,  etc.,  'reenland.  Mam.,  1875,  53. — 
ToRELLand  Nordenskjold,  Swedischi  a  Exp.  nach  Spitz,  u.  Biireu 
Eiland,  etc.  (Genu.  ed. )  1869,  78  (plate  roiiresenting  a  group  on  the 
ice). — LiLLJEBORG,  Fauna  ofver  Svoriges  och  Norges  Ryggradsdjur, 
1,  1874,  697. — Rink,  Danish  Greenland,  its  People  and  its  Products, 
1877,  126,  430.— Van  Beneden,  Ann.  du  Mus.  roy.  d'Hist.  Nat.  du 
Belgique,  i,  1877,  20  (geogr.  distr.). — Kumlien,  Bull.  U.  S.  Nat. 
Mus.,  No.  15,  1879,  61. 

Callocephahtabarbatus,  F.  Cuvier,  M^m.  An  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  184,  pi.  xii,  fig. 
4 ;  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  547.— Lesson,  Man.  de  Mara., 
1827, 198. 

Phoca  (Callocephalua)  barbata,  Von  Heuglin,  Reisen  nach  dem  Nordpolar- 
ineer,  etc.,  iii,  1874,  56. 

Erignathua  baibatus,  Giix,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866,  12.— ? Packard,  Proc. 
Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  x,  1806,  271. 

Phoca  leporina,  Lepechin,  Act.  Acad.  Petrop.,  i,  1777,  204,  pU.  viii,  ix.— 
Fabricius,  Skriv.  Nat.  Selsk.,  i,  2, 1791, 108.— Shaw,  Gen.  Zool.,  i, 
1800, 258.— Desmarest,  Nouv.  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxv,  1817, 581 ;  Mam., 
1820,  243,  374.— Fischer,  Synop.  Mam.,  1829,  237.— Hamilton, 
Amphib.  Caruiv.,  1839,  170,  pi.  ix. 

Cillocephalua  leporinus,  F.  Cuvier,  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  545. 

Phoca  lepechini,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiti,  1828, 415  (=  i'/ioca 
leponua,  Lepechin). 

Phoca  paraonsi,  Lesson,  Diet.  Class.  d'Hist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828,  414  (==  Long- 
bodied  Seal,  Parsons). 

Phoca  albigena,  Pallas,  Zoogr.  Rosso-Asiat.,  i,  1631,  109. 

Phoca  nautioa,  Palt.as,  Zoogr.  Rosso- Asiat.,  i,  1831,  108. 

Phoca  naurica,  Gray,  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871, 3  (="/'Aoconaurtca 
[lege  nautica]  et  Phoca  albigena,  Pallas"). 


:M 


EXTERNAL   CHARACTERS. 


657 


Phooa,  Vituluamarinua,  or  Sea  CaJ/,  Parsons,  Phil.  Trans.,  xlii,  1742-3(1744), 

383,  pi.  i. 
Lachtdk,  Steller,  Nov.  Comm.  Acad.  Petrop.,  ii,  1751,  290. 
Long-hodied  Seal,  Parsons,  Phil.  Trans.,  xlvii,  1751-SJ  (1753),  121. 
Vkauk,  Cranz,  Hist,  von  Groonl.,  1765. 
Leporine  Seal,  Pennant,  Syn.  Quad.,  ii,  1793,  '^77. 
llemmeawUn,  Fabricius,  1791,  1.  c. 
Oo-sook,  Greeulanders. 
Ogjook,  Cumberland  Esquimaux  (Kumlien). 
Laohtak  or  Laktak,  Kamtschatkans. 
Storkobbe,  Blaakobbe,  Havert,  Norwegian  (VON  Heuulin). 
Hafertrakdl,  Storsjal,  Swedish. 
Bartrobbe,  Bartige  Seehund,  German. 

t  Square  fipper  and  Square  flipper,  of  Newfoundland  Sealers. 
Ground  Seal,  Spitzbergen  Sealers  (Brown). 
Bearded  Seal,  Great  Seal,  English  authors. 


External  Characters. — Above  gray,  darker  along  the 
middle  of  the  back,  the  color  varying  in  different  individuals. 
A  specimen  from  Disco  Bay,  Greenland  (Nat.  Mus.,  No.  8697), 
i.s  gray,  varied  with  black,  but  without  distinct  marks  or  spots. 
Wagner  describes  a  specimen  from  Labrador  as  clear  gray 
above,  marbled  with  large  indistinct  yellowish  spots,  among 
them  one  on  the  back  of  the  head  more  pronounced  j  sides  and 
whole  lower  side  of  the  body  soiled  white.  No  dark  stripe 
along  the  back  and  head.  Nilsson  describes  the  color  as  being 
a  pale  gray  above,  still  paler  on  the  sides,  and  on  the  belly 
white ;  head  and  neck  above,  blackish,  with  a  narrow  band  of 
the  same  color  along  the  back.  Macgillivray  describes  a  Green- 
land specimen  as  having  "the  fore  part  of  the  head  brown,  the 
top  light  yellowish-gray ;  the  hind  neck  and  an  obscurely  de- 
fined space  along  the  back,  including  the  tail,  dull  brown,  the 
rest  dull  yellowish-gray".  Mr.  Kumlien,  who  has  had  the  op- 
jjortunity  of  seeing  many  specimens  in  the  Arctic  regions,  says 
the  color  is  variable,  the  yellowish-brown  being  "more  or  less 
clouded  with  lighter  or  darker  markings,  irregularly  dispersed". 
The  length  of  adult  males  is  usually  given  as  "about  ten  feet"; 
females,  rather  smaller.  I  find  the  total  length  of  an  adult  fe- 
male skeleton  to  be  7  feet  2  inches  (2195  mm.). 

The  young  are  described  as  being  covered  with  long,  soft, 
dark  gray  wool,  which,  in  about  two  weeks  after  ^irth,  is  re- 
placed by  a  coat  of  shorter,  more  rigid,  bluish-gray  hair.  Nils- 
son  described  a  specimen  supposed  to  be  foetal  as  covered  with 
dark  gray  wool,  which  is  darker  on  the  posterior  part  of  the 
Misc.  Pu^.  No.  12 42 


i 


rr 

1  •  •  1 

1 :;:;.! 

|i;H 
I'iiill 

t  ! 


658  ERIGNATHUS   PARBATUS BEARDED   SEAL. 

back  and  hind  feet,*  while  Lepechin  comparod  the  woolly  coat 
of  the  young  (his  Phocn  leporina)  to  that  of  Lepus  rariabilis. 
]\Ii'.  Knmlicn  thus  describes  a  foetal  specimen  taken  April  28, 
1878,  near  Middliojuacktwack  Islands:  "Color,  uniform  grizzly 
mouse  color,  with  a  tinge  of  olive-gray.    Muzzle,  crown,  and 
irregular  patches  on  the  back  and  fore  flippers,  white.    From 
the  nose  to  the  eyes  a  black  line,  with  anotlicr  crossing  the 
head  behind  the  eyes,  the  two  forming  a  perfect  cross.    Nails, 
horn-blue,  tipped  with  white.    Iris,  dark  brown.    Nose,  black. 
Muzzle,  wide,  lips  full  and  fleshy,  giving  the  animal  a  bull-dog 
exi)ression.    Body,  long  and  slender.    Beard,  pellucid,  abuii 
dant,  white,  stout,  the  bristles  becoming  shorter  toward  the  nos 
trils.    Hind  flippers,  large  and  heavy,  looking  disproportionate 
to  the  size  of  the  body.    Hair,  rather  short,  but  fine  and  some- 
what woolly,  interspersed  with  another  kind,  stift'  and  of  a 
steel-blue  color,  which  I  take  to  be  the  second  coat.    The  Es 
kimo  are  firm  in  the  belief  that  the  Ogjook  sheds  its  first  coat 
within  the  uterus  of  the  mother.    In  this  case  there  was  cer- 
tainly an  abundauc*^  of  loose  hair  in  tht^  uterus,  but  the  si)eci 
men  had  been  dragged  some  miles  in  its  envelope  over  rougli 
ice,  besides  having  been  krj)t  three  or  four  days  in  an  Eskimo 
igloo  among  a  heap  of  garbage,  so  that  it  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  the  hair  was  loose. 

"There  was  little  blubber  on  the  specimen,  and  this  was 
thickly  interspersed  with  blood-vessels. 

"The  specimen  measured  as  follows: 

Feet,  inches. 

Extreme  length 4  7 

Leu  gth  of  head 0  S-'-^ 

Width  of  mnzzl- 0  4.5 

From  end  of  nose  to  eye  0  3.2 

Distance  between  ej'es 0  3. 5 

Length  of  fore  flipper  (to  end  of  nails) 0  7. 15 

Width  of  fore  flipper 0  4. 3 

Length  of  hind  flipper 1  0 

Greatest  expanse  of  hind  flipper 1  1.5"t 

Skull  and  Skeleton. — The  principal  distinctive  osteolog- 
ical  features  of  the  Bearded  Seal  having  already  been  given  in 
connection  with  the  generic  diagnosis,  little  is  called  for  in  the 
present  connection,  since  n  detailed  account  of  its  osteology 
does  not  fall  within  the  scope  of  the  i)reseut  history  of  the  species. 

•  Archiv.  fUr  Naturg.,  1841,  p.  317. 
t  MS.  notes. 


SKULL   AND   SKELETON. 


659 


It  may  be  i  tated,  however,  in  general  terms,  that  the  skeleton 
indicates  a  general  robustness  of  form,  coi'relating  witli  the 
ratJier  broad  thick  head.  The  relative  length  of  the  diliereut 
limb-segments  and  vertebral  regions  is  about  as  in  Phoca  groen- 
lanfKca,  excei)t  that  the  caudal  series  of  vertebrae  is  much 
shorter.  The  bulk  of  the  entire  animal,  however,  nuist  be  (ion- 
siderably  greater  than  in  P.  grcenlandica.  The  scapula  is  long 
and  narrow,  the  proscapular  and  i)ostscapular  fossfc  about 
ecpial,  the  latter  not  greatly  produced  at  its  i)osterior  upper 
border,  as  in  Phoca  vitnlina  and  P.  foetUla.  Aside  from  the 
absence  of  the  acromion  process,  it  thus  dift'ers  in  its  nar- 
row elongated  form,  and  especially  in  the  unusual  length  of 
the  shaft,  from  that  of  eitlier  of  the  three  above-named  species. 
P.  (/ramlandica  preser^ts  the  opposite  extreme,  the  scapula  of 
which  is  broad  and  short. 

The  exceptional  features  of  the  skull  are  the  small  size  of  the 
orbital  fossae,  the  rather  small  size  of  the  auditory  buUai,  and 
the  large  size  of  the  nasal  passages.  The  general  form  of  the 
lower  jaw  is  much  as  in  P.  vittiUna,  especially  resembling  it  iu 
the  lateral  convexity  of  the  rami,  and  in  the  form  of  the  con- 
dylar portion,  and  in  the  abruptness  of  the  angle.  It  is,  how- 
ever, small  and  weak  for  the  size  of  the  skull,  and  especially  so 
for  the  size  of  the  animal.*  Perhaps  its  most  striking  feature 
consists  in  the  large  process  on  the  hind  border  just  below  the. 
condyle,  which  is  twisted  over  toward  the  inner  edge  of  th(! 
jaw,  and  has  its  axis  of  development  in  that  direction  or  trans- 
verse to  the  longitudinal  axis  of  the  jaw. 

In  comparison  with  the  skeleton  in  the  above-named  species 
of  Phoca,  the  bones  of  the  Bearded  Seal  are  light  and  porous 
(less  so,  however,  than  in  the  Cystophorince) ;  the  tuberosities 
are  all  rather  weakly  developed,  with  a  less  tendency  to  anchy- 
losis. To  this  general  laxness  of  ossification  may  perhaps  be 
attributed  the  slight  development  and  consequent  lack  of  ab- 
rupt eversion  of  iliac  crests  of  the  pelvis  already  noted.  The 
subjoined  table  of  linear  measurements  of  the  principal  bones 
of  the  skeleton  is  taken  from  that  of  a  quite  old  female  from 
Cumberland  Gulf,  collected  by  Mr.  Kumlieu. 


*  I  find  that  tho  lower  jaw  of  a  very  old  male  P.  vituUna  just  fits  an  adult 
female  skull  of  Erigitathua  bariatut,  except  that  the  latter  is  slightly  longer. 


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660 


ERIGNATHUS   DARBATUS BEARDED   SEAL. 


MeanurenwUa  of  the  principal  parts  cf  tte  skeleton  in  Erignathuv  barbatua 

(9  ad.). 

aoc. 

Length  of  tbe  sknll '230 

Length  of  the  cervical  vertebra) 250 

Length  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae 800 

Length  of  the  lumbar  vertebrse 390 

Length  of  the  sacral  vertebra 175 

Length  of  the  caudal  vertebrae 350 

Length  of  the  scapula ^ 'ilO 

Length  of  the  humenia IG2 

Length  of  the  radius 140 

Length  of  the  manus. 185 

Length  of  the  pelvis 320 

Length  of  the  femur 153 

Length  of  the  tibia 810 

Length  of  the  pes 380 

Length  of  the  whole  skeleton 2195 

Length  of  the  fore  limb  (exclusive  of  scapula) 487 

Length  of  the  hind  limb 843 

The  series  of  skulls  of  this  species  shows  that  the  female  is 
rather  smaller  than  the  malo,  with  a  rather  weaker  osseous 
structure.  While  old  males  have  rudinieii  tary  but  quite  stron  gly 
marked  anteorbital  processes,  equally  old  female  skulls  some- 
times show  not  the  slightest  trace  of  them.  The  largest  male 
skulls  do  not  exceed  a  length  of  260  mm.,  while  one  marked 
as  female  attains  nearly  240  mm.  The  Bearded  Seal,  although 
often  stated  to  be  the  largest  Phocid  of  the  northern  seas,  has 
the  skull  much  smaller  than  either  Halichoerua  grypua  or  Cysto- 
phora  cristata,  while  the  skeleton  of  the  latter  indicates  an  an- 
imal of  much  greater  bulk.  Adult  female  skulls  of  the  Bearded 
Seal,  in  fact,  scarcely  exceed  in  linear  dimensions  very  large 
old  male  skulls  of  Fhoca  vitulina. 


MEASUKEMENTS   0)^   THE   SKULL. 


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662 


ERIONATHUS    BARBATUS BEARDED    SEAL. 


General  History  and  Nomenclature.— The  early  his- 
tory of  the  Bearded  Seal  is  peculiarly  involved,  owiiijif  in  part 
to  the  vagueness  of  the  early  references.  The  first  notice  of 
the  species  that  can  be  fixed  with  any  degree  of  certainty  is 
Dr.  James  Parsons's  account,  published  in  1744,  of  the  ^^Phoca, 
Vitulus  marinus,  or  Sea-Calf,  shewed  at  ChariiigCross,  in  Feb.^ 
1742-3  ",  *  which,  if  any  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  figure, — 
declared  by  Dr.  Parsons  to  be  drawn  from  life  and  to  have  been 
pronounced  by  all  who  saw  it  to  be  an  excellent  likeness, — and 
the  characters  given  in  the  text,  must  be  unquestionably  the 
present  species.  Dr.  Parsons  says  it  was  a  female,  and  very 
young,  "though  Seven  Feet  and  half  in  Length,  having  scarcely 
any  Teeth,  and  having  Four  Holes  regularly  placed  about  the 
navel,  as  appears  by  the  Figure,  which  in  time  become  PapillaJ^ 
The  figure  shows  the  middle  finger  of  the  fore-flipper  to  be  the 
longest,  the  others  regularly  decreasing  v.i  length  on  each  side, 
while  the  hind-flippers  terminate  squarely,  with  all  the  digits 
of  nearly  equal  size.  As  this  is  the  only  species  of  Seal  found 
in  the  northern  seas  which  lias  four  mammie,  and  the  flippers 
of  the  form  here  indicated,  the  identity  of  the  species  seems 
beyond  question.  The  size,  moreover,  corresponds  with  that 
of  old  females  of  the  present  species.  Its  "  having  scarcely  any 
Teeth"  is  another  strong  point  in  favor  of  its  being  the  Bearded 
Seal,  since  it  is  well  known  that  in  old,  or  even  middle-aged, 
examples  of  this  species  the  molar  t«ieth  are  so  much  worn 
down  that  only  the  fangs  of  the  greater  part  of  the  molars 
remain,  and  even  these  may  be  in  part  lacking,  while  on  the 
other  hand  no  other  Seal  of  this  size  could  show  this  feature, 
either  from  immaturity  or  attrition  due  to  old  age.  The 
identity  of  Parsons's  Long-bodied  Sealt  with  the  Bearded  Seal 
{Phoca  barbata,  auct.)  was  almost  universally  conceded  till 
1837,  when,  from  an  examination  of  what  was  supposed  to  be 
Dr.  Parsons's  original  specimen,  Messrs.  Bell  and  Ball  declared 
it  to  be  Halichcerus  grypus.  Mr.  B#ll  says,  "  For  many  years 
there  has  been  deposited  in  the  British  Museum  a  large  speci- 
men of  Seal,  which  has  always  been  considered  as  the  Phoca 
barbata.    It  was  previously  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Donovan, 

•  PhU.  Trans,  for  the  year  1742-1743  (1744),  p.  383,  pi.  i. 

t  It  Bliould  be  Htated  that  this  n.-ime  was  first  used  by  Dr.  Parsons  for  this 
Seal  in  a  subsequent  reference  to  the  same  specimen  published  in  1753  (Phil. 
Trans.,  vol,  xlvii,  p.  121),  in  which  the  habitat  is  given  as  the  coast  of 
Cornwall  and  tho  Isle  of  Wight. 


GENERAL    H18T0RY   AND   NOMENCLATURE. 


663 


who,  I  am  int'oriiit><l,  .stated  it  to  bo  the  identical  specimen  do- 
scribed  under  the  name  of '  Long-bodied  Seal'  by  Mr.  Parsons, 
in  the  forty-seventli  vohime  of  the  IMiilosoidticnl  Transactions. 
It  has  been  upon  his  authority  only  that  Ph.  barbata  has  been 
catalogued  a><  British,  and  it  now  proves  to  be  the  same  species 
as  that  lately  found  on  the  southern  coast  of  Ireland  by  Mr. 
Ball,  the  Phoca  G typhus  of  I'abricius,  Ilalkharm  yrisem  of 
llornschuch  and  Nilsson.  It  was  by  the  exhibition  of  crania 
of  this  spe(!ies  by  ]Mr.  Ball  at  the  late  meeting  of  the  British 
Association,  that  Professor  Nilsson,  who  was  present,  was  able 
to  identify  it ;  and  a  subsequent  examination  of  the  specimen  in 
the  British  Museum  led  that  gentleman  to  the  conclusion  that 
this  also  is  identical  with  the  former."*  Mr.  Ball  says,  "On  ex- 
amining the  remains  of  Donovan's  Ph.barbata,  now  in  the  British 
Museum,  1  recognized  in  it  an  ill-put-up  specimen  of  cmr  Hali- 
ehceruH;  and  I  presume  the  stufl'er  has  endeavored  t'>  make  the 
specimen  correspond  with  the  description  of  Ph.  barbata  by 
unduly  plumping  up  the  snout  and  shortening  the  thumbs, 
which  are  evidently  pushed  in  by  the  wires  intended  to  sup- 
port the  paws."t  Since  these  announcements  the  Long-bodied 
Seal  of  Parsons  has  generally  been  referred  to  HaUchwrus 
grypua,  or  only  doubtfully  assigned  a  place  among  the  synonyms 
of  the  Bearded  Seal.  Inasmuch  as  the  Long-bodied  Seal  of 
Parsons  forms  an  important  element  in  the  ground-work  on 
which  the  name  Phoca  barbata  reposes,  a  further  inquiry  into 
the  question  here  at  issue  may  be  in  place. 

First,  it  may  be  noted,  that  the  identity  of  Donovan's  speci- 
men \j[ith  that  described  by  Parsons  rests  on  hearsay  testimony, 
namely,  a  report  that  he  said  it  was  the  same.  J  Without  cast- 
ing any  implication  of  doubt  upon  the  correct  specific  determi- 
nation of  Donovan's  specimen,  as  above  detailed,  it  may  be 
observed  further  that  the  characters  given  by  Parsons  apply  to 
the  Bearded  Seal  and  to  no  other,  and,  furthermore,  that  Par- 
.  sons  does  not  state  whether  or  not  his  specimen  was  preserved, 
nor  does  he  in  the  original  account  say  where  it  was  captured. 
In  his  second  notice  he  gives  its  habitat  as  the  "  Coast  of  Coru- 

*  History  of  Britisli  Quadrupeds,  etc.,  1837,  pp.  ^78,  279. 

t  Ibfd.,  p.  28L 

t  Ball  sLates  elsewhere  that  Donovan's  Phoca  barhata  ^' seems  to  be  the 
individual  described  by  Parsons  as  the  long-bodied  seal,  and  it  appears  to 
have  been  on  the  authority  of  this  speciniim  that  Phoca  barbata  has  occu- 
pie  I  a  place  in  the  British  Fauna." — Trans.  Roy.  Irish  Acad.,  vol.  xviii,  pt. 
1,  pp.  90,  S>1,  in  a  paper  read  "12th  December,  18^6". 


¥ 


im 


664 


ERIONATHUH    BARHATUS — BEARDED   SEAL. 


wrtll  and  the  Lsle  of  White"  {lege  Wight?).  In  view  of  the 
admitted  uncertainty  an  to  wlietlier  Donovan's  Hpecimen  was 
the  one  described  by  Parsons,  and  tlie  agreement  of  Parsons's 
account  and  figure  (the  best  figure  of  any  Seal  published  up  to 
that  date),  there  seems  to  be  no  adequate  reason  for  referring 
Parsons's  Long-bodied  Seal  to  any  other  than  the  Bearded 
Seal,  with  which  for  three-fourths  of  a  century  it  was  currently 
associated. 

Another  early,  and  in  some  respects  important  account  of 
this  species,  appears  to  have  been  given  by  Cneitf  (see  anteh, 
p.  .'530),  under  the  name  Ord  Skwl  (or  "  graue  Seekalb"  as  termed 
in  the  German  translation  of  his  paper,  which  is  here  used). 
Althoujrh  (^neitt's  (or  Kneitf,  in  the  German  orthography)  Grfl, 
Sktel  is  I'er  'red  by  liilljeborg  and  others  to  Halichcerus  grypits, 
its  breeding  habits  seem  to  forbid  its  reference  to  that  species, 
it  being  said  to  bring  forth  its  young  about  the  end  of  February 
on  the  ice  remote  from  the  land,  while  Halichcerus  grypus  has 
its  young  in  the  autumn,  for  which  purpose  it  resorts  to  the  land, 
selecting  us  its  breeding  haunts  rockj'  shores  and  small  rocky 
islets.  The  general  habits  of  the  species  also  better  accord 
with  those  of  the  Bearded  Seal,  especially  its  forming  an  atluk 
or  breathing-hole  through  the  ice,  like  Phoca  foetida,  these  two 
species  being  the  only  ones  found  in  the  northern  seas  w'uich 
have  that  habit.  That  it  is  not  Phocafatida  is  indicated  by  its 
size,  which  is  said  to  be  a  full  "  Klafter "  (about  OJ  feet)  long, 
and  by  his  comp.arison  of  it  with  the  Harbor  Seal  ("  Wikare"  or 
"  Meerbusenkalb"  =  iVjoca  vitulina),  from  which  it  appears  that 
the  latter  is  only  about  half  the  size  of  the  former.*  As  respects 
the  color,  he  says  the  Gray  Sea-Calves  are  mostly  dark  gray ; 
many  are  yellowish;  but  they  are  very  rarely  marked  with 
black  and  white  spots.  There  is  here  a  closer  agreement  with 
the  Bearded  than  with  the  Gray  Seal.  There  consequently 
seems  to  be  no  reason  whj'  Cneiflf's  GrS,  Ska^l  should  not  be 
referred  to  the  Bearded  Seal,  and  very  strong  reasons  against 
its  reference  to  Halichcerus  grypusA 

To  resume  the  early  I'nstory  of  the  subject,  the  next  notice 
of  the  Bearded  Seel  appears  to  be  Steller's  reference,  in  1751, 

•  He  gives  the  weight  of  the  grane  Seekalb  as  "18  Lisspfuud",  and  that 
of  the  Wikare  as  "10  Lisspfund  ". 

t  At  p.  531,  in  the  account  of  Cneiii"'8  liistory  of  sealing  in  the  Gulf  of 
Bothnia,  I  gave  the  species  as  probably  Haliehtenu  grypua,  in  deference  to 
eminent  authority. 


.\  ¥ 


GENERAL    HISTORY   AND   NOMENCLATURE. 


665 


to  11  larjifti  Seal  occurrinjjf  in  the  North  rac-iflc, "  qiuc  luugnirudiuu 
Taiirutu  Hupcrat'^,  and  which  ho  Hay.s  tho  Kamtschatdalos 
called  "Lachtak".  lie  Hpcaks  of  it  as  beinj^  the  largest  of  the 
Seals  of  those  'vaters.  It  later  formed  the  "P/ioca  maxima, 
Steller"  of  authors,  l;  *  Steller  himself  did  not  originate  this 
phraseology.  It  is  ..'..-.v*  the  basis  of  the  Plioca  lachtak  of  Des- 
marest.  These  references  have  been  very  generally  identified 
with  the  present  species.  Cranz,  in  170;"),  referred  to  it,  but 
without  really  describing  it,  under  the  name  Uksuk.  Yet  the 
little  he  had  to  say  about  it  serves  to  render  it  certain  that  the 
Uksuk  is  the  Phoca  harbata  of  the  later  systematic  writers,  it 
being  still  known  in  Greenland  under  that  name  (now  commonly 
spelled  "Oo-sook"),  just  as  the  Pacific  representatives  of  the 
species  are  still  known  under  the  native  name  Laktak. 

Fabricius  was  the  first  to  give  it  a  systematic  designation, 
lie  calling  it,  in  177G  (in  inedited  notes  in  Milller's  "Zoologicte 
DanijB  Prodromus"),  Phoca  harbata,  but  the  name  was  unac- 
companied by  a  description.  He  cites,  however,  its  Icelandic 
and  Greeulandic  names  "Gramselr"  and  "  Urksuk,"  by  which 
the  species  is  still  known  in  those  countries.  Four  years  later 
(in  his  "Fauna  Gricnlandica")  he  fully  described  the  Urksuk 
of  Greenland  under  the  name  Phoca  harbata,  when  the  species 
became  first  fairly  characterized.  In  the  meantime  Erxleben 
(in  1777)  had  adopted  the  name  for  a  large  species  of  Seal, 
under  which  designation  he  cited  not  only  the  Uksuk  of  Cranz, 
the  Gramselr  of  Iceland,  the  Phoca  harbata  of  MUUer's  "Pro- 
dronuis",  and  the  Laktak  of  Kamtschatka,  but  also  the  Long- 
bodied  Seal  of  Parsons,  together  with  the  various  names  that 
had  been  based  upon  these,  either  individually  or  collectively. 
As  he  arranged  his  references  chronologically,  the  first  names 
mentioned  are  the  Long-bodied  Seal  of  Parsons,  and  the  Lach- 
tak, or  ^^ Phoca  maxima''^  of  Steller.  His  brief  diagnosis  is 
evidently  based  on  Cranz's  account  of  the  Uksuk. 

The  name  harbata  is  usually  ascribed  toMiiller,  1770,  in  whose 
work  it  first  appeared,  but  rigid  constructionists  may  claim  that 
date  as  untenable,  since  no  description  accompanied  the  name. 
In  this  case  it  would  fall  to  Erxleben,  1777,  who  gave  of  it  a 
brief  technical  description,  and  further  established  it  bv  a  full 
and  correct  citation  of  its  synonymy. 

Almost  simultaneously  with  the  appearance  of  Erxleben's 
work  the  Kpecies  was  again  indicated  by  Lepechin  (in  1778), 
under  the  name  Phoca  leporina,  based  on  the  young  from  the 


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666 


ERIGNATHUS   BARHATUS — -BEARDED   SEAL. 


White  Sea.  Although  he  erroneously  gave  the  incisj  vq  formula 
as  f,  aud  based  his  description  and  ligure  on  the  young  still  in 
the  white  pelage,  there  has  been  little  doubt  among  modern 
writers  of  its  identity  with  the  Phoca  barbata.  For  many  years, 
Lowever,  the  Phoca  leporina  figured  in  the  works  of  compilers 
as  a  distinct  species,  and  became  thus  a  prominent  synonym. 
Lesson,  in  1828,  renamed  it  Phoca  lepechini^  at  the  same  time 
naming  the  Long-bodied  Seal  of  Parsons  Phoca  parsonsi. 

In  regard  to  its  general  history,  it  may  be  added  that  Fabri- 
cius,  in  1791,  in  his  monograph  of  the  Greenland  Seals,  devoted 
twenty  pages  to  an  account  of  Phoca  barbata,  giving  a  careful 
description  of  its  external  characters,  with  detailed  measure- 
ments, and  thetirst  (and  a  very  good)  figure  of  its  skull.  He 
adopted  for  it  the  Danish  vernacular  name  "  Remmsa'l,"  identi- 
fying with  it  Steller's  Lacktak,  the  Icelandic  names  "  Gramselur," 
"Grocnsclr,"  and  "Kampselur,"  and  the  Greenlandic  names 
"  Urksuk"  and  •'  Uksuk,"  as  well  as  the  Phoca  barbata  of  Miiller's 
" Pi'odromus,"  of  Erxleben,  of  the  "Fauna  Grwnlandica,"  and 
of  Gmelin,  and  also  Parsons's  Long-bodied  Seal,  and  the  subse- 
quent accounts  based  ui)on  it.  The  next  original  information 
of  special  importance  appears  to  have  been  furnished  by  Thiene- 
maun,  who,  in  1824,  in  his  account  of  the  Seals  of  Iceland,  de- 
voted four  plates  to  its  illustration,  figuring  the  adult  female,  a 
two-year-old  male,  a  yearling  male,  aud  the  skull. 

In  1831  Pallas  introduced  two  nominal  species,  referable  here, 
under  the  names  PJtoca  nautica  and  Phoca  albiffena.  With  the 
former  he  identified  the  Lacktak  of  Steller,  while  he  made  Le- 
pechin's  Phoca  leporina  a  synonym  of  his  Phoca  aUtigena.  These 
names  have  been  generally  referred  by  subsequent  writers, 
either  positively  or  with  reservation,  to  Phoca  barbata.  Gray, 
in  1871,  separated  the  Bearded  Seals  of  the  North  Pacific  from 
those  of  the  North  Atlantic  as  Phoca  '■'■  naurica''^  {sic)  apparently 
wholly  on  the  ground  of  locality,  and  referred  to  this  Pallas's 
Phoca  nautica  and  Phoca  albigena. 

Among  the  more  important  recent  contributors  to  the  history 
of  the  species  are  Malmgren,  Von  Heuglin,  and  Collett,  the  lat- 
tiCr,  especially,  having  given  a  very  full  account  of  its  hp,bits 
and  distribution  on  the  coast  of  Norway. 


Geographical  Distribution. — The  present  species  is  cir- 
cumpolar  and  extremely  boreal  in  its  distribution,  and  appears 
to  be  migratory  only  as  it  is  forced  southward  in  winter  by  the 


,h!  IM 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


667 


extension  of  the  unbroken  ice-fields.  Tlie  southern  limit  of  its 
range  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  is  at  present 
indeterminable.  Professor  Jukes*  gave  it  doubtfully  in  his  list 
of  the  Seals  of  Newfoundland,  supposing  it  to  be  the  Square 
Flipper  of  sealers.  Among  the  many  examples  of  Seals  1  have 
had  opportunity  of  examining  from  Newfoundland,  however, 
I  have  never  met  with  a  specimen  of  the  Bearded  Seal.  If  the 
Square  Flipper  of  the  Newfoundland  sealers  be  really  the 
Bearded  Seal,  as  seems  probable,  it  must  be,  according  to  Car- 
roll, of  regular  occurrence  in  small  numbers  about  Newfound- 
land. 

Dr.  Packar«it  has  attributed  it  to  Labrador,  where  it  un- 
doubtedly occurs,  but  he  gives  it  on  the  hypothetical  ground 
that  "  It  is  probably  the  species  whic-i  is  called  by  the  sealers 
'Square  Flipper,' "  and  says  that  adults  will  -'weigh  500  to  GOO 
pounds".  Its  occurrence  in  Labrador,  however,  is  apparently 
established  by  Wagner,  who  described  a  specimen,  "  das  aus 
Labrador  herstammt".:j. 

Although  well  known  to  visit  the  shores  of  Greenland,  and 
to  range  very  far  north,  its  limit  in  this  direction  still  remains 
undetermined.  J.  C.  Ross  states  that  it  approaches  the  shores 
of  Boothia  "only  in  the  summer  season,"  and  that  in  winter  it 
seeks  "  those  parts  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  which  are  seldom,  if 
ever;  frozen  over  for  any  length  of  time". §  Dr.  Rink  says 
that  it  occurs  only  in  small  numbers  in  Greenland,  and  chietiy 
at  the  "northern  and  southern  extremities  of  the  coast."  j|  Mr. 
Robert  Brown's  account  of  its  distribution  is  as  follows :  "This 
species  has  been  so  often  confounded  with  the  Grey  Seal  {R. 
grypus)  i  nd  the  Saddleback  (P.  grcenluidiciis)  in  dif  icnt  stages 
and  coats,  that  it  is  really  very  difficult  to  arrive  at  anything 
like  a  true  knowledge  of  its  distribution.  .  .  .  On  the  coast 
of  Danish  Greenland  it  is  principally  caught  in  the  district  of 
Julianshaab  a  little  time  before  the  Klapmyds  [Cystophora cris- 
fata].  It  is  not,  however,  confined  to  South  Greenland,  'j'lt  is 
found  at  the  head  of  Baffin's  Bay  and  up  the  sounds  of  Lan- 
caster, Eclipse,  &c.,  branching  off  from  the  latter  sea.  The  Seals 
seen  by  the  earlier  navigators  being  nearly  always  referred  in 

"  Excure.  in  Newfoundland,  vol.  i,  p.  312. 
tProc.  Boston  See.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  x,  p.  271. 
'       t  Sclireber's  Siiugthiere,  Band  vii,  p.  20. 

$  Ross's  2d  Voy.,  App.,  p.  xxi.  .  • 

II  Danish  Greenland,  etc.,  p.  120. 


4. 


"^M 


'ym 


f 


ii' 


II 


668 


ERIGNATHUS   BARBATUS — BEARDED    SEAL. 


their  accounts  to  either  Phoca  rituUna  or  P.  grcenJandicus,  it  is 
impossible  to  trace  its  western  range ;  it  is,  however,  much  rarer 
in  the  north  than  in  the  south  of  Davis's  Strait.  Accordingly 
the  natives  of  the  ft  imer  region  are  obliged  to  buy  the  skin 
from  the  natives  of  the  more  south  of  \8ic]  settlements,  as  it  is 
of  the  u  .most  value  to  them.  This  Seal  comes  with  the  pack- 
ice  round  Cape  Farewell,  and  is  only  found  on  the  coast  in  the 
spring.  Unlike  the  other  Seals,  it  has  no  atluk,  but  depends 
on  broken  places  in  the  ice ;  it  is  generally  found  among  loose, 
broken  ice  and  breaking-up  floes."* 

Mr.  Kumlien  (MS.  notes)  says,  "  This  Seal  was  flrst  noticed  a 
little  to  the  southward  of  Cape  Chidlj',  and  thence  northward  to 
oui  winter  harbor,  in  about  hit.  67°  N.  According  to  the  Eski- 
mo, they  are  the  most  common  about  Cape  Mercy,  Nugumeute, 
and  the  southern  Cumberland  waters,  where  they  remain  all  the 
year,  if  there  iS  open  water.  They  remain  in  Cumberland  Sound 
only  during  the  time  when  there  is  open  water,  as  they  have  no 
atluh.  On  the  west  coast  of  Davis  Straits  they  are  not  rare, 
but  are  said  by  whalemen  to  diminish  in  numbers  above  lat.  I'P 
N.  They  appear  to  be  more  common  on  the  southern  shores  of 
the  west  coast  of  Davis  Straits  than  on  the  northern,  so  that  the 
natives  go  southward  some  distance  to  secure  the  skins.  We 
noticed  them  among  the  i)ack-ice  in  Davis  Straits  in  July  and 
August.  .  .  InCumberlandSoundthey  begin  working  nortli 
ward  as  fast  as  the  floe  edge  of  the  ice  breaks  up,  arriving  in 
the  vicinity  of  Annanactook  about  the  latter  days  of  .Tune.  In 
autumn  they  move  southward  as  fast  as  the  ice  makes  across  the 
sound,  always  keeping  in  open  water.  They  are  seldom  fouu<l 
in  the  smaller  fjords  or  bays,  but  delight  in  wide  expanses  of 
water." 

Respecting  its  southern  limit  on  the  coast  of  lilurope,  there 
appears  to  be  no  unquestionable  record  of  its  capture  south  of 
the  "North  Sea",  which  locality  is  given  by  Gray  for  various 
specimens  in  the  British  Museum.  It  was  for  many  years  su|> 
posed  to  inhabit  the  Western  Islands  of  Scotland,  and  to  have 
occurred  at  other  localities  in  the  British  Islands,  but  on  further 
investigation  the  species  proved  to  be  the  Gray  Seal.  It  is 
consequently  omitted  from  the  second  edition  of  Bell's  "  His- 
tory of  British  Quadrupeds".  Dr.  Gray,  writing  in  1872,  said, 
"  I  have  never  seen  a  specimen  from  the  coast  of  Great  Britain ; 

*  Proc.  ZoOl.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  p.  4'i4;  Mau.  Nat.  Hist.,  Geol.,  etc.,  Greeu- 
lond,  1875,  Mam.,  p.  54. 


GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION. 


669 


probably  Ealichcerus  yrypuH  was  the  species  taken  for  it."*  Its 
occurrence  in  Iceland  is  well  attested,  and,  according  to  Robert 
CoUett,  it  is  found  in  small  numbers  along  all  the  rocky  coasts 
of  Norway,  from  the  fjords  of  Finmark  down  to  latitude  G2°,t 
where  it  occurs  all  the  year.  He  believes  it  to  have  been  for- 
merly much  more  numerous  there  than  it  is  now.  Malmgren 
also  gives  it  as  a  rare  visitor  to  the  coast  of  Finmark,  and  as  oc- 
curring only  late  in  autumn  or  winter.  He  records  the  c{ii)ture 
of  one  taken  near  Tromso  about  the  end  of  October  in  18G1. 
It  is  stated  to  be  rare  about  Jan  Mayen,|  but  of  frequent  occur- 
rence along  the  ice-fringed  shores  of  West  Spitzbergen,  where, 
according  to  von  Heuglin,  it  is  found  from  July  to  September, 
while  Malmgren  believes  it  may  winter  there.  Payer  gives  it 
as  abundant  at  Franz- Josef  Land,  where  tt  .o  and  the  Harp  Seal 
were  the  or,  pecies  observed.§  It  has  been  frequently  re- 
ported as  oc».  ing  along  the  Arctic  coast  of  Europe  and  Asia. 
Von  Middendorft'  believes  it  is  this  species  that  the  Samoiides 
have  reported  as  so  abundant  at  the  mouth  of  the  Taimyr  River, 
and  as  found  on  the  Taimyr  Sea.  It  doubtless  not  only  occurs 
along  the  Chatanga  to  Chatangskij  Pogost,  but  prooably 
reaches  the  mouth  of  the  Chata.|| 

In  respect  to  its  distribution  in  the  Xorth  Pacific,  Temminck 
states  that  its  skins  are  carried  to  Japan  as  an  article  of  com- 
merce, and  that  he  has  seen  an  incomi)lete  one  brought  from 
that  country  by  Siebold.^  He  does  not  state,  however,  that  it 
inhabits  the  Japan  coast,  as  some  authors  have  apparently  im- 
plied. Wagner  says,  "  Das  Leidner  Museum  besitzt  Felle  von 
Sitka,  aber  nicht  von  Japan."**  It  has  not  been  reported,  how- 
ever, as  found  at  the  Fur  Seal  or  Prybilow  Islands.  There  are 
several  specimens  in  the  National  Museum  collected  at  Plover 
Bay,  on  the  Siberian  side  of  Behring's  Straits. 

Von  Schrenck  states,  on  the  authority  of  the  natives,  that  it 
is  common  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  Ochots  Sea,  in  the  G  ulf 
of  Tartary,  in  the  "Amur-Limane,"  and  even  in  the  Amoor 
River,  but  adds  that  the  old  animals  only  come  into  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  while  the  younger  ones  go  somewhat  higher  up. 

*  Zoologist,  2d  ser.,  vol.  vii,  p.  3336. 

t  BeiuiBrkninger  til  Norges  Pattedyrfauna,  187(5,  p.  58. 

t  German  Arctic  Expedition,  1869-70,  p.  62. 

J  New  Lands  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  1877,  p.  266.  '     * 

II  See  von  Heuglin,  Reisen  uach  dem  Nordpolarmeer,  etc.,  p.  58. 

1[  Fauna  Japonica,  Mam.  Marin>:,  p.  2. 

**  Schreber's  Saugthiere,  vii,  p.  21. 


'<M      '•. 


W  '< 


■;;'i 


670 


ERIGNATHU8   BABBATUS — BEARDED    SEAL. 


He  often  saw  its  skius  iu  Amoor  Land,  and  says  tbey  are  an 
article  of  traffic  among  the  natives  as  far  south  as  Saghalien 
Island.  But  he  appears .  to  have  seen  only  the  skins  in  the 
hands  of  the  natives,  and  to  give  its  distribution  wholly  on  their 
testimony.  If  the  limits  here  assigned,  and  the  locality  of 
Sitka,  given  by  Wagner,  be  correct,  it  extends  much  farther 
south,  along  the  shores  of  the  North  Pacific,  than  it  does  on 
the  coast  of  Europe,  but  in  each  case  its  habitat  is  bounded  by 
about  the  same  isotherm. 


Habits,  Produots,  and  Hunting. — This  large  Seal,  the 
largest  Phocid  of  the  northern  seas,  api)ears  to  be  nowhere 
abundant,  and  is  usually  described  as  rather  solitary,  avoiding 
the  company  of  other  species,  and  as  never  occurring  in  large 
herds  like  the  Harp  Seal.  Of  its  habits,  as  observed  on  the 
Atlantic;  coast  of  North  America,  little  has  been  recorded.  If 
the  "  Square  Flipper"  Seal  of  the  Newfoundland  sealers  be  this 
species,  of  which  Mr.  (])arroll  has  given  some  account,  it  is  of 
not  unfrequent  occurrence  off  the  shores  of  that  island.  From 
the  indications  Mr.  Carroll  gives  of  its  size,  the  form  of  the 
hind  flippers  (from  which  it  appears  to  derive  its  local  name), 
as  well  as  the  statement  that  it  has  four  mammse,  seems  to  indi- 
cate that  it  can  be  no  other  than  the  present  species.  As,  how 
ever,  the  Gray  Seal  nearly  approaches  it  in  size,  and  is  not 
enumerated  by  Mr.  Carroll  nor  Professor  Jukes,  and  apparently 
is  not  distinguished  by  the  sealers  (although  it  unquestionably 
occurs  in  Newfoundland,  as  attested  by  specimens  from  there 
in  the  National  Museum),  it  seems  questionable  whether  the 
Gray  and  Bearded  Seals  are  not  confounded  under  the  name 
"  Square  Flipper  ".  Since  Mr.  Carroll's  account,  however,  cor- 
responds in  general  points  so  well  with  the  Bearded  Seal,  I 
venture  to  give  it  provisionally  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  the 
species.  His  account  iu  substance  is  as  follows :  The  Square 
Flippers  are  the  largest  Seals  that  are  killed  on  the  coast  of 
Newfoundland.  They  never  congregate  with  any  other  Seals, 
and  are  very  scarce,  not  more  than  one  hundred  being  taken 
each  sealing  voyage  throughout  the  island.  Persons  who  live 
along  the  northern  bays,  and  "  follow  the  gun  "  during  the  winter 
and  spring,  kill  a  few  of  them.  Many  are  seen  in  the  Straits  of 
Belleisle,  as  well  as  about  Saint  Paul's  Island,  in  the  Gulf  of 
Saint  Lawrence.  They  have  their  young  on  the  ice  about  the  20tU 
of  March.    They  are  called  Square  Flippers  because  the  flippers 


HABITS,    PRODUCTS,    AND   HUNTING. 


671 


are  "square  at  the  top  [tip?],  thus  differing  frcm  all  [other] 
species  of  Seal  tjiken  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland."  They 
are  very  quiet  and  very  fond  of  their  young  of  which  they  have 
never  more  than  one  at  a  time.  If  seen  on  the  ice  they  are 
.sure  to  be  killed.  The  skin  and  fat  of  a  male  Square  Flipper, 
when  prime,  will  weigh  "  from  7  to  10  cwt.".  When  in  full  flesh 
his  weight  varies  "  from  13  to  15  cwt  ";  the  skin  and  fat  of  the 
female  when  prime,  weighs  "from  1  to  5  cwt. " ;  the  skin  and  fat 
of  a  young  square  flipper,  when  sixteen  days  old,  will  weigh 
frcm  160  to  170  pounds.  "The  skin  of  the  male  and  female 
square  flipper  is  of  a  cream  color,  the  female  has  four  teats  (no 
other  seal  known  in  Newfoundland  has  more  than  two).  All 
seals  [sic]  teats  protrude  about  one  inch  outside  the  skin  whilst 
the  young  is  sucking,  after  which  they  are  drawn  in,  so  as  to 
prevent  injury  whilst  the  old  seal  is  crawling  on  ice  or  rocks. 
The  oil  rendered  out  of  square  flij^pers  [sic]  fat,  old  and  young, 
■when  prime,  is  considered  as  pure  as  the  best  young  Harp  oil. 
Length  of  an  old  square  flipper,  from  head  to  tail,  11  to  12  feet."* 

Mr.  Kumlien  gives  the  following  quite  full  account  of  its 
habits,  as  observed  by  him  in  Cumberland  Gulf: 

"The  Ogjook,  as  this  Seal  is  termed  by  the  Cumberland  Es- 
kimo, delights  in  basking  upon  pieces  of  floating  ice,  and  gen- 
erally keeps  well  out  at  sea.  I  have  never  seen  any  numbo^w 
together,  but  almost  always  singly.  The  old  males  do  not  seem 
to  agree  well,  and  often  have  severe  battles  on  the  ice-floes 
when  they  meet.  They  use  the  fore  flippers,  instead  of  the  teeth, 
in  fighting.    .    .    . 

"This  seal  has  the  habit  of  turning  a  summersault  when  about 
to  dive,  especially  when  fired  at;  this  peculiarity,  which  is 
not  shared  by  any  other  species  that  I  have  seen,  is  a  charac- 
teristic by  which  it  may  be  distinguished  at  a  considerable 
distance.  During  May  and  June  they  crawl  out  upon  an  ice- 
floe to  bask  and  sleep ;  at  such  times  they  are  easily  approached 
by  the  Eskimo  in  their  kyacks  and  killed.  .  .  .  They  dive 
to  great  depths  after  their  food,  which  is  almost  entirely  Crus- 
tacea and  moUusks,  including  clams  of  considerable  size.  .  .  . 
In  July,  during  the  moulting  time,  their  stomachs  contained 
nothing  but  stones,  some  of  them  nearly  of  a  quarter-pound 
weight.  They  seem  to  eat  nothing  during  the  entire  time  of 
shedding — probably  six  weeks.    Certain  it  is  they  lose  all  their 

*  TU(?  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundlaud,  together  with  a  con- 
dtiUHed  History  of  the  Island,  1873,  pp.  12,  13. 


-im 


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672 


ERIGNATHIIS   BARBATUS — BEAKDEl)   SEAL. 


blubber,  and  by  the  niiddlc  of  July  have  notUin{?  but  '  white- 
horse', — a  tough,  white,  somewhat  cartilaginous  substance, — in 
phice  of  blubber.  At  this  season  they  sink  when  shot.  .  .  . 
The  young  are  born  upon  pieces  of  floating  ice,  without  any 
covering  of  snow.  The  season  of  procieation  is  during  the  fore 
I)art  of  May.  After  the  young  haAC  shed  their  first  woolly 
coat  (which  they  do  in  a  few  days),  they  have  a  very  beautiful 
steel-blue  hair,  but  generally  so  (;louded  over  with  irregularly 
dispersed  patches  of  white  that  its  beauty  is  spoiled.    .    .    . 

"The  Ogjook  is  of  great  value  to  the  Eskimo,  who  prize  the 
skins  very  highly.  All  their  harnesses,  sealing  lines,  etc.,  are 
made  from  the  raw  skins ;  besides  this,  they  make  the  soles  of 
their  boots,  and  sometimes  other  i)ortions  of  their  dress,  from 
the  skin.  In  such  localities  as  the  whalemen  do  not  visit,  ami 
the  natives  are  obliged  to  construct  skin  boats,  this  seal  is  in 
great  demand.  It  takes  fifteen  skins  for  an  ominak  or  skin 
boat,  and  these  skins  require  renewing  very  often.  The  skin 
of  the  back  and  belly  dries  unevenly,  so  the  Eskimo  skin  the 
animal  along  both  sides  and  dry  the  skin  of  the  upper  and 
lower  parts  separately. 

"It  is  a  prevalent  belief  among  the  whalemen  that  the  livers 
of  Seals,  and  more  especially  those  of  this  species,  are  poison 
ous;  but  I  am  inclined  to  rate  this  as  imaginative;  we  ate  the 
livers  of  all  the  species  we  procured  without  any  bad  effects."  * 

The  Bearded  Seal  appears  to  be  a  well-known  inhabitant  of 
the  coast  of  Norway  and  of  the  Arctic  islands  north  of  Europe. 
CoUett  gives  it  as  occurring  in  comparatively  small  numbers 
along  the  Norwegian  coast,  from  the  fjords  of  Finmark  south 
ward  to  latitude  02°,  throughout  which  range  it  appears  to  he. 
resident  the  whole  year.  They  make  short  journeys  to  the  fish 
ing-grounds,  a  few  miles  off  the  coast,  but  for  the  most  part 
are  found  constantly  at  nearly  the  same  localities.  They  have, 
however,  their  favorite  breeding  resorts,  at  which  they  assem 
ble  during  the  breeding  season  from  a  considerable  area,  dis- 
persing again  when  the  breeding  time  is  over.  One  of  thes(i 
breeding-places,  and  believed  to  be  the  most  southern  one  on 
the  Norwegian  coast,  is  at  the  northwesternmost  of  the  islets 
of  the  Froyen  group,  off"  Trondhjem  Fjord,  to  which  it  is  sup- 
posed that  nearly  all  of  the  individuals  found  south  of  latitude 
64°  resort  in  the  breeding  season.    Mr.  Collett  states  that  the 

*  Copied  frou)  Mr.  Kunilieu's  MS.  notes,  vrith  slight  verbal  changes ;  siocu 
published  in  Ball.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  No.  15,  pp.  61-63. 


HABITS,    PRODUCTS,    AND   HUNTING 


673 


species  is  strictly  polygamous,  the  strongest  males  drivin/^ 
away  the  younger;  yet  the  number  of  the  females  appears  to 
be  not  much  greater  than  that  of  the  males.  He  states  that 
one  remarkable  difference  between  the  individuals  found  at  the 
southern  breeding  stations  and  those  living  farther  north 'is 
the  different  season  at  which  the  young  are  born.  He  says  this 
occurs  in  Norway  in  autumn.  The  Seals  begin  to  gather  at 
the  chosen  breeding-place  about  the  middle  of  September,  and, 
as  a  rule,  the  first  young  are  born  about  the  end  of  that  month.* 
Pairing  takes  place  in  the  water  very  soon  after  the  birth  of  i 
the  young,  and  before  the  old  Seals  depart  from  the  breeding- 
places,  which  latter  event  occurs  about  the  end  of  October. 
About  half  of  them,  however,  remain  near  the  outer  rocks 
during  winter.f 

According  to  von  Heuglin,  the  female  gives  birth  to  her 
single  olFspring  in  February  or  March,  but  Malmgren  states 
that  he  took  a  ripe  foetus  from  the  mother  as  late  as  the  Slst  of 
May,  and  Kumlien  says  the  young  are  bom  early  in  May.  Fa- 
bricius  says  late  in  April  or  early  in  May.  Carroll,  as  already 
noted,  says  the  young  are  born  late  in  March.  As  will  be 
noticed  later,  the  exceptional  record  of  an  autumnal  breeding- 
season  for  this  species  given  by  CoUett,  on  the  authority  of  a 
correspondent,  suggests  the  possibility  that  the  species  really 
observed  was  Halichoents  grypus  or  the  Gray  Seal.ij:  The  earlier 
breeding-time  given  by  Carroll,  for  Newfoundland,  may  be  due 
to  the  locality  being  so  far  south. 

According  to  Malmgren,  they  do  not  frequent  open  water. 
As  long  as  the  inlets  and  bays  are  closed  with  ice  it  kfeeps  near 
openings  in  the  ice,  through  which  it  ascends  to  the  surface  to 
rest,  but  when  the  fast  ice  breaks  up  it  keeps  among  the  float- 
ing ice  near  the  coast.  It  does  not,  however,  follow  the  ice  far 
out  to  sea,  but  leaves  it  and  seeks  such  shores  as  are  skirted 
with  drifting  ice.  On  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen  it  is  rarely  met 
with  in  summer,  owing  to  the  absence  of  ice,  but  as  soon  as  the 
ice  again  arrives,  either  from  the  south  or  the  north,  thej*  ap- 
pear in  the  bays  in  great  numbers.  In  Northeast  Land,  where 
the  inlets  are  covered  with  ice  till  late  in  August,  and  where, 
not  far  from  the  land,  are  many  ice-floes,  they  are  common  the 
whole  summer.    He  states  that  during  his  stay  in  Hinlopen 

*  Seo  next  paragraph  and  infra,  p.  706. 

t  Bemterkninger  til  Norges  Pattedyrfauna,  pp.  68-60. 


X  See  infra,  p.  706. 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12- 


-43 


*' 1  'ill 


674 


ERIGNATFIUS    BARBATIS— BEARDED    SEAL. 


Straits  sonic  Wahus-lmi iters  shot  about  sixty  of  them  in  the 
cour.so  of  two  or  three  days  about  the  beginning  of  August, 
and  that  his  liar|)()oners  often  killed  them.*  Von  Ileuglin  also 
refers  to  its  partiality  for  the  neigiiborhood  of  ice,  and  says 
that  on  the  (;oast  of  West  Spitzbergen  he  saw  it  oidj'  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  ghieiers  that  reach  the  sea.  Among  the  Thousand 
Islands  and  in  the  Stor-Fjord  he  found  it  very  common,  but 
always  singly  or  in  small  companies,  lie  states,  on  the  author- 
ity of  Sparer,  that  in  Xova  Zembla  it  rarely  apjxiars  on  the 
northern  shore  of  the  islands,  but  commonly  visits  South 
Island.  He  says  that,  although  he  saw  it  there  only  rarely,  it 
nuist  be  sometimes  very  numerous,  as  in  the  course  of  three 
days  as  many  as  tlnee  hundred  have  been  taken  by  the  use  of 
three  nets.t 

31almgren  states  that  the  Bearded  Seal  is  easily  killed  when 
it  is  in  the  sea,  as  it  is  then  not  shy,  but  often  comes  so  stupidly 
and  eagerlj'  about  the  boat  as  to  be  very  easily  shot.  When 
lying  on  the  ice  he  describes  it  as  extremely  watchful,  so  that 
it  is  impossible  to  shoot  it  without  using  a  shooting-screen,  such 
as  the  Greenlanders  eniploy.f  Mr,  KundJen,  however,  states 
that  during  May  and  June,  when  they  crawl  out  upon  an  ice- 
floe to  bask  and  sleep,  they  are  easily  approached  by  the 
Esquimaux  of  Cumberland  Sound  in  their  kyacks  and  killed. 
It  is  reported  to  subsist  ehietly  upon  hirge  mollusks  and  crus- 
taceans. jNIalmgrjiu  records  that  in  the  stomachs  of  all  he  ex- 
amined he  found  large  species  of  Crangoti  and  Ilippolyte  {€. 
boreas,  iiahhtca  septemcarinata,  Ilippolyte  polaris,  II.  sowerhyi, 
and  //.  bcrrealis).,  and  Anonyv  ampulla  in  abundance;  occasion- 
allj'  small  fishes  [Cottus  triciispis,  Reinh.),  and  many  hundreds 
of  the  opercula  of  species  of  Buccinum  and  Natica  olausa,  as 
well  as  shells  of  a  large  LameUaria.% 

All  writers,  from  the  time  of  Cranz  to  the  latest  observers, 
testify  to  its  imjiortance  to  the  Esjpiimaux  and  other  native 
tribes  of  the  shores  it  frequents.  Its  flesh  or  blubber  is  said  to 
be  more  delicate  in  taste  than  that  of  any  other  species,  ami  to 
be  esteemed  as  a  luxury.  Its  chief  value,  however,  consists  in  its 
skin,  which,  from  its  great  thickness,  is,  according  to  Dr.  llink, 
"  the  only  one  considered  fit  for  making  the  hunting  lines  of  the 
kayakers."    Von  Schrenck  speaks  of  its  being  used  by  the  na- 

~  Arch,  filr  Natnrg.,  18G4,  pp.  74-75. 
t  Roi.son  nach  dom  Nordpolamiccr  in  dom  Jtihruu  1870  und  1871,  p.  57. 
tArch.  filrNaturg.,  1864,  p.  77.         • 
^  Ibid.,  p.  75. 


GENUS    HISTlilOPHOCA. 


675 


tivos  of  Amoor  Land  jin«l  Saglialicn  Island  for  the  same  pnr- 
l)oses  aH  ]\Ir.  Kuinlien  notes  in  respect  to  tbe  Esiiniinanx  of 
Cumberland  Sound.  Owing  to  its  scarcity  it  has  no  great  coni- 
mereial  iini)ortance,  though  sometimes  taken  by  the  sealers  of 
the  Spit/bergcn  sealing-grounds.  llink  states  that  the  whole 
annual  catch  of  this  species  in  Greenland  hardly  amounts  to 
1,000. 

Genus  ITISTRIOPnOCA,  Gill. 

HisMophoca,  Gill,  Am.  Nat.,  vii,  IH7:J,  179.   (Type,  "  I'lioca  fcsciata,  Sliaw, 
or  /'.  eqiieatris,  PiilluH.'') 


3-3. 


1-1. 


5-5 


Cranial  characters  unknown.  Incisors,  .,".2;  C,  j-'-jj  M.,  gfj 
Incisors  conical,  cylintlriciil,  directed  slightly  backward.  Mo- 
lars, except  the  tirst,  2-rooted,  placed  somewlu.o  apart,  with 
simple  crowns  directed  backward.  Sexual  dittereuces  iii  color 
strongly  marked.  Males,  <lark  brown,  varied  with  narrow 
bands  of  white.  Females,  light  brown,  with  the  white  bauds 
obsolete. 

Acconling  to  von  Schrenck,  on  whose  authority  the  above 
characters  are  given,  the  molar  teeth,  except  the  first,  are  2-rooted, 
as  in  Phoca  and  Erignathiis,  but  the  crowns  resemble  those  of 
the  corresponding  teeth  in  IlaUchwrus,  being  simple  and  slightly 
curved  backward.  The  middle  molsirs  (third  and  fourth)  and 
sometimes  the  others,  both  above  and  below,  show  a  minute 
point  or  accessory  cusp  at  the  base  of  the  principal  one,  both 
in  front  of  it  and  behind  it,  but  this  is  a  variable  feature,  not 
only  as  respects,  the  number  of  teeth  thus  furnished,  but  in 
some  specimens  these  minute  accessory  cusps  may  be  wholly 
lacking.  As  the  characters  of  the  skull  have  not  been  as  yet 
either  figiu'ed  or  described,  further  comparison  with  other  gen- 
eric types  becomes  impracticable. 

The  genus  Ristriophoca  was  proi)osed  for  the  present  species 
by  Dr.  Gill  in  1873,  but  has  not  been  fully  characterized.  Dr. 
Gill's  diagnosis  is  as  follows:  " The  structural  (and -especially 
dental)  charactei'S  of  this  species,  according  to  Von  Schrenck, 
indicate  a  generic  distinction  frojn  all  the  familiar  forms  of  the 
subfamily  Phocinw.  The  molars,  except  the  first,  are  two-rooted, 
as  in  the  typical  Phocinw,  but  in  external  form  are  simply  conic, 
or  have  rudimentary  cusps,  thus  resembling  Hnlichcerus.  This 
genus  may  be  called  UistriophocaP  Taking  into  account  the 
peculiar  pattern  of  coloration,  ar.d  the  conic,  double-rooted 


ill 


i 


676 


HISTRi'JPHOCA   FA8C1ATA — RIBBON   SEAL. 


molars,  we  seem  to  have  a  type  generically  distinct  from  the 
ordinary  Phocce,  and  in  accordance  with  this  view  the  genus 
Histriophoca  is  here  provioionally  adopted  for  the  Phoca  fasciata 
of  the  early  systematic  writers. 

HISTRIOPHOCA  FASCIATA  {Zmm.),  QUI. 

Ribbon  Seal. 

Bubbon  Seal,  Pennant,  Ilist.  Quad.,  Ist  ed.,  1781,  ii    523;  3d  ed.,  ii,  1793, 

276,  fig.  p.  2G5. 
Phoca  fasciata,  Zimmermann,  Googr.  GohcIi.,  iii,  1783,  277  (  =  "Rubbon 

Seal,"  Pt'iiuant).— Kkiui,  An.  King.,  1792,  127  (the  HaiiuO.— Shaw, 

Gen.  Zoiil.,  i,  1800,  2.'')7  (="Rubbon  Seal,"  Pennant). 
Phoca  (Otariaf)  fanciata,   Riciiahdson,   Zoiil.    Beechey's  Voyage,  18X0,  6 

(^"Ribbon  Seal  of  Pennant,  Arct.  Zool.,  ii,  105"). 
Phoca  equeafriii,  Pallas,  Zoog.  RoHso-Asiat.,  i,  1831,  111. — VoN  Schrenck, 

Ainur-Laude,  i,  18.')9,  182,  pi.  ix,  tig.  1-3  (animal). 
Histriophoca  [fasciata^.  Gill,  Amer.  Nat.,  vii,  1873, 179. 
Histriophoca  fasciata,  Scammon,  Marino  Mam.,  1874,  140,  pi.  xxii,  fig.  1,  2 

(animal,  from  von  Sclirenck). 
Pagophilusf  equestris,  Gray,  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  2  (in  part; 

includes  Phoca  annellata,  Radde!). 
Bubbon  Seal,  Pennant,  I.  c. 
BibbonSeal  of  Alaska,  Gill,  1.  c. 

External  Characters. — Adult  male.  General  color,  dark 
brown.  A  narrow  yellowish-white  band  surrounds  the  neck 
extending  forward  to  the  middle  of  the  head  above ;  another 
broader  yellowish-white  band  encircles  the  hinder  portion  of 
the  body,  from  which  a  branch  runs  forward  on  each  side  to  the 
shoulder,  the  two  branches  becoming  confluent  on  the  median 
line  of  the  body  below,  but  widely  separated  above.  In  other 
words,  the  (1)  front  part  of  the  head,  the  (2)  hind  limbs,  and 
the  y  sterior  fourth  of  the  body,  the  (3)  top  of  the  neck  and 
the  whole  anterior  half  of  the  back,  as  well  as  (4)  the  fore- 
limbs  and  a  considerable  area  at  their  point  of  insertion,  are 
dark  brown ;  these  four  regions  being  separated  by  bands  of 
yellowish-white,  of  variable  breadth  over  different  regions  of 
the  body.  The  brown  of  the  anterior  part  of  the  dorsal  region 
also  extends  laterally  in  the  form  of  a  narrow  band  around  the 
lower  part  of  the  neck,  where  it  expands  to  form  a  small  shield- 
like  spot  on  the  breast.  There  are  also  very  small  spots  of 
brown  on  the  posterior  part  of  the  abdominal  region. 

Adult  female. — Uniform  pale  grayish-yellow  or  grayish-brown, 
with  the  exception  of  an  obscure  narrow  transverse  whitish 


EXTERNAL   CHARACTERS. 


677 


baud  across  tlio  lower  portiou  of  the  back.  The  extremities 
and  the  back  are  darker,  with  a  faint  indication  of  the  dark 
*'  saddle  "-mark  seen  in  the  male. 

Youmj. — The  young  of  both  sexes  are  said  to  resemble  the 
adult  fenjale.  * 

"Von  Schrenck's  detailed  description,  on  which  tko  foregoing  is 
maiuiy  based,  is  subbtantially  as  follows :  The  dark-brown  of 
the  head,  in  the  male,  is  followed  by  a  broad  dusky  yellowish- 
gray  neck-band,  which  on  the  middle  line,  both  above  and 
below,  passes  i*orward,  but  on  the  sides  has  the  convexity 
pointing  backward.  Behind  this  light  neck-band  is  a  broad, 
long  saddle-shaped  patch  upon  the  back,  which,  on  the  middle 
line,  runs  forward  in  a  point,  but  which  extends  itself  latemlly 
ill  two  narrow  bands  meeting  and  expanding  on  the  breast  into 
a  pointed  spot ;  posteriorly  the  dark  dorsal  patch  is  also  pro- 
longed backward  and  laterally,  but  without  meeting  below. 
Along  the  sides  of  this  dorsal  area  runs  a  broad,  curved,  light, 
soiled  yellowish-gray  band,  Avith  the  convexity  upward ;  these 
lateral  light  bands  become  deflected  downward,  both  anteriorly 
and  posteriorly,  and  tbrm,  by  their  union,  a  light  band  along 
the  belly.  Within  these  light  bands  anteriorly,  on  each  side, 
is  a  large  oval  dark-brown  spot,  in  which  are  inserted  the  an- 
terior extremities.  The  light  ventral  area  encloses  posteriorly 
two  small  oval  dark-brown  spots,  and  in  front  of  these  a  third 
narrower  and  larger.  Behind  the  dark  area  on  the  back  is  a 
very  broad  dorsal  cross-band  of  light  yellowish-gray,  joining 
the  light  bands  on  the  side  of  the  body.  Behind  this  light 
cross-band  the  whole  posterior  part  of  the  body,  as  well  as  on 
the  tail  and  hind  limbs,  is  blackish-brown.  As  a  rule  the 
above-described  dark  and  light  color  areas  are  very  sharply 
defined.  Sometimes,  however,  there  extends  from  the  dark 
areas  a  smaller  spot  more  or  less  isolated.  According  to  the 
same  writer  the  color  varies  considerably  in  different  individ- 
uals, one  of  those  ho  describes  having  the  dark  color  of  a  dark 
grayish-black,  and  the  light  markings  whitish  or  straw-yellow. 
He  also  states  that  in  the  figures  given  by  Siemaschko  the 
light  neck-band  is  deflected  backward  from  the  back  of  the 
neck  to  the  fore-limbs,  leaving  the  whole  breast  of  the  same 
dark-brown  color  as  the  head.  Besides  this  the  dark-brown 
color  of  the  back  extends,  both  posteriorly  and  anteriorly,  to 
the  lower  sides  of  the  body,  occupying  the  whole  of  the  ventral 
surface,  with  the  exception  of  two  light  bands  which  run  cross- 


:.    ti.l 


••fli 


1 


1  itli  V 


i'li'S 


^1 


678 


HISTItlOPHOCA    FASCIATA — UIBBON    HKAL. 


wise  around  the  bsiso  of  tluitintcrioroxtroniitioH,  and  a  soparnio 
lijjfht  band  that  crosses  the  hinder  part  of  tho  body.  In  coii- 
HiM|Ucnce  of  the  wide  (U'liartnre  of  the  patt«'rn  of  (toktration  in 
Siemaschko's  llfrure  from  his  own  exiinipkH,  von  Schrenek  is  left 
in  th>ubt  as  to  wliether  tlie  lljjure  is  really  a  true  copy  from 
nature. 

The  single  specimen  I  have  examined  (Nat.  Mus.  No.  9311,  Cape 
liomnnzolf,  W.  II.  Dsdl),  a  flat  skin,  lacking  the  tlippcrs  and 
the  fa(!ial  portion,  agrees  with  von  Schrenck's  llji^ure  in  resjject 
to  the  form  and  size  of  tlie  neckband,  but  there  is  a  far  greater 
prejionderance  of  light  color,  which  occupies  rather  more  than 
half  the  entire  surface.  Oidy  the  jiosterior  sixth  of  the  body  is 
blacl^  and  the  dark  area  of  the  back  is  very  much  more  re- 
stricted, and  differs  somewhat  in  outline.  In  this  specimen 
the  breadth  of  the  dark  dorsal  portion  occui)ies  siiarcely  more 
than  one-third  of  the  whole  width  of  the  skin,  the  light  portion 
on  either  side  nearly  equalling  it  in  brea«lth.  It  widens  over 
the  neck  and  sends  down  a  lateral  branch  on  each  side,  the 
two  meeting  on  the  breast.  It  is  contracted  over  the  shoulders, 
behind  which  it  again  expands,  and  at  its  posterior  border 
sends  down  a  very  narrow  branch  from  the  right  side  to  the 
middle  of  the  belly;  its  fellow  on  the  oppo^I^e  side  is  nearly 
obsolete,  forming  merely  a  broken  chain  of  small  dusky  spots. 
There  is  hence  in  this  example  a  wide  departure  from  the  speci- 
mens described  by  von  Schrenek,  while  the  want  of  syuunetry 
in  the  two  posterior  branches  of  the  dorsal  spot,  and  the  rela- 
tively nearly  equal  amount  of  light  and  dark  color,  lead  one 
to  apprehend  a  much  wider  rangi  of  individual  variation  in 
coloration  than  von  Schrenek  apparently  suspected,  and  that 
after  all  Siemaschko's  figure  merely  repres'ents  a  variation  in 
the  opposite  direction  from  that  here  indicated,  or  an  unusual 
extension  of  the  dark  color  at  the  expense  of  the  lighter  mark- 


nigs. 


Size. — Von  Schrenek  states  that  this  animal  is  reported  to 
sometimes  attain  the  length  of  6^  feet.  He  gives  the  length 
of  a  full-grown  male  as  5  feet  OJ  inches  (1G8  J  mm.),  and  that  of  a 
full-grown  female  as  5  feet  3  inches  (1600  mm.),  based  on  Wosnes 
senski's  specimens  obtained  in  Kamtschatka,  which  his  hunters 
informed  him  .vere  not  of  the  largest  size.  In  other  words,  it 
api^ears  to  be  a  Seal  of  the  medium  size,  or  about  as  large  as 
Phoca  yrcenlandica. 


■■■    I 


>.  » ; 


OENEKAli   HISTORY. 


G79 


General  IIistory — The  first  account  of  the  present  species 
was  published  by  Pennant,  under  the  name  "  Jtubbon  Seal,"  in 
the  first  (luailo  "lition  of  his  "  IIistory  of  (Quadrupeds,"  in  1781 
(vol.  ii,  J).  523).  His  short  description,  based  wholly  on  infor- 
mation and  a  drawinj^  furnished  by  Dr.  Pallas,  is  as  follows: 
"kSeal  with  very  short  line  glossy  bristly  hair,  of  an  uniform 
color,  almost  black  ;  marked  alongf  the  sides,  and  towards  the 
hea<l  and  tail,  with  a  stripe  of  a  i)ale  yellow  color,  exactly 
resombliufj;  a  rubbon  laid  (m  it  by  art ;  words  cannot  sufficiently 
convey  the  idea,  the  fV"ui  is  therefore  en}j;raven  on  the  title  of 
Division  III,  Pinnated  (Quadrupeds,  from  a  drawinjif  communi- 
cated to  lue  by  Doctor  Pallas,  who  received  it  from  one  of  the 
remotest  Kuril  islands. 

"Its  si/,e  is  unknown,  for  Doctor  Pallas  received  only  the 
middle  part,  which  had  been  cut  out  of  a  large  skin,  so  that  no 
description  can  be  given  of  head,  fe(^t,  or  tail ;  a  shews  the 
part  supposed  to  be  next  to  the  head ;  b  that  to  the  tail."* 

In  Pennant's  Arctic;  Zoology  (vol.  i,  1793,  p.  103)  there  is  a 
shorter  but  in  some  resi)e(;ts  a  njore  detailed  aud  better  account, 
which  I  also  transcribe.  "  Kubbon  Seal.  With  very  short  bristly 
hair,  of  an  uniform  glossy  color,  almost  black :  the  whole  back 
and  sides  comprehended  within  a  narrow  regular  stripe  of  pale 
yellow. 

"  It  is  to  Dr.  Pallas  I  owe  the  knowledge  of  this  species.  He 
received  only  part  of  the  skin,  which  seemed  to  have  been  the 
back  and  sides.  The  length  was  four  feet,  the  breadth  two  feet 
three ;  so  it  nnist  have  belonged  to  a  large  species.  It  was 
taken  off  the  Kuril  islands."  , 

The  markings  as  represented  in  Pennant's  figure  conespond 
well  with  those  of  the  animal  figured  by  von  Schrenck  (pres- 
ently to  be  noticed),  except  that  the  posterior  transverse  por- 
tion of  the  baud  is  relatively  narrower  than  in  von  Schreuck's 
spechnen.  •  • 

In  1783  Pennant's  Kiibbon  Seal  was  named  Phocafasciata  by 
Zimmermann.t  Shaw,  without  referring  to  Zimmermann,  and 
probably  without  knowing  that  he  had  named  the  specicij, 
bestowed  upon  it  the  same  name  seventeen  years  later,  X  and 
to  him  the  name  has  been  almost  universally  attributed.  The 
accounts  of  both  these  authors  were  based  entirely  upon  the 
description  given  by  Pennant,  as  above  quoted,  and  no  further 

*  Here  quoted  from  the  third  ed.  of  Hist.  Quod.,  vol.  ii,  179:5,  p.  277. 
t  Geograi>)i.  Geschict.,  iii,  277. 
tGen.  Zool.,  vol,  i,  1800,  p.  257. 


m 


!    !.i1{' 


:  Mil 


m 


680 


HISTRIOPHOCA   FASCIATA — RIBBON    SEAL. 


information  respectinf;  the  species  appeared  till  Pallas  in  1831* 
redcscribed  the  species  from  the  original  fragment  mentioned 
by  Pennant,  and  renamed  it  Phoca  equestris.  In  the  meantime 
the  species  had  been  uniformly  relegated  by  authors  to  the  list 
of  doubtful  or  inadequately  described  species.  Pallas  cites 
Pennant's  Rubbou  Seal  as  a  synonym  of  his  Phoca  equestris,  and 
also  refers  in  his  description  of  it  to  Pennant's  figure,  but  to 
neither  Zimmermann  nor  Shaw.  He  says  it  is  rare  in  the 
Ochots  Sea,  but  is  reported  to  be  of  frequent  occurrence  around 
the  Kurile  Islands.  His  description  t  adds  little  of  importance 
to  the  information  given  by  Pci.  uant,  and  apparently  relates 
to  the  same  specimen. 

According  to  von  Schrenck,  Hni.  Wosnessenski  obtained, 
during  his  residence  in  Kamtschatka,  the  first  perfect  speci- 
mens, embracing  the  old  and  young  of  both  sexes,  thereby  es- 
tablishing beyond  doubt  the  validity  of  the  species;  but  this 
valuable  material  remained  uudescribed  until  the  appearance 
of  von  Schrenck's  work  on  the  Mammals  of  Amoor  Land,  in 
1859.J  Von  Schrenck  himself  was  so  fortunate  as  to  also  ob- 
tain skins  of  this  animal  during  his  journey  in  Amoor  Land, 
and  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  first  detailed  description  of 
the  spe(;ies,  accompanied  by  excellent  colored  figures  of  both 
sexes.§  He,  however,  adopted  Pallas's  name  Phoca  equestris  in 
preference  to  the  very  appropriate  name  given  half  a  century 
before  by  Zimmermann,  and  somewhat  later  also  by  Shaw,  for 
wholly  arbitrary  reasons.  || 

*Zoogr.  Rosso- Asiat.,  vol.  i,  1831,  p.  111. 

t  His  doscriptiou  iu  full  is  as  follows :  "MagnitucUne  praccedontes  aequasse 
vel  excessisso  videbatur  [henco  about  five  feot  four  iucbes  long  from  th? 
nose  to  the  tail,  or  rather  more],  pellis  enim  jiortioe  solo  dorso  exsecta 
quatnor  fere  dodrantum  latitudinem  ct  sex  ad  septem  dodrantum  longitudi- 
neni  habebat.  Color  totius  bmnneus,  sen  fuscus,  cum  brnnntu  tinctura, 
uniformis.  Pili  breves,  laovigati,  rigidi  nt  in  Ph.  canina  {^Phoca  vifulina). 
Insula  lata  alba,  ut  amiciss,  Fetirmnt  delineavit,  antioe  angulo  versus 
cervicem  coiiuns,  por  latera  introrsum  arcuata,  postiee  transversa  tiabe 
connexa,  totura  dorsi  discura  includit. —  Optandum,  lit  liaec  singularis 
species  perfoctius  iunotcscat." 

t  Von  Schrenck  alludes  to  a  very  brief  and  unimportant  reference  to  the 
species  by  Siemaschko,  in  a  work  published  iu  the  Russian  language  in  1851. 

$  Reisen  und  Forschungen  in  Amur-Lande,  i,  18">9,  pp.  182-188,  pi.  ix. 

II  Ho  appears  not  to  have  known  of  Zimmermann's  refereuLe  to  the  spt;- 
cies,  but  speaks  of  Shaw's  name  as  "eine  Bezeichnung,  die  jedoch  gegen- 
wiirtig  gegon  den  ubrsprlinglichen,  vom  Entdecker  selbst  stammendci  luid 
nur  durch  das  vcrzogerte  Erscheinen  der  Zoographia  Rosso-Asiatica  spiiter 
bekannt  gowordenen  Namen  I'h,  eqiwutria  zurlicktreten  muss." — L.  c,  p.  182. 


■I 


TSki 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION. 


681 


<  :'l 


As  von  Schrenck  figured  only  the  external  characters,  we 
have  still  to  regret  the  absence  of  illustrations  of  the  skull  and 
dentition. 

Gray,  in  1866,*  referred,  without  question,  Shaw's  Phocafas- 
data  to  Phoca  foetida,  and  also,  doubtfully,  the  Phoca  equestris 
of  both  Pallas  and  von  Schrenck — a  rather  strange  proceed- 
ing, in  view  of  von  Schrenck's  excellent  description  of  the 
species  and  striking  figure.  In  1871,t  however,  he  raised  it  to 
the  rank  of  a  species,  under  the  name  ^'- PagopMlusl  equestrl8^\ 
referring  to  it,  however,  Kadde's  Phoca  annellata,  an  entirely 
different  animal. 

The  next  reference  to  the  species  I  am  able  to  find  is  Dr. 
Gill's  account,!  already  cited,  in  which  he  mentions  two  skins 
in  the  collection  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  collected  by 
Mr.  Dall  at  Cape  Eomanzoff,  cites  von  Schrenck's  account  of 
its  dental  and  other  characters,  and  i)roposcs  for  it  the  generic 
name  Histriophoca. 

Captain  Scammon's  account  of  the  species,§  published  in 
1874,  completes,  so  far  as  known  to  me,  the  wi-itten  history  of 
the  species.  Captain  Scammon  gives  a  figure  of  the  animal, 
apparently  copied  from  von  Schrenck's. 

Geographical  Distribution. — According  to  Pallas,  the 
present  species  occurs  around  the  Kurile  Islands  and  in  the 
Ochots  Sea.  Von  Schrenck  states  that  Hr.  Wosnessenski  ob- 
tained specimens  that  were  killed  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Kamtschatka,  and  that  he  himself  iw  skins  of  examples  killed 
on  the  southern  coast  of  the  Ochots  Sea,  where,  however,  the 
species  seems  to  be  of  rare  occurrence.  He  further  states  that 
it  occurs  also  in  the  Gulf  of  Tartary,  between  the  island  of 
Saghalien  and  the  mainland,  but  apparently  not  to  the  south- 
ward of  that  island,  the  southern  point  of  which  (in  latitude 
46°  N.)  he  believes  to  be  the  southern  limit  of  its  distribution. 
Mr.  Dall  secured  specimens  taken  at  Cape  Eomanzoff.  Captain 
Scammon  states,  "It  is  found  upon  the  coast  of  Alaska,  bor- 
dering on  Behring  Sea,  and  the  natives  of  Ounalaska  recog- 
nize it  as  an  occasional  visitor  to  the  Aleutian  Islands 

The  Eussian  traders,  who  formerly  visited  Cape  Eomanzoff, 


•Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  p.  23. 
t  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  p.  2. 
t  Amer.  Nat.,  vol.  vii,  1873,  pp.  178,  179. 
(  Marino  Maiu.,  1874,  p.  140,  pi.  xxi. 


■  m 


682 


GENUS   HALICHCEUUS. 


from  St.  Michael's,  Norton  Sound,  frequently  brought  back  the 
skins  of  the  male  Histriophoca,  which  were  used  for  covering 
trunlvs  and  for  other  ornamental  purposes."  This  writer  also 
states  that  he  "observed  a  herd  of  Seals  upon  the  beaches  at 
Point  lleyes,  California,"  in  April,  1852,  which,  "without  close 
examination,  answered  to  the  description  given  by  Gill  "  of  the 
present  species.  Probably,  liowe.'cr,  a  "close  examination" 
would  have  shown  them  to  be  different,  as  no  examples  are  yet 
known  from  the  Californian  coast,  and  the  locality  is  far  beyond 
the  probable  limits  of  its  liabitat.  Its  known  range  may, 
therefore,  be  given  as  Behring's  Sea  southward — on  the  Amer- 
ican coast  to  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  on  the  Asiatic  coast 
to  the  Iceland  of  Saghalien. 

Habits. — Almost  nothing  appears  to  have  been  as  yet 
recorded  respecting  the  habits  of  the  Eibbon  Seal.  Von 
Schrenck  gives  us  no  information  of  importance,  and  wo 
search  equally  in  vain  for  information  elsewliere.  AW  of  the 
four  specimens  obtained  by  Wosnessenski  were  taken  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Kamtschatka,  at  tlie  mouth  of  the  Kamt- 
schatka  Kiver,  about  the  end  of  ^Nlarch.  According  to  the  re- 
ports of  hunters,  it  very  rarely  apijears  at  this  locality  so  early 
in  the  season,  being  not  often  met  with  there  before  the  early 
part  of  May.  The  natives  use  its  skins,  in  common  with  those 
of  other  species,  for  covering  their  snow-shoes. 


Genus  HALICIKERUS,  Nilsson. 

HuUchacrna,  Nilsson,  "Fatui.  Skand.,  i,  1820, 377."    Type,  llalicharua grisem, 

Nils8on=:P/i()Cfl //n/piw*,  Fabricins. 
Pma,  Gill  (ex  "Scopoli,  1777  "),  Joliuson's  New  Univ.  Cycl.,  iii,  1877,  12v2G 

(iKit  PttSflf,  Scopoli,  which  was  based  on  Phoca  fwlida). 

Dental  formula  as  in  Phoca.  Molars  conical,  as  broad  as  long, 
with  very  small  accessory  cusps  when  young,  all  single-rooted, 
except  the  last  lower  and  two  last  upper  ones.  Facial  portion 
of  the  skull  greatly  developed,  forming  nearly  half  the  length 
of  the  skull,  and  very  broad — broader  at  the  base  of  the  zygo- 
matic process  of  the  maxillary  than  the  brain-case.  Interorbital 
bridge  thick,  high;  orbital  fossa;  large  ;  brain-case  very  smiill, 
forming  less  than  one-third  of  the  length  of  the  skull,  instead 
of  nearly  one-half,  as  in  Phoca,  Erignathits,  Cystophora,  etc. 
Strongly  developed  sagittal  and  occipital  crests  in  old  age  in 
the  males. 


THE    "GENUS    PUSA"    OP   SCOPOLI. 


683 


HaUchcenis  forms  (except  possibly  Monachm)  the  most  strongly 
marked  generic  type  among  the  Pboeinw,  and  in  view  of  the 
striking  peculiarities  of  the  skull  it  is  not  surprising  that  Dr.  J. 
E.  Gray  should  have  allotted  it  a  subfamily  (or  "tribal")  rank,* 
but  why  he  should  have  associated  it  with  the  Walrusses  seems 
hard  to  co  iceive.  While  the  dental  formula  is  the  same  as  in  the 
other  genera  of  Phocinw,  the  teeth  depart  widely  in  their  simple 
conical  cylindrical  form  from  what  is  met  with  in  the  other  genera, 
as  well  as  in  being  mostly  single-rooted.  Tlie  proportions  of 
the  skull  are  almost  the  reverse  of  what  is  met  with  in  the  other 
genera.  The  preorbital  portion  forms  nearly  half  the  length  of 
the  skull,  and  has  a  proportion.ally  remarkable  breadth,  the 
width  of  the  skull  at  the  base  of  the  zygomatic  process  of 
the  maxillary  considerably  exceeding  the  greatest  width  of  the 
brain-case,  instead  of  being  only  about  half  as  wide,  as  is  the 
case  in  Phoca.  The  brain-case  is  <lisproportiona4^ely  small,  be- 
ing scarcely  longer  than  in  Phoca  ffroenlandica  or  P.  vitulhia, 
although  the  total  length  of  the  skull  is  one-third  greater,  while  ^ 
the  breadth  of  the  brain-case  is  actually  less !  The  opening  of 
the  anterior  nares  is  simply  immense,  in  comi)arison  with  any 
other  representative  of  tlie  subfamily  Phoeiiuv,  being  even  larger 
than  in  Cystophora,  The  interorbital  region,  correlatively  with 
the  nasal  passages,  is  also  greatly  thickened.  In  old  age,  at 
least  in  the  males,  the  sagittal  crest  is  greatly  developed  (15  mm. 
high  in  a  specimen  before  me),  as  are  also  the  occipital  indges. 
The  postorbital  region  thus  strikingly  recalls  the  highly  devel- 
oped crests  of  the  Otaries.  In  respect  to  the  general  skeleton 
I  am  unable  to  speak,  my  material  being  limited  to  two  skulls 
and  a  few  skins.  . 


ji  :     i; 


(jrENERAL     HISTORY    AND     DISCUSSION    OF    THE     "GENUS 

Pus  A"  OP  ScoPOLi. — The  genus  Ilalicheerus,  distinguished  by 
Nilsson  in  1820,  has  been  until  recently  without  a  synonym. 
In  1S77,  however,  Dr.  Gill  revived  the  name  Pusai  of  Scopoli, 

'Snppl.  Ciit.  Seals  and  WhaloH,  1871,  p.  W. 

t  Conceniinjj;  tht^  etymology,  sif^iiififafloii,  and  oarly  nsc  of  this  sinjjnlar 
word  tlio  loll()\vin<5  may  be  of  interest.  According  to  Honttnyn  (Natnnr- 
lyke  Historie,  etc.,  Deel  i,  Stale  ii,  17G1,  p.  If))  ^nd  Miillcr  (Natursysteni, 
Tlieil  i,  1773,  p.  I'Ji))  Pum  is  simply  tlio  Greenlandic  word  for  Seal.  The 
tirst  nse  of  the  word  by  European  authors  seems  to  have  been  by  Andt^rson 
(174()),  and  soon  after  L.,  Cranz,  who,  however,  spoiled  it  I'ua,  and  gave  it 
as  the  Groeidaudic  equivalent  of  the  Latin  Phoca  (Historio  von  Gdoenl., 


684 


GENUS   HALICHOERUS. 


1777,*  supposing  it  to  have  been  based  on  tlie  Phoca  grypus 
of  Fabricius.  Dr.  Gill  does  not  appear  to  have  anywhere  given 
reasons  for  this  interpretation.  In  Johnson's  "Cyclopedia," as 
above  cited,  he  simply  calls  the  Gray  Seal  "  Piisa  {Haliehcerus) 
grypus ^\  which  is  doubtless  to  be  interpreted  as  Pusa  {=IIaU- 
choerun)  grypus.  xJr.  Cones,  however,  has  had  occasion  to  con- 
sider Pusa  in  relation  to  its  use  by  Oken,  in  1810,  as  a  generic 
designation  for  the  Sea  Otter.  In  referring  to  this  point  Dr.  Cones 
observes:  "PMsa  had,  however,  already  been  used  by  another 
writer  in  connection  with  a  genus  of  Seals  now  commonly 
known  as  Halichoerus,  but  in  such  a  peculiar  way  as  to  raise 
one  of  those  technical  questions  of  synonymy  which  authors 
interpret  differently,  in  absence  of  fixed  rule.  Scopoli  based 
his  Pusa  upon  a  figure  of  Salomon  [?c//ePhilipp  Ludwig  Statius] 
Midler's,  I'ecognizable  with  certiiinty  as  Halichoerus,  and  gave 
characters  utterly  irreconcilable  with  those  of  this  animal. 
This  is  the  whole  case.  Now  it  may  be  argued  that  there  being 
no  such  animal  whatever  as  Scopoli  says  his  Pitsa  was,  his  name 
drops  out  of  the  system,  and  Pusa  of  Oken,  virtually  an  en- 
tirely new  term,  is  tenable  for  something  else,  namelj^  for  the 
Sea  Otter.    On  the  other  hand,  Scopoli's  quotations  show  ex- 


1765,  p.  161).  The  same  form  of  the  word  is  used  by  Schreber  (Siingth., 
Theil  iii,  p.  285).  Erxleben  (Syst.  Reg.  Auiin.,  1777,  p.  586)  gives /'«rse  ami 
Kassigiak  as  the  Greeulandic  names  of  Phoca  ritulhia.  Fabricius,  in  17U(l 
(Skrivter  af  Naturhistorie-Selskabet,  Bd.  i,  Hefte  1,  1790,  p.  90  aud  foot- 
note 150),  gives  Piiirae  in  his  text  as  one  of  the  Greenlaudic  names  of  flie 
Harp  Seal,  and  in  a  footnote  gives  a  further  account  of  the  word.  He 
says :  Pua,  as  written  by  Cranz,  ami  after  him  by  Schreber,  is  erroneous, 
this  word  meaning  a  hing.  But  Puac,  or  Pdese,  as  Professor  Glahn  (Anmjcr- 
kninger  til  Cranzes  Hist.,  p.  150)  corrected  it,  is  not  wholly  right.  Like- 
wise incorrect  is  Anderson's  Pusa  in  his  "  Efterr.  om  Strut-Davis,  ^  LV".  It 
is  from  hero  that  Scopoli  learned  the  name  Pusa  as  Ik;  has  used  it  for  his 
supposed  new  genus  of  animals,  which,  however,  is  nothing  more  than  a 
species  of  Seal  (see  Boschiift.  Berl.  Ges.  Naturs.,  IV,  B.,  p.  464). 

It  thus  appears  that  the  name  Pusa,  with  its  various  orthographic  forms, 
was  originally  simply  n  generic  term  for  Seals  in  general,  the  Greenlaudic 
equivalent  of  the  Latin  Phoca,  the  English  Seal,  etc.  In  view  of  this  is  it 
improbable  that  the  pigeon-term  ^'  Pussy,"  said  to  be  conmionly  employed 
by  the  northern  sailors  and  sealers  of  various  nationalities  for  j'oung  Seals 
in  the  white  coat,  may  not  be  a  corruption  of  the  Greenlaudic  Pusal 

*  See  Johnson's  New  Universal  Cyclopedia,  vol.  iii,  1877,  p.  1226.  He 
also  employed  the  name  in  the  same  sense  in  1876  in  his  anonymous  "List 
of  the  Principal  Useful  or  Injurious  Mammals"  of  North  America.  For  an 
account  of  the  last-named  publication  see  ante&,  p.  22. 


THE  "genus  PUSA" 


OF  SCOPOLI. 


685 


actly  what  he  meant,  in  spite  of  his  inept  diagnosis;  his  name 
Ptisa  therefore  liolds,  and  cannot  be  subsequently  used  by 
Oken  in  a  different  connection."* 

An  examination  of  the  case,  however,  shows  that  Miiller's 
plate  is  not  " recofjjnizable  with  certainty"  as  that  of  any  par- 
ticuhir  species  of  Seal.  Scopoli's  diagnosis  is  simply  an  ab- 
surdity, as  the  subjoined  transcript  t  sufficiently  shows,  his 
reference  to  Miiller's  description  and  plate  affording  the  only 
real  basis  lor  his  genus  Ptisa.  As  already  stated,  the  figure 
cannot  be  i)ositively  referred  to  any  particular  species  of  Seal. 
The  description  given  by  Miillerf  records  few  characters  that 
are  not  applicable  to  any  species  of  Earless  Seal.  Those  which 
are  not  thus  applicable  appear  to  relate  to  Phoca  grypm,  Fa- 
bricius,  and  I  so  at  first  interpreted  the  description,  but  later  I 
found  it  necessary  to  go  further  back  in  the  history  of  the  sub- 
ject. The  plates  of  Miiller's  work,  so  far  as  the  mammals  are 
concerned,  pro\e  on  collation  to  be  very  close  copies  of  those 
given  by  Houttuyn  (with  the  exception  of  three  that  appear  to 
be  here  for  the  first  time  published)  twelve  years  earlier,  if,  in- 
deed, some  of  them  were  not  actually  printed  from  the  same 
etchings.  Miiller  says  (1.  c,  p.  201),  "  Der  Professor  Albinusiu 
Leiden  zergliederte  den  24.  Februar,  1748.  in  Gegenwart  des 
Ilerrn  Houttuyns  einen  Seehund,  welcher  Tab.  XI.  fig.  0.  ab- 

*  Fur-beariiig  Animals,  1877,  p.  3:J7. 

t  "  PVSA.  Scop.  Pedes  antici  unguiciilati,  postici  eonnati  in  piniiam  sex- 
loltain,  ad  qiionim  origincm  snperne  pxit  pinna  lanceolata,  horizontalis. 
Dcntes  ineisores  qiiatnor,  canini  supra  sex,  infra  quatuor.  Auricula)  uul- 
lio.     Pili  brcvea. 

"Dcscriptioncni  &  iconom  dedit  CI.  Mt^LLKUVS  S.  N.  Tom.  I.  Tab.  XI.  fig. 
G." — Inlrodrclio  ad  HiHioriam  Xatvralem  muleim  Ccnira  Lapidvm,  Plantarrm,  vt 
Animalirm  hactenvs  detecta,"  etc., 1777,  p.  490,  genus  43:^.  For  this  tran- 
script I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Edward  J.  Nolan,  secretary  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences  of  Pliiladi^lphia,  the  library  of  this  Academy  containing 
the  only  copy  of  the  work  known  to  me  as  existing  in  this  country.  (Since 
the  above  was  written  a  copy  of  Scopoli's  above-named  work  has  been  re- 
ceived at  the  library  of  Harvard  College.) 

tDes  Ritters  Carl  von  Linnd  Kouiglich  Schwodischen  Leibarztes,  &c., 
•fee,  vollstilndiges  Natursystem  nacli  der  zwiilften  lateinischen  Ausgabe 
and  nach  Anleitung  des  hoUiindisciien  Honttuynischen  Werks  mit  einer 
ausriihrlichen  Erkliirung  ausgefertiget  %on  Philipp  Ludwig  Statins  Miiller 
Prof,  der  Naturgeschichte  zu  Erlang  und  Mitglied  der  Rom.  Kais.  Akademie 
der  Naturforscher,  «&c.  Erster  Theil.  Von  den  siingonden  Thieren.  Mit  32 
Kupfern.  Ntirnbnrg,  bey  Gabriel  Nicolaus  Raspe,  1773.  Eino  andere  Art 
einos  Seehundes,  pp.  201,  20i,  pi.  xi,  lig.  G. 


i  .  K 


:i. 


686 


GENUS    IIALICIIGERUS. 


gcbildert  ist."  .  .  .  KefeiTing  now  to  Ilouttuyii,*  we  find  this 
statement:  "i'^/V/.  (>,  [pi.  xij  is  die  van  een  Zee-IIond,  welken  de 
Ilooffgeleerde  lleer  Aluinus,  in  't  Jaar  1748,  «len24  February, 
te  Leiden,  op  de  Vertoonplaats  der  Ontleedkunde,  in  niyn  by- 
zyn  heeft  laaten  openen"  (1.  e.,  p.  1(J).  Later  (1.  e.,  pp.  28, 29) 
he  {^ive.s  a  de.serii)tion  of  the  speeinien  here  referred  to  as  dis- 
sected in  his  presence  by  Professor  Albinus,  where  he  says, 
"De  Ileer  Albinus  heeft  in  den  Zeellond,  hier  voor  in  Fig.  G 
["pi.  xi,  tig.  0,"  ill  the  margin]  afgebeeld,  onder  anderen,  het 
volgende  oi)geineckt,"  citing  at  this  point,  in  a  footnote,  "J.)t- 
not.  Acad.  lAhr.  Ill,  Caj).  XV."  Before  turning  to  Albinus's 
account  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  Miiller's  and  Houttuyn's 
l^lates  here  cited  are  identical,  even  to  the  notation,  and  that 
Miiller's  description  is  merely  a  slightly  abridged  translation  of 
Houttuyn's  account.t 

On  referring  to  Albinus,  we  find  not  only  a  very  full  and 
lucid  account  of  the  external  and  some  other  characters  of  the 
specimen  Houttuyn  saw  him  dissect,  but  also  the  original  of 
both  Houttuyn's  and  Miillei-'s  ligures !  Albinus's  figure  ditt'ers 
from  the  others  only  in  being  much  more  finely  executed.  But 
besides  the  figure  copied  by  Houttuyn,  Albinus  gives  several 
detail  figures,  wliich  demonstrate  that  the  specimen  could  not 
have  been  JIalichcerus  grypus.  Albinus's  description  shows  him 
to  have  been  not  only  one  of  the  most  accomplished  anatomists 

*  Natuinlykc  HiHtoric  of  uitvociigcs  Bcschryviiif;  dcr  Dioren,  Plauteu,  eu 
Miucniiiloii,  Volgens  liet  Sameuatcl  vau  tleii  HetT  Liuiiiuiis.  Mot  naanwkeu- 
rigo  Afbeoldiiigcu.  Eersto  Duels,  Tweedo  Stnk.  Vervolg  der  Zoogeude  Die- 
reu.     T«  Aiustcidani.     By  V.  Houttuyn,  M  D  CC  LXI. 

t  Since  writing  tli(>  abov(!  I  have  met  with  a  ret'erenco  to  Scopoli's  Pusa 
by  Hcnnann,  in  liis  (Elaborate  account  of  the  Monk  Seal  of  the  Meditei- 
raii  111,  in  wliich  he  criticises  severely  Scspoli's  absurd  diagnosis,  and  sug- 
gests exidanations  of  some  of  Scopoli's  erroneous  characters.  As  Hermann 
(Beschilftigungen  der  Berlinischen  Gesellschaft  Naturlbrscheudcr  Freunde, 
4  Baud,  1779,  p.  4G4,  footnote)  intimates,  his  "  Pedes  ....  postici 
counati  in  pinnam  sexlobam"  is  based  on  a  very  stupid  misunderstanding 
of  Miiller's  figure,  in  which  only  the  u])per  edge  of  the  left  hind  Hipper  is 
seen  above  the  right  one.  Although  the  shading  renders  the  figure  per- 
fectly intelligible,  Scopoli  evidently  counted  this  upper  edge  of  the  left 
hind  flipper  as  the  sixth  lobo  of  a  single  appeudag«),  the  whole  forming  his 
six-lobed  "  pinna ".  If  we  m.ay  suppose  the  transposition  of  two  words 
("incisores"  and  "canini")  by  typographical  error  in  Scoiioli's  dental  for- 
mula, the  rendering  would  be  correct,  namely,  Dentes  canini  quatuor,  inci- 
aorea  supra  sex,  infra  quatuor.  But  this  wo  fear  is  lenient  judgment,  al- 
though it  would  seem  that  Scopoli  must  have  known  better  than  to  delib- 
erately ascribe  ten  caninea  to  any  mammal. 


'■'itr'i. 


THE    "genus   PUSA"   OF    SCOPOLI. 


687 


of  lii.s  time,  but  .a  well-trained  observer ;  his  de.s.ription  alone 
would  show  beyond  doubt  that  the  species  was  not  JIalivhcerufi. 
Houttuyn's  account  seems  to  have  been  in  part  based  on  that 
of  Albinns,  but  includes  statements  that  lead  one  to  sujipo'^e  it 
may  have  been  in  ])art  based  on  his  own  original  notes.  To 
show  that  the  si)ecies  was  not  Halichdcriis  grypus,  but  beyond 
doubt  Pliova  /(jctida,  I  quote  i)ortions  of  the  descri])tion  given 
by  Albiinis:  *  "Delecta  ad  me  est  phoca,  capta  in  vicino  mari, 
[North  Sea]  longa  pedes  sex  &  dimidium,  ab  ore  ad  extremos 
pedes  postiores  uscpie:  ex  (pio  reliqnae  dimensiones  in  figura 
subjecta  («)  invenientur ;  in  quo  forma  bestiae  cum  cura  expressa. 
Tenter  autem  plenior,  eo  <piod  gravida  erat,  embryonem  con- 
tinens  longitudinis  pedalis.  .  .  .  Labium  superius  ab  utraque 
parte  nasi  in  magnum  globum  modice  protuberans ;  in  quibus 
pilorum  species,  similitudine  felis,  quadrupe«lnm(jue  aliarum 
multarum.  .  .  .  Latiores  quam  crassiores,  ab  utraque  parte 
plani,  marginibus  rotundis.  Per  margiiuim  longitudinem  veluti 
serrati,  eminentiis  ovatis  per  siiuis  lunatos  distiuctis.  Respond- 
ent margines  sibi  iuvicem,  sinus  sinibus  emineutiae  eminentiis : 
itaquetaiKjuam  per  intervallaconstricti,quadam  nodorum  inter- 
mediis  locis  specie.  A  principio  nuirgines  recti.  .  .  .  Dentes 
in  maxilla  superiore  sex  coutinui  in  parte  priore,  (luorum  medii 
quatuor  minores.  Inde,  sed  modico  interjecto  intervallo,  quod 
canini  inferiores  subeaut,  canini,  adunci,  maximi  omnium. 
Post  hos  in  lateribus  maxillares  ab  utraque  i)arte  quinque, 
parvi,  veluti  tricuspides,  mucrone  medio  majore.  Infra  maxil- 
laies  totidem,  &  canini,  sed  primores  tJiutummodo  quatuor, 
ostendentibus  praesepiolis,  e  quibus  excussi  fuerant.  .  .  . 
In  ventre  post  umbilicum  mammarum  notae  geminae,  foramina 
referentes,  extremi  digiti  auricularis  capacia.  .  .  .  Pili, 
(juibus  corium  tectum,  breves,  tenues,  laeves,  h  capite  direct! 
ad  caudam,  pedesq;ie  extremos.  .  .  .  Color  lis  ad  fulvum 
vergeus,  maculis  fusci^  toto  corpore  crobris.  In  ventre  &  pec- 
tore  color  pallidior.  Cauda  &  pedes  postici  toti  fusci,  sine 
maculis,  praeterquam  ad  digitorum  exortum,  ubi  in  exteriore 
parte  maculae  fulvae,  parvae,  paucaeque.  Fusci  quoque  pedes 
antici,  sed  tamen  oxtrinsecus  aliquantum  maculosiores.  Omnes 
ex  interiore  parte  sine  maculis  fusci,  pilis  moUioribus. 

*  li.  S.  Albini  Academicarum  Aunotationum  Liber  Tortius.  Continot  aiia- 
tomica,  physioloKica,  pathologica,  zoographica.  Leiclae.  Apud  J.  &  H. 
Verbeek,  Bibliopolas.  cioiocci<vi  [1756].  Caput  XV.  De  jj/toca.  Liber 
iii,  pp.  04-71. 


I'       !■ 


m  > 


.ill 


688 


GENUS    HALICHOSRUS. 


"Embryo  masculu.s,  pilosus  quidem,  sed  tam  subtiliter,  ut 
facile  existimaretur  dopili^.  Color  i)allidior,  uec  uisi  in  dorso 
inaculosus.  Jam  specjtabilis  mv  .^tax,  &  superciliis  rcspondeutes 
sylvulae.  Digiti  pedum  distincti.  Ungues  visendi  ..." 
(i.  c,  pp.  G4-71). 

The  plate  (pi.  vi,  Libr.  iii)  accompanying  Albinus's  memoir 
gives  (lig.  1)  a  side  view  of  the  animal;  a  half  trout  view  (flg. 
2)  of  the  head,  with  the  mouth  wide-open,  displaying  the  den- 
tition ;  a  view  (flg.  3)  of  the  posterior  end  of  the  body  from 
below,  showing  the  genital  oi)eniug,  the  tail,  and  hind  tiippers ; 
a  diagram  (flg.  4)  of  the  genito-anal  oriflce ;  a  claw  (fig.  5)  of 
one  of  the  anterior  digits,  and  (fig.  0)  one  of  the  mystacial 
bristles  of  natural  size.  Even  in  the  large  figure  the  tricuspid 
character  of  the  molar  teeth  is  seen,  while  in  the  enlarged  view 
of  the  head  this  is  still  more  distinctly  shown.  In  this  the 
five  molars,  both  above  and  below,  of  the  right  side,  are  repre- 
sented as  small,  distinctly  three-pointed,  the  middle  point  the 
longest,  while  the  teeth  are  separated  by  slight  intervals,  the 
dentition  thus  in  every  respect  agreeing  unmisttakably  with 
that  of  Phoca  J'oetida.  The  large  figure  shows  also  the  first 
claw  of  the  fore  limb  to  be  the  largest,  another  distinctive  char- 
acter of  Phoca  foetida.  It  consequently  follows  that  if  Pusa  is 
tenable  in  a  generic  sense  it  must  be  held  for  Phoca  fcetida,  in 
place  of  Pagumyn  of  nuu;h  later  date,  by  those  who  would,  gen- 
erically,  separate  Phoca  fvetida  from  the  other  Seals.  The  con- 
dition of  the  foetus  also  points  to  Phoca  foetida,  which  has  its 
young  earlj'  in  March. 

Ilouttuyn's  descri]>tion,  and  consequently  Miiller's,  to  which 
Scopoli  refers,  is  merely  a  loose  abridged  version  of  that  given 
by  Albinus,  in  which  they  omit  to  state  that  the  length  given 
includes  the  outstretched  Itind  flippers.  They  also  describe  the 
molar  teeth  simply  as  being  pretty  sharp  ("de  Kiezen  zelfs 
eenigermaate  scherp,"  Uouttuyn ;  "die  Backenzahne  ziemlich 
scharf,"  Mdller),  and  speak  of  the  f<Btus  as  being  nearly  naked 
("en  was  nog  byna  kaal,"  Hoiittiiyn;  "  fast  kahl,"  Miiller),  but 
in  no  other  point  is  there  any  noteworthy  discrepancy.  Albi- 
nus's  account  of  the  foetus  shows  it  to  h.ave  been  neaily  mature, 
and  the  date  of  the  dissection  being  given  by  Houttuyn  as  the 
24th  of  February,  is,  as  silready  noted,  further  proof  that  the 
species  was  not  Maliohoerus  gryptin. 

It  is  barely  possible  that  the  specimen  figured  and  described 
may  have  been  Phoca  groenlandica  ;  the  large  size  alone  favors 


HALICIKERUS   ORYPT'S — GRAY   SEAL. 


(189 


this  view,  but  if  tlic  iuiiiii.il  were  nieaaured  uloii^  the  <!urvjituie 
of  the  body  instead  of  in  a  .strai}>ht  line  between  the  two  extreni 
ities,  the  dimensions  j;iven  wonhl  not  be  too  lar;;e  for  a  full- 
jjrown  female  V.fwtUUi.  The  lij;ures  sho\v  it  could  not  have 
been  Phoca  ritiilina,  while  HaUcha'nis  (/rypun  is  entirely  out  of 
the  question ;  for  the  phrase  "  parvi,  veluti  tricuspides,  mu- 
crone  medio  major*^ "  cannot  be  applied  to  the  large,  corneal, 
single-pointed  molars  of  Halichmrus,  even  if  we  had  not  the 
figures  to  show  the  small  size  and  tricuspid  character  of  the 
teeth. 


:n': 


HALICHGBKUS  GEYPUS  (.Fabridus)  NiUson. 
Gray  Seal. 

i  Grd -'Ml,  Linn6,  Fauna  Suecica,  1746,  4.— Cneiff,  "  Svonska  Vid.  Acad. 
Haudl.,  xix.  1757,  171." 

Ut-Selur,  Wetrar-Selur,  Olafsen,  Reiso  durcb  Island,  i,  1774,  260,  281. 

Der  Graue  Seekalh,  Kneiff,  Abbandl.  Kiingl.  Seliwed.  Akad.  Wissen.,  xix, 
1759,  171. 

Phoca  grypuH,  Fabuicius,  Skriv.  af  Naturh.-Sclsk.,  i,  2,  1791,  167,  pi.  xiii, 
lig.  4  (skull). — Hallguimsson,  Kr0yor'8  Naturh.-Tidsskrift,  ii, 
1838-'39,  91  (Iceland). 

Halichcerus  grypux,  NiLssoN,  "Konj^l.  Vet.  Akad.  Handl.  Stockholm.  1837, 

»";  Arch,  fiir  Naturg.,  1841,  318;  "Ilium.  Fig.  till  Skand.  Faun., 

ii,  1H37,  pi.  xxxiv;  text,  1840,  i,  20";  Skand.  Fauna,  Daggdjuren, 
1847,  299.— Wagner,  Schrober's  Siiugtb.,  vii,  1846,  12.— Schinz, 
Synop,  Mam.,  i,  1844,  483.— Grav,  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  30, 
fig.  10;  Cat.  St  ala  and  Whales,  1866,  34,  flg.  — ;  Zoologist,  1872, 
3333,  3335;  Hand-List  of  Seals,  1874,  9,  fig.  4,  pi.  vii  (skull,  juv.).— 
HoBNSCMi'CH  and  Schilling,  Arch.  furNaturg.,  1851,  21. — Giebel, 
Siiugeth.,  1855,  133.— Blasius,  Naturg.  Sliugeth.  Deutschl.,  1857, 
256,  figg.  142-144.— NORDMANN,  Vid.  Medd.  f.  d.natur.  Foren.,  1860 
(1861),  307.— Malmgren,  Ofv.  af  Kongl.  Vot.  Akad.  Stockh.,  1863, 
135;  Arch,  flir  Naturg.,  1864, 74.—"  Holmgren,  Skand.  Daggdjuren, 
1865,  220,  fig."— Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  1866, 12.— Brown,  Proc. 
Zool.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  340,  426;  Man.  Nat.  Hist.,  Geol.,  etc..  Green- 
land.  Mam.,  1875,  54.— Turner,  Journ.  Anjit.  and  Phys.,  iv,  1870, 
270  (coast  of  Scotland) ;  ibid.,  vii,  1873,  273  (abnormal  dentition) ; 
Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Edinb.,  xxvii,  275. — Litjjeborg,  Fauna  ofver 
Sveriges  och  Norgos  Ryggratlsjur,  1874,  709. — Van  Beneden,  Ann. 
du  Mus.  d'Hist.  Na-.  du  Bolgiqne,  i,  1877,  18  (geogr.  distr.). 

Ptisa  {Ilalichwriix)  grtipus,  Gill,  Johnson's  New  Univ.  Cvcl,  iii,  1877,  1226. 

Phooa  gryphua,  Lichtknstein,  Abhand.  d.  Berlin  Akad.,  1822-23  ( 1825),  Phys. 
Kl.,  1.— Fischer,  Syn.  Mam.,  1829,  239.— Macgillivrav,  Brit. 
Quad.,  1838,  214.— Blainvillb,  Ostdogr.,  Phoca,  1840-1851, pi.  ix 
(dentition). 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 44 


690 


IIALICHCERUS    ORYPUS GUAY   SEAL. 


IlalivhuriiH  t/rjuilutH,  Wma.  TriniH.  Uoy.  IiIhIi  Aciul.,  xviii,  IrttM,  H<(,  pi.  i 
(iiniitiiil,  fciiiali'  ami  two  yoiiML;).  |il.  ii  (.skull,  t'riiiuli<),  pi.  iii  (lower 
.jaw  ami  tn-tli).— HlM.i,,  Brit.  Quad.,  1KI7,  ',>7H  (lijrjr.  hUuII  ami  aiii- 
mah;  ilml.,  IH7I,  'JtW.— KKiNUAiuvr,  Krv4yt'i'«  Naturliist.-Ti'l.s.skr., 
iv,  jr-j:!,  :U;i;  Isis,  ls4r,.  7(»-.'.— Rkkks.  Zodlofiist,  HTl, 'iMD  (New- 
Itiiimllaiid). — (iitAY,  Ann.  and  Maf,'.  \a(.  lli.sl.,  4tli  mT.,  ix,  1872, 
',\2.i  ((H'cnrifncr  in  IJril.  Isl.)!  i''id.,  xiv,  H7I,  Hi!  (Cornwall). — 
Mai.m,  (!ot<'l(oij;s  ocli  Hohnsliins  Fauna  K'yj;j;r;iil>inrcn,  IH77,  14.'>. 

Jlolichii run  tirix<  iin,  Nilnson,  Skand.  Faun.,  i,  IH-JO,  :{77. — lIoUNscin'cii,  Isis, 
l^'-M.  -^lit.-Lrssox.  Man.  dc  Mam.,  1H-J7.  '^'Ori.— IfAMii/rox,  Amidiili. 
L'ariiiv.,  IKi't,  171,  pi.  x.— Sr.uiY,  Ann.  Nat.  Mist.,  vi,  1841,  HVi 
(I'arn  Islands). 

I'liixd  hiiliiliiiriis,  TiiiKNKMANN,  " Rfisc  in  Xordcn  Furopa's,  1,  18"24,  142." 

I'hoid  sri)i)iiHfi>lii,  Ti\i\:sKM\ss,  "  Rcisc  in  Noi'di'ii  Furopa's,  i,  1824,  5!(,  pi. 
V  (iidull  malt')."  (Iceland.)— FlscHKli,  Syu.  Mam.,  lS21t.  2117  (from 
Thicncmann  and  Lt'sson). 

VuH(tvvphi(UiH  mviiiiHroliis,  LoHson,  iian.  de  Mam.,  1820,  IW)  {  =  Phoca  acopii- 
Vicitla,  'riiit'iicmann). 

Pliixii  lliiiiiiiiiniini.  Fi'SHon,  Hict.  clus.s.  d'llist.  Nat,,  xiii,  1^28,  414  {=:Phora 
snipiiliciild,  'riiicncmanu). 

JIiilirlKiriiH  mdcrorhn licit i(>i,  Hoi!\scin;cii  and  .Scirit.MNG,  Ardi.  f'iir  Natnr- 
^a-sch.,  18.-)I,  22. 

HuUcharitH  jiarlnirlujnihuH,  lIouNsciiucH  and  Schilling,  AitIi.  fiir  Natur- 
gmli.,  18.^)1,  22. 

Phoca  barhata,  Fdmoxstoxk,  Vi(>w  of  tlic  Zotland  Islands,  ii,  1809,  21)4. — 
Ski.hy,  Zoiiloj;.  .Journ.,  ii,  1826,  4().'>. — Fleming,  Hist.  Brit.  Anim., 
1828,  18.— .Jenyn.s,  Brit.  Vt-rt.,  1^3.'),  1(5.— Macgillivhay,  Brit. 
Quad.,  1838,  212  (in  part). — Ha.milton,  Ampliib.  Carflivoru,  183!», 
14.'),  jd.  "3",  iv  (in  part  only — the  bioijraphical  mattt'r  nlatinj?  to 
British  localitios).— Bi:ll,  Hist.  Brit.  Quad.,  1837,  274  (the  Briti.sh 
iTfcnMicfs  only). 

Seal  from  thv  Smth  Senn,  Home,  I'hil.  Trans.,  1822,  pi.  xxvii  (skull). 

Gray  Sial,  Kn<;Iish ;  (Iraue  Seclniiid,  (Jcrman  ;  Gni  Sifil,  (iru  shiil,  .Swodish; 
Kriimniii((ic  de  .s'«7,  Danish ;  Tapvaht,  Hchridian ;  llaaf-finh,  Orca- 
dian;   t'l-Heliir,  frc/rrtr-SV/wr,  Icelandic. 

External  Characters. — Color  of  tlie  sultilLs  .silver-gray, 
sishgray,  or  (lusky-gray,  with  ob.s<!urely  defined  spotvS  of  dusky 
or  bliicki.sli,  the  general  color  varying  in  ditferent  individuals 
from  nearly  tuiiforin  silvery,  or  yellowi.sh-white,  to  dusky  or  even 
black,  the  lighter  examples  with  or  without  blackish  spots. 
The  young  iire  at  first  white  or  yellowish-white,  but  soou  be- 
come dingy -yellow,  blotched  irregularly  with  blackish-gray, 
and  later  ac(iuire  still  darker  tints.  The  pelage  in  the  young 
is  soft  and  woolly,  in  the  adults  short  and  rigid  and  rather 
sparse,  the  hairs  llattened,  adpressed,  often  recurved  at  the 
tips.  The  mystacial  bristles  are  abundant,  large,  stiff,  flat- 
tened, aiid  waved  or  crenulated  on  both  margins.    Fore  feet 


EXTERNAL   CHARACTERS. 


691 


with  the  first  imd  socoinl  toi^s  h)n};:est  and  snbeqnal ;  liiiul  feet 
deeply  I'luarginatt',  tlie  outer  toes  Ibrininfj  long  hippets;  nails 
of  all  tlu'  <lijj;its  well  dev«'loped,  but  those  of  the  fore  feet  nuieh 
larj-fr  than  those  of  the  hind  feet.  Lenjjth  of  Ihe  adidt  male 
about  S  fcrt,  rarely  0  fe<>t;  of  the.  adult  female,  about  ('i\  to  7 
feet.    Females  Hiuuller  aud  lighter  colored  than  the  males. 


A  specimen  in  the  National  Museum,  probably  an  adult  male, 
from  Sable  Island,  is  silvery-gray,  with  spots  of  black  aud 
white,  the  latter  confined  mainly  to  the  sides  of  the  body  and 


6f)2 


IIALICHCEKUB   GUYriJS — (IRAY    SEAL. 


neck.  A  ft^inalo  from  Sealiind  is  wliiHsh-jyriiy,  Avith  larpo  ob- 
8cur«  spots  of  darker  and  touches  of  dusky.  Mr.  Ball  says 
that  the  color  varies  jjreatly  in  tliti'erent  individuals,  and  that 
of  the  many  specimens  he  liad  seen  he  did  not  remend)er  "that 
any  two  were  pre<!isely  similar".  He  describes  an  adult  female 
as  appeariniuf  of  a  uniform  silvery-jjray  when  seen  from  the 
front,  but  whea  viewed  from  the  rear  seemed  of  a  sooty-brown 
color,  while  the  spots  or  blot(!hes  were  only  <listin(5tly  visibh» 
from  a  side  view.  lie  says,  "  The  very  young  females  are  {gen- 
erally of  a  dull  yellowish  white,  with  rather  lonjf  hair,  wiiich 
falls  ott"  in  aoout  six  weeks  after  birth,  and  gives  i)lace  to  a 
shorter  and  more  shining  coat  of  a  warm,  dingy  yellow,  va 
riously  blotched  with  blackish  gray;  the  whole  becoming  grad- 
ually more  dull,  the  blotching  more  indistinct,  an<l  a  general 
dark  shade  spreading  on  the  back  as  the  animals  advance  in 
age."  He  describes  a  young  male  which  "  has  long  yellowish 
hair  slightly  tinged  with  brownish  black  on  the  back ;  is  black 
on  the  nose,  chin,  and  cheeks,  and  on  the  palms  f  the  fore- 
feet."* He  gives  the  length  of  a  skeleton  of  "a  very  aged 
female"  as  "seven  feet  two  inches ".t  Selby,  who  observed 
the  species  at  the  Farn  Islands,  gives  the  length  of  the  full- 
grown  male  as  eight  feet  and  the  color  as  dark  gray,  or  nearly 
black,  and  says  the  female  is  smaller  and  greenish-white, 
sparsely  spotted  with  darker ;  the  young  as  yellowish-white, 
changing  to  gray  at  the  first  moult.  |  Hallgrimsson  makes  the 
same  observa  "  "s  in  relation  to  the  Utselur  of  Iceland,  which 
he  identifle'  he  Phoca  grypus  of  Fabricius,  stating  that 

the  mal<^  ;  only  larger  than  the  females,  but  are  black- 

ish-gr  sometimes  wholly  black,  while  the  females  are 

lightei  jred ;  and  adds  that  the  new-born  young  are  covered 
with  a  white  woolly  coat.§  Nilsson  describes  a  younf  female, 
about  four  feet  long,  taken  in  August,  as  silver-gray  marbled 
or  irregularly  spotted  above,  on  the  sides  and  on  the  limbs 
with  black,  most  numerously  on  the  sides  and  limbs;  below 
white,  with  scattered  spots  of  black.  .Another  young  female, 
about  three  and  a  half  feet  long,  killed  in  July,  as  pale  ash- 
gray  above,  varied  with  blackish  or  dusky  si>ot8;  the  sides, 
Ijjnbs,  and  under  parts  white.    Another  young  female,  about 

*  Trans.  Key.  Irish  Acad.,  vol.  xviii,  18:17,  p.  90. 
tlJeJl'8  Hist.  Brit.  Quad.,  IHIJT,  p.  283. 
f  Ann.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  vi,  1841,  p. — . 
}  Isis,  1841,  p.  291. 


^'^.Ii' 


KXTERNAL    CHARACTERS. 


693 


four  luul  a  liiilf  t\'ot  loiifj,  kilk'd  .Irly  20,  was  dark-gray  above, 
aloiifj  the  back  >still  «lark«'r  or  blackish-f;ray,  and  paler  on  the 
Kides;  back  and  sides  with  irrej,'uhir  ipots  of  bhiek  of  various 
«i/es;  nose  and  limbs  bro\vnish-}^ra>,  unspotted.* 

IO(bnonstonet  ifives  the  weijfht  of  this  seal  as  "45  stone  of 
14  ]iounds  each"  (=  0.'5()  pounds),  an«l  its  length  as  "10  to  12 
feet." 

Ski'ij.. — The  two  skulls  before  nio  indicate  great  variations 
resulting  from  age,  (\specially  in  the  thickening  of  the  bones 
and  the  development  of  heavy  sagittal  and  occipital  crests. 
The  ohl  skull  (No.  4717,  Nat.  iMus.,  Sable  Isl.,  N.  S.),  is  pre- 
sumably that  of  a  very  old  male,  and  dift'ers  from  any  which  I 
have  seen  ligure<l  in  its  larg(^  size  and  greatly  produced  crests. 
The  teeth  in  the  young,  es]»ecii.lly  in  the  lower  jaw, J  have 
slight  but  distinct  accessory  cusps,  which  beconu'  wholly  ob- 
literated later  in  life.  In  the  old  skull  already  mentioned  the 
crowns  are  much  worn,  and  the  roots  are  verj'  thick  and  strong. 
The  strongly  marked  distinctive  features  of  the  skull  have 
already  been  noticed  {antm,  p.  083).  In  all  jivobability  the  sex- 
ual ditierences  are  strongly  marked,  especially  in  weaker  struc- 
ture and  slighter  crests  in  the  female.  §  To  judge  by  Ball's  fig- 
ure (1.  c,  pi.  ii)  of  the  skull  said  to  be  that  of  a  very  aged  female, 
they  may  be  wholly  lacking.  I  subjoin  the  following  measure- 
ments of  the  two  above-mentioned  skulls: 


•Apiul  Wagner,  Schrebcr'N  Siiugthiere,  Band  vii,  1846,  pp.  15,  16. 

tA  view  of  the  ancient  and  present  state  of  the  Zetland  Islands,  etc.,  vol. 
ii,  1809,  p.  294. 

t  See  Ball,  Trane,   ioy.  Irish  Acad.,  xviii,  pi.  iii. 

$  I  regret  especially  in  this  connection  my  inability  to  consult  Homschuch 
and  Schilling's  "  Kurzo  Notizen  liber  die  in  der  Ostsce  Yorkommenden  Aiten 
der  Gattung  Haliohoerus,  Nilsson."    Greilswald,  1850. 


Il 

■  i,  , 


ciM 


694 


HALICH(ERUS   GRYPUS — GRAY   SEAL. 


I 


•ii«f  jQiliOi  JO  qiSnai 


■aeeo-ntBiq  jo  ippiM  jsajBOJO 


I    ^ 


t-   l> 

iH     N 


•oswo-niBjq  ,}0  qjSnai 


•QBiinq  jCjo^ipnn  ^8  Ui^is  J<»  'iHSjotl  'isoinasQ 


g 


■Xl3Hj3AeaiM^  'aajiin  jou9;nu  jo  q^peojg; 


•j£nB0ii)a9A  'S9JBa  ,ioi.i9:)av  jo  q'^poajg 


'^{saiaAsniM:;  'eajea  jou9)80(I  jo  q    uoiq 
•^n^3i!)i.)A  'saJBU  Joi.i9^8od  JO  qjpna.ig; 


•^n^ijqio.ia^ni  nnis  JO  q^psajq  ;sBOi 


|5 


I 
I 


J^ 


'sanfnBO  :jb  umis  jo  qjpBaag; 


§ 


•ajn^ns  i^jBinxtini-ojnojj  ^b  q^peajq  'sonoq  ibbb^ 


•il.iopajttB  qjp«9jq  'sauoq  jbbbjj^ 


•qiSn9i  '89noq  it  sbu 


•aBnT^*""  JO  pna  ao}i9^Bod  pt  u.o\Sai  xBjBisd  jo  q^pi^iv. 


■QJIliXBta  JO  j9pjoq  jBioaAiB  JO  q'jSna'x 


•jinmBq  pio3^a9jd 
JO  pn9  o^  oin^ns  jSaenT^^ni-anqBd  tnojj  90tre}8t(j 


'8B99oid  p{onaiS 
o^  ajin^onua^ni  jo  aSpa  .Toua:)a8  tnojj  aonwjsiQ; 


'Bniio!(tpnB  8n!)Bani 
oj  ssin^Btoia'^ai  jo  a3p9  jo;ia^irB  tno^   aanc^^efQ 


S 


'jQIotn  'imi  JO  93p9  jdpa;q 
o^  fflnT^BtDja^^in  JO  aSpa  joua^iro  vaoxf  aanv^eiQ 


'tpinraq  pioS^eid  jo 
pii9  o^  esinx^ci'O^i'!  i^  93pa  jopa^nn  mo,^  aanv^etQ 


■■aqoiB  0\%vvao9&z  'ya  q^pvaaq  :^8a:(«aj{) 


■fiaeeeoojd  p{0}SBui  pi  q:;,pBajg: 


e 


s 


§ 


^s 


•qiSnai 


S  ^ 


•X9g 


•jeqrann  anSoio^u^ 


GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION. 


695 


Geographical  Distribution.— The  Gray  Seal  appears  to 
be  not  only  oue  of  the  least  abundant  of  the  northern  Phocids, 
but  also  to  be  restricted  to  a  rather  narrow  ranj^e.  It  is  wholly 
confined  to  the  North  Atlantic,  and  evci«  here  is  found  only 
within  comparatively  narrow  limits.  On  the  American  coasti 
it  occurs  as  far  southward  as  Sable  Island,  Nova  Scotia,  wherel 
its  presence  is  attested  by  specimens  in  the  National  Museum, 
collected  there  by  Mr.  P.  S.  Dodd.  This,  however,  is  the  south- 
ernmost point  at  which  it  is  known  to  occur.  Mr.  Reeks  says, 
^'It  is  comparatively  rare  in  the  Straits  of  Labrador  and  Belle 
Isle,  although  very  few  seasons  pass  without  a  few  bein{^  ca])- 
tured  either  on  the  ice  or  in  the  ' seal  frames.'"*  Beyond  this 
point  to  the  northward  it  has  been  recorded  by  Mr.  Brown  as 
probably  occurring  on  the  coast  of  Greenland.  He  says,  "  In 
1861,  a  little  south  of  Disco  Island,  we  killed  a  Seal  the  skull 
of  which  proved  it  to  be  of  this  species ;  and  again  this  sum- 
mer [18G7J  I  saw  a  number  of  skins  in  Egedesminde  and  other 
settlements  about  Disco  Bay,  which  appeared  to  be  of  this  spe- 
cies. Though  the  natives  do  not  seem  to  have  any  name  for  it, 
the  Danish  traders  with  whom  I  talked  were  of  opinion  that 
the  Oraskdly  with  which  they  were  acquainted  as  an  inhabitant 
of  the  Cattegat,  occasionally  visited  south  and  the  more  south- 
erly northern  portions  of  Greenland  with  the  herds  of  Atah 
(P.  groenlandicm).  The  skull  to  which  I  refer,  though  carefully 
examined  at  the  time,  was  afterwards  accidentally  destroyed 
by  a  young  Polar  Bear  which  formed  one  of  our  ship's  com- 
pany on  that  northern  voyage;  therefore,  though  perfectly  con- 
vinced of  its  being  entitled  to  be  classed  as  a  member  of  the 
Greenland  fauna,  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  assert  this  with 
more  confidence  than  as  being  a  very  strong  probability.  It 
should  be  carefully  looked  for  among  the  herds  of  P.  grcen- 
landicus  when  they  arrive  on  the  coast."  t  It  is  not,  however, 
given  by  Dr.  Einic  as  an  inhabitant  of  Greenland,  nor  was  it 
obtained  by  Mr.  Kumlien  during  his  recent  sojourn  in  Cum- 
berland Sound.  I  find,  in  short,  no  evidence  of  its  occurrence 
on  the  North  American  or  Greenland  coasts  other  than  that 
already  given.  Its  occurrence  in  Iceland,  however,  is  abun- 
dantly substantiated,  and  it  is  also  rather  common  along  the 
shores  of  Northe  "n  Europe.    Nilssou  states  tha :  it  has  been 


*  Zoologist,  2d  set.,  vol.  vi,  1871,  p.  2549. 

tProc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1858,  p.  427;  Man.  Nat.  Hist.  Greenland,  etc., 
1875,  Mammals,  p.  55'. 


11= 


(!    "    'v 


696 


HALICHCERUS   GRYPUS — GRAY   SEAL. 


long  known  to  inhabit  all  the  seas  that  border  Scandinavia,  in 
the  East  Sea  as  well  as  in  the  Sound,  in  the  Cattegat,  and  in 
the  North  Sea;  the  same  statement  being  also  made  by  Blasius 
and  other  later  authorities.  Collett  gives  it  as  found  spar- 
ingly along  the  whole  coast  of  Norway,  from  latitude  58°  to 
70°.  It  is  not  mentioned  by  von  Heuglin  as  an  inhabitant  of 
Spitzbergen,  .Fan  Mayen,  and  Nova  Zembla,  while  Malmgren 
distinctly  states  that  it  does  not  reacli  Siutzbergen.  Ue  says 
there  is  some  reason  to  believe  it  occurs  in  small  numbers  on 
the  coast  of  Finmark,  where  it  was  observed  by  Lilljeborg  (at 
Tromso)  in  1848. 

Mr.  Ball  and  otiiers  are  authority  for  its  common  occurrence 
on  the  southern  coast  of  Ireland,  and  it  has  for  a  long  time 
been  known  as  an  inhabitant  of  the  Orkneys,  the  northern  coast 
of  Scotland,  the  Hebrides,  and  the  F.arn  Islands.  Gray  states 
that  it  has  been  found  in  various  parts  of  the  Irish  Sea  and  St. 
George's  Channel ;  that  he  has  heard  of  it  in  tbe  Isle  of  Man, 
and  believes  that  it  occurs  as  far  south  as  Lauil's  End  and  the 
Scilly  Isles.*  He  also  states  that  there  is  little  doubt  of  its 
presence  on  the  north  coast  of  Cornwall,  and  that  he  had  been 
informed  that  many  Seals  of  very  large  size  haunt  the  caverns 
on  the  coast  of  Plymouth.t  Bellf  refers  to  its  capture  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  and  says  living  specimens  have  been  received 
by  the  Zoological  Society  from  the  coast  of  Wales. 

To  summarize  the  foregoing,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  Gray 
Seal  ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  and  the  British  Islands  north- 
ward to  Greenland  and  Finmark,  but  is  absent  from  the  islands 
of  the  Arctic  Ocean. 


General  History  and  Nomencl attire. — The  earliest 
notice  of  the  Gray  Seal  that  requires  attention  in  the  present 
connection,  if  not  the  earliest  that  can  bo  with  certainty  identi- 
fied, was  gi  V  en  by  Cueiff  in  his  account  of  the  Seal  fishery  of  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia,  published  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century.§ 
On  this  account  '*'>>  based  "  Der  graue  Seehund"  of  Schreber. 


*Anu.  tuul  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  ix,  1872,  p.  322. 

t  Ibid.,  vol.  xiv,  1874,  p.  90. 

t  Hist.  Brit.  Quad.,  1874,  p.  265. 

^  Boricht  vom  Seekiilberfango  iu  Ostbothuien.  Vom  Provinoialschaflfner, 
Hemi  Johann  David  Kvieiff  eiugegeben.  <  Der  Konigl.  Schwediscben  Aka- 
domie  tier  Wisaeuchaften,  Abhaudlungeu,  etc.,  auf  das  Jahr  17B7.  Ans  dem 
Schwediscben  iiborsetzt,  von  Abraham  Gotthelf  Kiiftnor,  Baud  xix,  1759, 
pp.  171-186.  . 


GENERAL    HISTORY   AND   NOMENCLATURE. 


697 


The  Gn\  Siul  of  Liuue's  "  Fauna  Siiecica  "  also  appears  to  relate 
to  the  preseut  species.  Olafseu,  in  his  "  lleise  (lurch  Island," 
published  in  1772,  repeatedly  refers  to  it  under  the  names  "Ut- 
Selur"  au<l  "  Wetrar-Selur",  jfivinjf  quite  a  full  account  of  its 
habits.  Althouj^h  he  omits  all  mention  of  its  size  and  external 
characters,  his  description  of  its  habits,  particularly  of  its  re- 
sorting- to  low  islands  and  rocky  shores  in  November,  to  bring 
forth  its  younj;,  seems  to  identify  his  Ut-Selur  with  the  present 
species.  Furthermore,  the  Ut-Selur  of  the  Icelanders  has  been 
determined  by  Ilallgrimsson  to  be  the  Phocn  grypm  of  Fabri- 
cius,  which  the  latter  referred  doubtfully  to  his  Phoca  hinpida. 

Although  Schreber's  "Der  grosse  Seehund"  is  referred  by 
nearly  all  writers  to  the  Bearded  Seal,  it  is  comimunded  of  two 
species,  the  diagnosis  being  based  on  the  "  Utsuk"  of  Cranz,  and 
hence  on  the  liearded  Seal,  while  his  account  of  its  habits  is 
derived  from  Olafsen,  and  relates  entirely  to  the  Ut  Selur  of 
that  author,  and  consequently  to  Halichcerus  grypus. 

T!ie  Gray  Seal  received  its  first  systematic  name  at  the  hands 
of  Fabricius  in  1791,  who  briefly  referred  to  it  under  the  name 
Phoca  gryptis,*  and  gave  a  good  figure  of  its  skull,  t  Fabri- 
cius's  name  appears  to  have  for  a  long  time  esco-ped  the  notice 
of  subsequent  writers,  it  being  conspicuously  absts;t  from  the 
works  of  compilers  down  to  about  1835.  In  the  meantime  the 
species  was  ^ain  brought  to  light  by  Nilsson,  who,  in  1820,  re- 
named it  Halichcerus  grisem.  Lesson,  in  1827,  also  mentioned 
it  under  this  name,  as  did  Fischer  in  1829.  Lichtenstein,  in 
1822,  seems  to  be  the  first  to  recall  ^ne  Fabrician  name,  modi- 
fled,  however,  to  gryphus.  Thieuemanu  described  the  species  iu 
1824  as  an  inhabitant  of  Iceland,  under  the  name  Phoca  hali- 
chcerus,  and  at  the  same  time  added  a  nominal  species  based  on 
the  young,  which  he  designated  as  Phoca  scopulicola.  In  1850 
Horuschaeh  and  Schilling,  after  an  examination  of  a  series  of 
fifty  skulls  collected  in  the  East  Sea,  arrived  at  the  conclusion 

*  By  many  writers,  as  shown  in  the  above  table  of  synonymy,  this  name 
is  rendered  gryphus,  but,  as  first  pointed  out  by  Nilsson  in  1827,  and  since 
restated  by  several  German  authors,  the  correct  orthography  is  grypus,  or 
croolted-uoHed,  the  Danish  name,  as  given  by  Fabricius,  being  "  Krumsuude- 
de  Sicl.  (See  also  on  this  point  Lilljeborg,  Fauna  Sveriges  och  Norges,  i, 
1874,  p.  711,  footnote.) 

t  The  original  skull  (lacking  the  lower  jaw)  figured  by  Fabricius  is  doubt- 
icHS  still  extant  in  the  Museum  of  Lund,  for  as  late  as  1841  Hallgrimsson 
stated  that  through  the  kindness  of  Professor  Reinbardt  ho  had  had  the  op- 
jiortuuity  of  comparing  with  it  a  skuII  of  the  Ut-Selnr  he  obtained  in  Ice- 
land. 


€98 


HALICHffiRUS   GEYPUS— GRAY   SEAL. 


that  the  genus  Halichcerns  was  there  represented  by  three  spe- 
cies, they  describing  as  new  H.  macrorhynchm  and  H.  pachy- 
rhynchus^  but  these  have  not  been  accepted  as  valid  by  subse- 
quent writers.* 

As  will  be  noticed  later  more  in  detail,  the  Gray  and  the 
Bearded  Seals  have  often  been  confounded,  especially  by  Brit- 
ish authors;  consequently  all  the  references  to  the  Bearded 
Seal  as  a  British  species  really  relate  to  Halichcerus  grypusA 

*  I  know  of  Homschuch  and  Schilling's  brochure  only  through  nitations  by 
authors.  I  quote  the  following  abstract  of  the  paper  from  Prof.  Andreas 
Wagners  "Bericht  Uber  die  Leis"  .^/en  in  der  Naturgeschichte  der  Sauge- 
thiero  wiihrend  des  J.ihres  185ii  :  "Ihre  3  Arten  sind  folgeude:  \)  H, 
macrorhynch «m, dielang8clinauzig'jMeerrobbe(H. grypus s.  griseus 
Nilps.);  Riicken  aschgrau,  ins  Griinliche  schiessend,  schwach  silberartig 
schillernd  und  mit  weuigen  kleinen  graubraunen  Flockeu  bestreut.  Schiidel 
in  alien  seinen  Theilen  s  e  h  r  gestreckt  und  sein  oberer  Umriss  bildet  eine 
in  der  Mitte  stark  gesenkte  Linie ;  die  Eckziihne  stark.  Obwohl 
Zeichnnng  nnd  Farbe  bedeutend  variiren,  so  behalten  sie  docli  iujnier  einen 
eigenthiiniliehen  Typus,  welches  auch  bei  den  folgenden  Arten  der  Fall  ist. 
— 2)  H.  Grypus  Fabr.,  diekrummnasigeMeerrobbe;  Riikkeu  weis- 


grau, 


stark  ins  Griinlichblaue  zichendniitstarkemSilberschiller  und  vielen 


grosseren  und  kleineren,  unregelmiissigen,  mehr  oder  minder  ineinander  ver- 
fliessenden  schwarzen  Flecken.  Schiidel  kurz  und  ziemlich  hocli,  sein  oberer 
Umriss  bildet  eine  bogenformige  Linie;  die  Eckzhtine  sind  schwsicher 
als  bei  der  folgenden  Art. — 3)  H. pachyrhynchus,  die  dichschnauzige 
Meerrobbe;  Rilkken silberweiss,  ins Griinlichblaugraue  schiessend,  gitin- 
zend,  'vit  i^leinen  und  miissig  grossen,  liiuglichen,  schwarzbraunen,  unregel- 
miissigen Flecken,  Schiidel  ziemlich  kurz,  viel  weniger  gestreckt  als  bei 
H.  macrorhynchus,  sein  oberer  Umriss  bildet  eine  beinahe  gerade,bis 
zum  Anfange  der  Nuaenbeine  sich  etwas  erhebende,  dann 
sich  stark  senkeude  Lin'e;  die  Ziihne  starker  als  bei  H.  macrorhynchus." — 
Troschel's  Arch,  fur  Nc.urg.,  1851,  ii,  p-  29. 

t  Mr.  Selby  admits  that  much  of  this  confusion,  at  least  so  far  as  regards 
the  "  Great  Seal  of  the  Farn  Islands,"  is  due  to  his  erroneously  referring  it, 
in  182(3,  to  the  Phoca  barhata,  but  to  Mr.  Selby  is  also  due  the  credit  of  later  (in 
1841)  making  known  the  affinities  of  the  "Great  Seal"  of  the  Farn  Islands. 
After  alluding  to  the  fact  that  the  large  Seal  of  the  Northumberland  coast 
was  referred  to  I'hoca  barbaia  by  both  Jenyns  and  Bell  on  his  authority,  and 
stating  the  reasons  that  led  to  his  erroneous  determination,  he  says :  "  .  .  . 
having  requested  the  person  who  at  present  rents  these  [Farn]  islands  to 
send  me  the  heads  of  any  Seals  he  might  be  fortunate  enough  to  kill,  at  the 
usual  time  of  his  visiting  the  island  to  which  they  reiire  to  calve,  (which 
they  do  about  the  10th  or  15th  of  November, )  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of 
examining  three  heads,  which  I  received  in  a  fresh  state  about  six  week» 
ago,  one  being  that  of  an  adult  female,  the  other  two  belonging  to  younger 
animals,  all  of  which  upon  examination  proved  to  belong  to  Halichairus 
griseus,  agreeing  in  every  essential  character  with  Mr.  Bell's  description  of 
that  animal,  and  with  the  drawings  given  me  by  Mr.  Ball ;  and  as  no  other 


HABITS. 


699 


Habits. — Bespecting  the  Gray  Seal  as  an  AmericaD  animal 
little  or  nothing  seems  to  have  been  written.  As  an  inhabitant  of 
Ireland,  the  Hebrides,  the  Orkneys,  the  North  and  Baltic  Seas, 
and  Iceland,  its  history  is  better  known.  As  will  be  noticed 
later,  liowever,  there  ar^  discrepant  accounts  respecting  im- 
portant i)oint8.  Hallgrimsson  has  given  a  very  interesting 
notice  of  these  animals  as  observed  in  Iceland  by  A.  Thorlacius, 
a  trustworthy  merchant  and  experienced  hunter,  of  Stikkjis- 
holm,  Iceland,  whose  letter  about  them,  as  given  by  Hallgrims- 
son, may  be  rendered  as  follows : 

"The  Utsel  is  here  very  common  in  the  Bredebugt,  and 
especially  on  the  coast  of  Westland.  When  full-grown  it  is 
four  or  five  ells  [8  to  10  feet]  long ;  the  male  is  i)robably  still 
larger,  and  is  always  larger  than  the  female.  Its  food  consists 
partly  of  various  kinds  of  fishes,  as  haddock,  flounders,  cattish 
{Cottus),  etc.,  and  partly  of  crustaceans  and  other  lower  animals, 
as  starfishes,  etc.,  especially  in  winter,  when  the  fishes  mostly 
seek  the  deep  water.  The  animals  here  named  I  have  myself 
seen  them  eat,  as  they  chance  to  bring  them  to  the  surface  of 
the  water.  Although  this  species  of  Seal  occurs  here  in  large 
numbers,  only  a  few  fully  grown  ones  are  taken,  because  they 
are  not  so  easily  killed  here  as  the  younger  ones  are,  their  strong 
skulls  being  not  easily  penetrated  by  bullets,  and  there  are  also 
very  few  expert  marksmen  here.  Besides,  they  are  very  shy 
and  watchful.  Three  weeks  before  the  beginning  of  winter* 
[about  October  1],  the  full-grown  Utselur  begin  to  come  about 
the  rocks  and  islets  near  the  land,  where  they  bring  forth  their 
young.  They  choose  especially  such  rockr  as  are  not  covered 
by  the  spring-tides,  and  ilso  the  lower  islands  that  have  not 
too  precipitous  shores.  Here  the  females  have  their  young 
about  fourteen  days  before  the  commencement  of  winter  [about 
the  second  week  of  October].    The  young  ar«  thickly  covered 

species  of  Seal  has  hitherto  been  recognized  or  met  with  by  those  who  for  a 
long  series  of  years  have  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing  and  taking  these  animals 
in  this  particular  locality,  I  have  now  scarcely  a  doubt  but  that  the  whole  of 
tlie  colony  that  has  so  long  inhabited  the  Fam  Islands  belongs  to  this  spe- 
cies."— Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat,  Hist.,  vol.  vi,  1841,  p.  4()3. 

A  little  earlier  than  this  (in  1837)  Mr.  Ball  determined  the  large  Seal  of 
the  Irish  coast,  till  then  also  supposed  to  be  Phoca  barbata,  to  be  Halichanis 
grypus  {Trans.  Roy.  Irish  Acad.,  vol.  xviii,  1837,  pp.  89-98),  since  which  time 
Phoca  barbata,  auct.,  has  generally  been  excluded  from  tlie  British  Fauna. 

*  Hallgrimssou  says  in  a  note  of  explanation,  "According  to  the  Iiehnidic 
divitiiou  of  the  year  this  falls  between  the  19th  antl  2(5th  «)f  October." 


700 


HALICHCERUS   ORYPUS — GRAY   SEAL. 


with  soft,  whitish-yellow  woolly  hair ;  this  it  grsidually  loses, 
and  does  not  enter  the  water  till  the  moult  is  wholly  completed, 
at  which  time  it  is  four  or  five  weeks  old.  J)uring  the  time  the 
young  are  lying  upon  the  dry  land  they  do  not  leave  their 
places,  but  every  tide  their  mothers  crawl  up  to  them  to  suckle 
them.  Sometimes  the  females  leave  their  young  so  near  the 
sea  that  the  waves  reach  them,  and  by  the  spring-tides  they 
ai'e  swept  along  and  carried  helpless  from  one  rock  to  another, 
for  while  the  milk-hair  is  worn  the  young  Seal  is  able  to  swim 
but  little  and  is  still  less  able  to  dive.  In  this  condition  it  is 
called  by  the  Icelanders  Sjovelkjingur  (Sea-rover);  such  un- 
fortunates are  weak  and  emaciated,  while  those  that  have 
remained  undisturbed  are  fat  and  well  con<litioned.  These  are 
called  Volselr.  The  young  is  fattest  when  it  is  'half  ready', 
that  is  to  say  when  it  has  lost  the  milk-hair  from  the  head  and 
feet;  but  later  it  becomes  poorer,  because  the  mother  then 
allows  it  to  get  hungry,  in  order  to  induce  it  to  leave  its  resting 
place  and  go  into  the  sea.  This  happens  about  the  end  of  the 
third  week  of  winter  (middle  of  November)  or  a  little  later ; 
consequently  the  young  are  found  to  be  best  for  killing  when 
three  weeks  old.  The  Utsel  is  blackish-gray ;  some  are  entirely 
pure  black,  especially  the  males;  the  females  are  somewhat 
lighter.  It  has  a  long  nose  and  a  big  head,  which  m  the  old 
males  appears  as  if  it  were  angular.  These  have  a  fierce  aspect 
and  are  very  irritable  and  quarrelsome.  They  often  fight  with 
each  other  on  the  shore,  and  bite  so  powerfully  that  they  retire 
from  the  conflict  bleeding  and  mangled.  They  are  also  danger- 
ous to  the  men  who  hunt  them  on  the  shore  if  they  approach 
carelessly,  which  they  therefore  must  always  do  from  the  side. 

"  Respecting  the  age  to  which  this  species  of  Seal  attains  I 
can  say  nothing  that  can  be  positively  relied  upon ;  yet  they 
apparently  live  to  be  very  old.  But  I  know  with  certainty  that 
the  period  of  pregnancy  continues  for  nine  months."* 

Mr.  Selby  has  given  a  very  interesting  account  of  his  obser- 
vations on  the  Gray  Seal  as  observed  at  the  Farn  Islands,  t 
based  on  his  own  frequent  visits  to  these  islands,  and  also  on 
"  the  long  experience  of  a  respectable  indi\idual,  now  upwards 

*  Isin,  1841,  pp.  291,  292,  originally  piihlished  in  Kn^yer's  Naturhist.- 
Tidsskril't,  Band  ii,  Heft  i,  lf37,  pp.  97,  98. 

t ' '  Observations  on  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Farn  Islands,  showing  it  to  be  the 
Halkhosrus  griseus,  Nilss.,  and  not  the  Plwca  harbata."  By  P.  J.  Selby,  Esq., 
F.  L.  S.,  &c.,  &c.  <Annal8  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  vol.  vi,. 
1841,  pp.  4G2-4GG. 


HABITS, 


701 


of  eighty  j'ears  of  age,  who  succeeded  his  father,  and  contin- 
ued to  rent  these  islands  till  within  the  last  eight  or  ten  years. 
From  his  account,"  continues  Mr.  Selbj ,  "  it  appears  that  these 
Seals  were  much  more  abundant  some  forty  or  fifty  [now 
eighty  or  ninety]  years  ago  than  they  ,ire  now,  which  l»ei)artly 
attributes  to  the  great  destruction  he  iiimself  committed  among 
them  (having  been  a  tirst-rate  Seal-hunter),  and  to  the  annoy- 
ance they  have  since  been  subjected  to  by  the  erection  of  the 
present  outer  lighthouse,  which  is  built  ujion  an  island  to 
which  they  were  in  the  habit  of  retiring  to  rest  during  the 
recess  of  the  tide. 

"In  the  year  1772,  this  old  gentleman  informs  me  that  he 
killed  seventy  two  young  Seals,  all  of  this  species,  and  once 
also  killed  fourteen  old  ones,  in  one  day,  ui)on  the  Crimston 
Eock,  the  small  island  upon  which  they  mostly  calve,  an  event 
that  takes  place,  as  I  have  previously  observed,  in  the  month 
of  November;  and  as  the  rutting  season  begins  about  the  last 
week  in  February  or  first  week  in  March,  it  would  appear  that 
the  period  of  gestation  of  the  Halichoerus  griseus  is  about  eight 
and  a  half  or  nine  months.  The  young  when  first  calved  are 
nearly  three  feet  in  length,  and  grow  very  rapidly  till  they 
quit  the  rock  and  are  able  to  follow  their  dams  to  the  water, 
which  is  generally  about  a  fortnight  after  birth ;  when  first 
calved  they  are  covered  with  a  longish  soft  woolly  hair,  of  a 
yellowish  white  or  cream-colour,  which  gives  place  before  they 
quit  the  rock  to  a  shorter  hair  of  a  grisly  hue.  If  an  oppor- 
tunity offers,  the  young  are  sometimes  tethered  by  a  rope  and 
kept  upon  the  rock  a  week  or  two  beyond  the  usual  time,  in 
order  to  get  them  of  as  large  a  size  and  as  fat  as  possible  before 
they  are  slaughtered ;  but  this  must  not  be  persisted  in  too  long, 
otherwise  the  dams  are  apt  to  forsake  or  refuse  to  suckle  them 
at  the  stated  times  of  tide.  The  food  of  Halichcerus  consists 
entirely  of  fish,  not  restricted,  it  is  supposed,  to  any  particular 
species,  though  they  show  a  great  predilection  for  the  Cyclo- 
stoma  lumpus  (Lump-sucker),  particularly  to  the  female,  which 
there  goes  by  the  name  of  the  Rush.  .  .  .  They  swim  with 
great  strength  and  rapidity,  and  are  frequently  submerged  for 
two  or  three  minutes,  during  which  they  make  great  progress, 
and  re-appear  many  gunshots  distant  from  the  place  where  they 
went  down,  and  they  seem  to  delight  and  sport  in  the  rapid 
and  heavy  currents  which  exist  among  the  Islands.  They  show 
great  curiosity  in  gazing  at  anything  strange,  and  will  remain 


702 


HALICHCERUS    GRYPUS — GRAY    SEAL. 


r^ 


Stationary  for  minutes  together,  with  the  head  and  neck  out  of 
the  water,  staring  at  a  boatman  or  any  other  object  that  at- 
tracts their  attention.  This  curiosity,  in  parts  where  they  were 
not  often  disturbed,  procured  me  frequent  shots  with  the  rifle; 
for  wlien  1  observed  them  basking  upon  the  rocks,  twenty  or 
thirty  in  a  lierd,  during  tlie  ebb  of  tide,  I  used  to  land  at  some 
distance  and  make  all  haste  to  the  point  where  they  were  as- 
sembled; and  though  1  might  not  get  within  shot  before  they 
took  to  the  sea,  1  was  sine  of  some  of  them  re-aj)pearing  quite 
within  distance  after  their  tirst  plunge  into  the  water.  In  this 
way  I  have  killed  several,  but  never  had  the  good  luck  to  se- 
cure the  carcass ;  for  even  though  some  of  them  Hoated  a  short 
time  after  death,  which,  however,  is  rarely  the  case,  they  were 
certain  to  be  swept  away  and  buried  in  the  heavy  stream  which 
runs  past  the  point  I  have  mentioned,  and  where  the  Seals 
were  generally  assembled,  before  the  boat  could  come  round 
and  reach  them.    ... 

"The  Great  Seal  seldom  wanders  to  any  great  distance  from 
the  Farn  Islands,  as  it  is  only  seen  occasionally  as  far  north  as  Ber- 
wick Bay,  and  off  Dunstanborough  and  Coquet  Island  to  the 
south.  It  also  seems  jealous  of  the  presence  of  any  other  spe- 
cies within  its  peculiar  precincts,  as  the  Common  Seal,  Phoca 
vitMlina,  is  scarcely  ever  seen  within  its  territory,  though  small 
herds  frequent  the  coast  of  the  main  land  nearlj^  opposite,  upon 
the  bar  of  Budle  Bay,  and  at  Holy  Island." 

Mr.  James  Wilson,  in  his  "Notes  regarding  the  distinctive 
habits  of  the  Scotch  Phocae  or  Seals,"  as  observed  by  him  at 
the  Western  Islands,  says,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Archibald 
M'Neill,  "The  largest  of  these  ....  is  known  by  the  na- 
tive name  of  Tapvaist,  and  although  it  associates  occasionally 
with  the  other  kinds,  yet  it  differs  in  many  respects  in  its  hab- 
its. I  presume  it  to  be  the  species  usually  designated  by  our 
British  writers  as  the  Great  Seal,  or  Phoca  harhata.^'  Although 
it  "is  observed  occasionally,"  he  contiiuies,  "on  shore  with  indi- 
Yiduals  of  other  kinds,  ....  it  may  be  characterized  as 
being  of  solitary  habits,  and  as  frequenting  the  most  remote 
and  undisturbed  situations.  It  is  neither  so  lively  nor  so 
watchful  as  the  common  seal,  nor  is  it  so  easily  alarmed.  .  .  . 
One  of  the  most  characteristic  and  distinctive  traits  in  its  his- 
tory is  derived  from  its  period  of  production,  viz.  the  end  of 
September  or  commencement  of  October, — while  that  of  the 
common  seal  is  usually  the  beginning  of  June.    .    .    .    The 


HABITS. 


703 


young  of  the  Tapvaiat  or  great  seal  ....  is  invariably 
wholped  above  water-mark,  and,  it  is  said,  during  spring  tides. 
They  remain  in  a  helpless  condition  on  the  rocks,  for  several 
weeks,  before  they  can  swim,  and  during  this  time  they  cast 
most  of  their  long  hair."  * 

A  mu(;h  earlier  account,  relating  to  this  locality  and  species, 
has  been  given  by  Martin  in  his  "Description  of  the  Western 
Islands  of  Scotland,"  published  in  1710.  "On  the  western 
coast  of  this  island  [Harris]  lies  the  rock  Eousmil,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  circumference,  and  is  still  famous  for  the 
yearly  fishing  of  seals  there,  in  the  end  of  October.    This  rock 

belongs  to  the  farmers  of  the  next  adjacent  lauds 

These  farmers  man  their  boats  with  a  competent  number  fit  for 
the  business,  and  they  always  embark  with  a  contrarj'  wind, 
for  their  security  against  being  driven  away  by  tlie  ocean,  and 
likewise  to  prevent  them  from  being  discovered  by  the  seals, 
who  are  apt  to  smell  the  scent  of  them,  and  presently  run  to 
sea.  When  this  crew  is  quietly  landed,  they  surround  the 
passes,  and  then  the  signal  for  the  general  attack  is  given  from 
the  boat,  and  so  they  beat  them  down  with  big  staves.  The 
seals  at  this  onset  make  towards  the  sea  with  all  speed,  and 
often  force  their  passage  over  the  necks  of  the  stoutest  assail- 
ants, \t^ho  aim  always  at  the  forehead  of  the  seals,  giving 
many  blows  before  they  are  killed;  and  if  they  are  not  hit 
exactly  on  the  front,  they  contract  a  lump  on  their  forehead, 
which  makes  them  look  very  fierce ;  t  and  if  they  get  hold  of 
the  staflt"  with  their  teeth,  they  carry  it  along  to  sea  with  them. 
Those  that  are  in  the  boat  shoot  at  them  as  they  run  to  sea, 
but  few  are  catched  that  way.  The  natives  told  me  that  sev- 
eral of  the  biggest  seals  lose  their  lives  by  endeavouring  to  save 
their  young  ones,  whom  they  tumble  before  them  towards  the 
sea.  I  was  told,  also,  that  three  hundred  and  twenty  seals, 
young  and  old,  have  been  killed  at  one  time  in  this  place.  The 
reason  for  attacking  them  in  October  is,  because  in  the  begin- 
ning of  this  month  the  seals  bring  fortli  their  young  on  the 
ocean  side ;  but  these  on  the  east  side,  who  are  of  lesser  stature 
[Phooa  vitulina,  probably],  bring  forth  their  young  in  the  mid- 
dle of  June."t  .,  . 

*  Mag.  Zool.  and  Botany,  vol.  i,  1837,  pp.  540,  541. 

t  This  seems  to  point  to  the  Hooded  Seal  as  being  possibly  involved  in  tbft 
account  here  quoted,  although  it  evidently  relates  mainly  to  the  Gray  Seal. 
t  Pinkerton's  Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  vol.  ill,  pp.  594,  595. 


704 


HALICH(ERU8    GRYPU8 — GRAY   SEAL. 


Tlie  saino  writer  alludes  aa  follows  to  the  uses  and  suppose  ^ 
medicinal  qualities  of  tlie  llesb  of  these  Seals : 

"The  natives  [of  the  Iskuul  of  HairisJ  salt  the  seals  with 
the  ashes  of  burnt  sea- ware,  and  say  tlu'y  are  good  food :  the 
vulf'sir  eat  them  commonly  in  the  spring-time,  with  a  long 
pointed  stick  instead  of  a  fork,  to  i»revent  the  strong  smell 
which  their  hands  would  otherwise  have  for  several  hours  after. 
The  tlesh  and  broth  of  fresh  young  seals  is  by  experience  known 
to  be  pectoral;  the  meat  is  astringent,  and  used  as  an  effectual 
remedy  against  diarrhea  and  dysenteria:  the  liver  of  a  seal 
being  dried  an«l  pulverised,  and  afterwards  a  little  of  it  drunk 
with  milk,  aiiuavitaj,  or  red  wine,  is  also  good  against  fluxes. 
.  .  .  The  seal,  though  esteemed  fit  only  for  the  vulgar,  is  also 
eaten  by  persons  of  distinction,  though  under  a  different  name, 
to  wit,  ham:  this  I  have  been  assured  of  by  good  hands,  and 
thus  we  see  that  the  generality  of  men  are  as  much  led  by 
fancj'^  as  judgment  in  their  palates,  as  well  as  in  other  things. 
The  popish  vulgar,  in  the  islands  to  the  southward  froin .  this, 
eat  these  seals  in  Lent  instead  of  tish."* 

Edmonstone,  in  his  account  of  the  Zetland  Isles  (vol.  ii,  1809, 
p.  294),  also  refers  at  some  length  to  this  species  under  the 
names  Fhoca  barbata  and  "Haaf  Fish,"  stating,  iimong  other 
things,  that  the  "young  are  brought  forth  in  the  months  of 
September,  October,  and  November." 

The  habits  of  the  Gray  Seal  in  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  where 
it  was  formerly  very  abundant,  appear  to  be  very  different  from 
what  they  are  described  to  be  at  other  localities,  especially  in 
respect  to  the  season  of  reproduction.  Although  I  have  met 
no  recent  account  of  its  habits  as  observed  there,  Lilljeborg 
and  other  Scandinavian  writers  quote  Cueiff's  account  of  the 
Gray  Seal  of  the  Baltic  as  referring  without  question  to  Hali- 
alioerus  grypus.  The  Gray  Seal,  according  to*  Cneift',  was  so 
numerous  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century  as  to  occur  in 
herds  of  several  hundreds,  and  was  regularly  hunted  for  its  fat 
and  skins.t  He  describes  it  as  somewhat  migratory,  leaving 
the  Baltic  at  the  approach  of  winter  for  the  more  northerly 


*Piukerton'8  Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  vol.  Hi,  pp.  595,59(5. 

tFor  a  full  abstract  of  Cneiff's  account  of  the  Bothnian  Seal-lishcry  see 
anted,  pp.  530-534.  As  already  stated  {anted,  p.  (J64),  there  is  reason  to  doubt 
whether  this  account  does  not  relate  to  Erignathua  harhatxm  rather  than  to 
Halichwrus  grypus,  in  respect  to  the  season  of  giving  birth  to  the  young  and 
breeding  habits,  it  agreeing  with  the  former  and  no,i  with  the  latter. 


HABITS. 


705 


parts  of  the  Bothnian  Gulf.  He  says  the  female  has  its  yonng 
about  the  end  of  February  on  the  ice^  but  also  says  that  they 
breed  on  the  rocks  when  there  is  opportunity.  The  younfi;  does 
not  at  lirst  enter  the  water,  unless  forced  into  it  by  tlu^  break- 
ing up  of  the  ice,  the  female  suckling  it  upon  the  ice.  During  the 
first  eight  days  after  its  birth  it  is  wholly  white,  but  after  this 
the  hair  begins  to  fall,  lirst  on  the  head  and  fore  feet,  which  at 
the  end  of  fourteen  days  are  blackish  gray.  As  the  Gray  Seal 
cannot  conthnie  under  the  ice  in  winter  without  frequently 
coming  to  the  surface  for  air,  it  has  therein  various  small 
breathing-holes,  whi<!h  are  so  small  at  the  top  that  it  can  only 
thrust  its  head  through  or  even  merely  the  nose,  but  they  are 
wider  below  and  perfectly  round,  being  easily  made  so  by  the 
fore  feet.  They  also  have  larger  openings  through  which  they 
ascend  to  the  surface  to  repose,  or,  during  the  breeding  sea- 
son, to  suckle  the  young.  When  the  ice  breaks  up,  before  the 
young  are  strong  enough  to  go  south,  as  sometimes  happens, 
and  while  they  are  still  congregated  in  large  herds  at  the  breed- 
ing-places, they  seek  out  the  largest  and  soundest  pieces  of  ice, 
on  which  they  and  their  young  can  remain  in  greatest  safety. 
At  such  times  they  all  wish  to  get  on  the  same  piece,  where 
perchance  there  may  not  be  room  for  all ;  they  therefore  begin 
to  fight  with  each  other,  biting  and  bullying,  so  that  after  the 
strife  one  maj'  see  large  wounds  on  their  bodies.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  the  Gray  Seals  and  the  Wikare  or  Harbor  Seals 
do  not  associate  together. 

The  Gray  Seals,  he  continues,,  begin  to  lose  their  old  hair 
about  the  25th  of  March,  which  they  rub  off  against  the 
ice.  At  about  this  time  the  old  Gray  Seals  with  their  young, 
which  are  no  longer  suckled,  return  to  the  East  Sea.  The  Gray 
Seals  stav  in  winter  in  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  probably  because 
they  find  there  thick  ice  which  is  not  so  liable  to  be  broken  up 
by  strong  winds  as  in  other  seas ;  consequently  they  can  there 
bring  their  young  into  the  world  with  gTeater  safety.  The 
only  migration  noticeable  appears  to  support  this  opinion,  for 
it  takes  place  as  soon  as  the  young  are  large  enough  to 
obtain  their  own  food.  It  is  also  noteworthy  that  the  young 
of  the  Graj'^  Seal  know  how  to  take  a  straight  line  for  the  Easfc 
Sea,  going  so  directly  as  to  cross  stony  ground  or  a  point  of 
laud,  if  it  Mes  in  their  way;  consequently  the  return  often  costs 
them  thei;  life.  * 


'Kunigl  Schwed.  Akad.  derWiasen.,  xix  Band,  1759,  pp.  172-174. 
Misc  Pub.  No.  12 45 


700 


lIALICIKEUr.S    ORYPUS GRAY    SKAL. 


In  many  icsiMM^ts  ('lu^ill's  alKuccittMl  aeconiit  i«'(!alls  tlir 
lial»its  of  tlu>  Itiii^MMl  Seal,  but  liisdcst'iiptioii  of  it  indicates  its 
\vt'i;;lit  to  be  about  twit'i^  tlir;t  of  the  Wikare  or  Harbor  Seal, 
wliicln  st'ciiisto  i>r('<'hule  the  supposition  of  its  beinf"' the  Rinjjfed 
Seal.  Hesides  this,  the  (hay  Seal  is  well  known  to  be  an 
abundant  s|M'»'ies  in  the  llaltie,  where  the  liearded  Seal,  with 
which  Cneitrs  account  seeins  in  most  particulars  to  a^ree,  is  not 
reportetl  t<)  occur.  The  breediuj;'  season  is  here  distinctly 
ttrtirmed  to  occur  about  tlu' end  of  February,*  while  in  Iceland 
aiul  in  the  VV«'stern  Islands  of  Scotland  it  occurs  in  October  and 
Novend)er.  At  the  last-named  localities  the  species  resorts  to 
outlyin;4'  rocks  for  its  brcedin};-sites,  while  in  the  liothnianOulf 
the  y<mng  are  brought  forth  on  the  ice.  The  large  herds  here 
met  with,  in  contrast  with  the  small  parties  seen  elsewhere, 
is  also  a  notcnvorthy  discrepancy  uot  easily  explained. 

With  one  ex<;ei»tion,  this  is  the  only  Seal  that  i^*  kiu>wn  to  bring 
forth  its  young  in  the  aiitnmn.  Collett  states  that  the  Bearded 
Seal  breeds  in  October  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  and  this  again 
is  the  only  instance  known  to  me  of  the  Bearded  Seal  having 
been  reported  as  breeding  at  any  other  time  than  very  early  in 
spring.  Although  both  the  G lay  and  the  Bearded  Seals  have 
about  the  same  range  on  the  Norwegian  coast,  it  may  seem 
rash  to  question  the  report  of  so  trustworthy  a  naturalist  as 
Mr.  Collett,  yet,  if  I  rightly  understand  his  remarks,  his  in- 
formation touching  this  point  is  given  at  second  hand,  and  it 
therefore  seems  possible  that  his  correspondent  may  have  mis- 
taken the  Gray  Seal  for  the  Bearded  Seal.  If  such  be  the  case, 
the  breeding  of  the  Gray  Seal  in  the  Bothnian  Gulf  in  spring 
may  be  regarded  as  exceptional  in  the  history  of  the  species, 
while  the  reported  breeding  of  the  Bearded  Seal  in  autumn 
would  be  the  result  of  a  mali<lentiti cation  of  the  species,  t 

*  Liehtenstcin  has  described  u  yoniig  example,  still  iu  the  white  coat, 
taken  oil  the  Poiuiueruniau  coa^it,  March  28,  18;il,  which  seems  to  coulirui 
Cijeilf' s  account  of  the  breeding  of  this  species  early  iu  spring. — AhliamU. 
der  Berlin  Akad.,  1822-23  (1825),  p.  1. 

flu  order  not  to  do  Mr.  Collett  injustice  I  quote  the  following:  After  re- 
ferring to  what  he  believes  to  bo  the  southorninost  breeding  station  of  the 
Bearded  Seal  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  iiaiaely,  on  some  rocky  islets  otl" 
Troudlyom  Fjord,  he  says:  "Af  do  udf^rlige  Meddclelser,  som  jog  ofter- 
haaudon  har  modtaget  af  disse  0ers  Eier,  Hr.  Borthon,  frewgaar  dot.  at 
Phoca  barbata  i  sit  LovesiBt  og  Yuglcforholdo  i  ilert*  vigtigo  Honseonder  skiller 
0ig  fi'a  de  af  voro  dvngo  uordiske  Sujlor,  hvoroui  vi  have  nogen  Kundskab. 


GENUS  M0NACHU8. 


707 


Genus  MONAOHUS,  Fleming. 

MoiKwhua,  Fldmino,  Pliil.  Zool.,  ii,  1H'J2,  187. 

Pilofjc  [ I'ehuihiH],  F.  CuviKH,  M.'in.  du  Miis.,  xi,  1824,  19:?,  19(5,  pi.  xiii. 

Type,  I'hocd  fnoMrtc/iiM,  lltTiiiaim. 
PvlaijlHn,  F.  CrviKU.  Diet.  Sti.  Nat.,  xxxix,  liSvJC,  :^:M. 
Hvltophw'u,  (iitAV,  Ann.  and  Mikj^.  Nut.   IliMt.,  xiii,  1854,  pi.  xiii  (young). 

"  Muzzle  liitluT  I'loiifjfatts  broad,  Imiry,  with  a  slij;lit  groove 
between  the  iiostrihs;  whiskers  .small,  quite  smooth,  thit,  taper- 
ing. Fore  feet  short ;  lingers  gradually  shorter  to  the  inner 
one ;  elaws  a,  flat,  truncate.  Hind  feet  hairy  between  the  toes ; 
claws  very  small ;  hair  short,  adpressed,  with  very  little  or  no 
under-fur.  Slcull  depressed ;  nose  rather  d«>pres8ed,  rather  elon- 
gate, longer  than  the  length  of  the  zygomatic  arch ;  palate  an- 
gularly notched  behind.  Cutting-teeth  J,  large,  notched  within, 
the  middle  upper  nuich  smaller,  placed  behind  the  intermediate 

ones.  Canines  large,  coincal,  sharp-edged.  Grinders  ~g,  large, 
crowded,  placed  obliquely  with  regard  to  the  central  j  latine 
line;  crown  large,  conical,  with  several  small  conic  rhombic 
tubercles.  Lower  jaw  angulated  in  front  below,  with  diverg- 
ing branches,  the  lower  edge  of  the  branches  rounded,  simple. 
The  grinders,  except  the  two  first  in  both  jaws,  are  implanted 
by  two  roots  ;  their  crown  is  short,  compressed,  conical,  with  a 
cingillutn  [dc]  strongly  developed  on  their  inner  side,  and  de- 
veloping a  small  anterior  and  posterior  accessory  cusp ;  the  up- 
per jaw  is  much  less  deep  than  in  Halichcerus  ;  the  canines  are 
relatively  large,  and  the  nasal  bones  are  much  shorter." — Gray. 
The  genus  Monachus  was  placed  by  Gray,  as  late  as  1866  and 
previoUi3ly,  in  the  subfamily  StenorhynchincB.  In  1871  be  raised 
it  to  the  rank  of  a  distinct  "  tribe"  {Monachina)  or  subfamily. 
The  single  species  usually  referred  to  it — the  Mediterranean 
Seal,  Phoca  monachus,  Hermann — has  even  been  placed  by  Wag- 
ner, Giebel,  and  other  German  writers  in  the  genus  Leptonyx, 


En  af  de  niojrkeligste  af  disse  Afvigolser  er  Tidspunktet  for  dens  Yngletid. 
Denno  indtrajffer  nemlig  i  Norgc  cm  Hasten,  efterat  Individerno  i  Midten  af 
Septomborbavo  sanilot  sig  paa  de  bestonito  Ynglepladso;  umiddelbart  deref- 
ter  foregaar  Ungens  Kaatning,  i  Regelen  i  den  sidste  Ugo  af  September." — 
Bemcerkninger  til  Norges  Fatiedyrfauva,  1876,  p.  59.  See  also  Lilljeborg's 
"  Fauna  ofver  Sveriges  ocli  Norges  Ryggradsdjur,"  1874,  p.  702,  where  the 
same  is  given  in  substance,  and  also  Lilljeborg's  note  (note  2,  p.  702)  in  ref- 
erence to  Fabriciua's  and  Malmgren's  observations  on  the  breeding  season  of 
Phoca  barhata, 


,1.1 


i       !■■ 


3«* 


708      MONACHUS?   TEOPICALIS — WEST   INDIAN   SEAL. 

nearly  equivaleut  to  the  subfamily  Stenorhynchinw  of  Gray  and 
other  recent  writers.  Gill,  in  1866,  transferred  it  to  the  Pho- 
cincv.  Its  introduction  into  the  North  American  fauna  rests  on 
the  provisional  assignment  of  the  Seal  of  the  West  Indian 
waters  to  this  genus. 

MONAOHUS?  TROPICALIS,  Gray. 

West  Indian  Seal. 

Seal,  Dampier,  Voy.  round  tlio  World,  ii,  2,  3d  ed.,  1705,  23. 
Cyatoplwra  antiUarxim,  Gray,  Proc.  Zocil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1849,  93  (in  part  only). 
Phoca  tropicalis,  Gray,  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  28. 
Monachus  tropicalis,  Gray,  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  20 ;  Hand  List  of 
Seals,  1874,  11. 

tvilkiamts,  GossE,  Naturalist's  Sojourn  in  Jamaica,  1851,  307. 

Pedro  Seal,  GossE,  1.  c. ;  Jamaica  Seal,  Gray,  1.  c. 


Characters.* — Incisors  |^;  canines 


lobed,  conical,  rugose  at  base.  Soles  and  palms  naked.  Ante- 
rior digits  with  well-developed  nails ;  posterior  digits  with  the 
nails  rudimentary.  Mystacial  bristles  long,  flexible,  smooth. 
Color  intense  uniform  black,  or  black  varied  with  gray.  Pelage 
very  short,  stiflt",  closely  appressed.  Length  of  adult  male, 
about  ten  feet. 

Although  the  existence  of  Seals  in  the  West  Indian  waters 
has  been  known  for  two  centuries,  a  most  tantalizing  uncer- 
tainty still  prevails  in  respect  to  their  characters  and  aflflnities. 
I  had  hoped  to  be  able  in  the  present  connection  to  clear  up 
some  of  these  doubts,  but  as  my  efforts  to  obtain  specimens 
have  thus  far  proved  fruitless,  I  have  to  content  myself  with 
giving  a  transcript  of  what  has  already  been  written  about 
them,  with  such  Ciitical  remarks  as  the  case  suggests. 

So  far  as  known  to  me,  Dampier  was  the  first  to  record  the 
existence  of  Seals  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  but  he  gives  no  de- 
scription of  them,  his  reference  consisting  of  an  account  of  a 
seaUng  voyage  made  to  the  Alacrane  Reef  in  1675,  and  inci- 
dents relating  thereto.  His  account,  however,  shows  that  at 
that  time  they  were  so  abundant  at  that  locality  as  to  be  sought 
there  for  their  oil,  and  where,  in  fact,  for  some  years  previously, 
the  sealing  business  had  been  an  industry  of  considerable  com- 
mercial importance. 

Dampiee's  Account,  1675. — In  describing  the  "Alacrane" 


*  Compiled  from  Hill  and  Gosse. 


MM 


dampier's  account. 


709 


Islands,*  under  the  niarghuil  date  "^i7^.  1675,"  be  says,  "Here 
are  many  Seals :  they  come  up  to  sun  themselves  only  on  two 
or  three  of  the  Islands,  I  don't  know  whether  exactly  of  the 
same  kind  with  those  in  colder  Climates,  as  I  have  noted  in  my 
former  Book,  they  always  live  where  there  is  plenty  of  Fish. 

"  To  the  North  of  these  Islands  lyes  a  lOng  ledge  of  Kocks, 
bending  like  a  Bow;  it  seems  to  be  10  or  12  Yards  wide, 
iind  about  4  Leagues  long,  and  3  Leagues  distant  from  the 
Island.  They  are  above  Water,  all  joyning  very  close  to  one 
another,  except  at  one  or  two  Places,  where  are  small  Passages 
about  nine  or  ten  Yards  wide;  'twas  through  one  of  these  that 
Providence  directed  us  in  the  Night ;  for  the  next  Morning  we 
saw  the  Riff  about  half  a  Mile  to  the  North  of  us,  and  right 
against  us  was  a  small  Gap  by  which  we  had  come  in  hither, 
but  coming  to  view  it  more  nearly  with  our  Boat,  we  did  not  care 
to  venture  out  that  way  again.  .  .  .  There  we  Anchored 
and  lay  three  or  four  days,  and  visited  most  of  them,  and  found 
plenty  of  .such  Creatures,  as  I  have  already  described. 

"Though  here  was  great  store  of  such  good  Food  and  we  like 
to  want,  yet  we  did  neither  salt  any,  nor  spend  of  it  fresh  to 
save  our  Stock.  I  found  them  all  but  one  Man  averse  to  it,  but 
I  did  heartily  wish  them  of  another  mind,  because  I  dreaded 
wanting  before  the  and  of  the  Voyage;  a  hazard  which  we 
needed  not  to  run,  there  being  such  plenty  of  Fowls  and  Seals 
(especially  of  the  latter),  that  the  Spaniards  do  often  come 
hither  to  make  Oyl  of  their  Fat ;  upon  which  account  it  has 
been  visited  by  English-men  from  Jamaica,  particularly  by  Capt. 
Lonf/ :  who,  having  the  Command  of  a  small  Bark,  came  hither 
purposely  to  make  Seal  Oyl,  and  anchored  on  the  North  side  of 
one  of  the  sandy  Islands,  the  most  convenient  Place,  for  his 

design : Having  got  ashore  his  Cask  to  put  his  Oyl 

in,  and  set  up  a  Tent  for  lodging  himself  and  his  Goods,  he 
began  to  kill  the  Seal,  and  had  not  wrought  above  three  or 
four  days  before  a  fierce  North-wind  blew  his  Bark  ashore.  By 
good  fortune  she  was  not  damnified :  but  his  Company  being 
but  small,  and  so  despairing  of  setting  her  afloat  again,  they 

*  "Tho  AlacrancH  arc  5  or  C  low  sandy  Islands,  r,  i  g  in  the  Lat.  of  about 
23  d.  North,  and  distant  from  the  Coast  of  Jucatan  about  25  Leagues ;  tho 
biggest  is  not  above  a  Mile  or  two  in  Circuit.  They  are  distant  from  one 
aiiothor  2  or  ',i  Miles,  not  lying  in  a  Line,  but  scattering  here  and  there,  with 
good  Channels  of  20  or  30  Fathom  Water,  for  a  Ship  to  pass  between." — 
Dampier,  Two  J'oyagca  to  Campeachey,  etc.,  in  his  Voyage  roimd  the  World, 
vol.  ii,  parts,  3d  cd.,  1705,  p.  23.  " 


710      MONACHUSf    TROPICALIS — WEST   INDIAN    SEAL. 

fell  to  contriving-  how  to  get  away;  a  very  ditficult  task  to 
accomplish,  for  it  was  24  or  25  Leagues  to  the  nearest  Place  of 
the  Main,  and  above  100  Leagues  to  Trist,  which  was  the  next 
English  Settlement.  But  contrary  to  their  expectation,  in- 
stead of  that,  Capt.  Long  bid  them  follow  their  Work  of  Seal- 
killing  arul  making  Oyl ;  assuring  them  that  he  would  under- 
take at  his  own  peril  to  carry  them  safe  to  Trist.  Tliis  though 
it  went  niucli  against  the  grain,  yet  at  last  he  so  far  pievailled 
by  fair  Words,  that  they  were  contented  to  go  on  with  theii" 
Seal  Icilling,  till  they  had  filled  all  tlieir  Cask."  The  narrative 
conti.  nes  that  by  a  to  them  lucky  accident  "two  New-England 
Ketches  going  down  to  Trlnt,  ran  on  the  backside  of  the  Rifl", 
where  they  struck  on  the  Rocks,  and  were  bulged".  Captain 
Long  and  his  crew  assisted  them  to  unlade  their  goods  and 
bring  them  ashore,  in  requital  for  which  thej'  helped  him  to 
launch  his  own  vessel,  "and  lading  his  Oyl,  and  so  they  went 
merrily  away  for  Trist-  Captain  Uami)ier  adds,  "  The  whole 
of  this  Relation  I  had  from  Captain  Long  himself."  * 

How  long  the  capture  of  Seals  for  commercial  purposes  con- 
tinued after  this  date,  or  whether  it  was  ever  carried  on  at 
other  points  in  these  waters,  I  have  no  means  of  determining,  t 
Owing  to  the  limited  area  to  which  they  were  restricted,  and 
consequently  their  necessarily  small  numbers,  it  is  evident  that 
they  could  not  long  have  survived  in  force  under  such  vigorous 
persecution. 

Hill's  and  Gosse's  Accounts,  1843,  1851. — A  description 
of  this  Seal  (and  the  first  one,  so  far  as  I  can  learn)  was  pub- 
lished, according  to  Mr.  Gosse,  by  Mr.  Richard  Hill,  in  the 
"Jamaica  Almanack  for  1843."  Mr.  Gosse,  in  1851,  in  hh 
work  entitled  "A  Naturalist's  Sojourn  in  Jamaica,'-  repub- 
lished Mr.  Hill's  account,  and  added  thereto  further  remarks 
on  the  species,  based  largely  on  information  communicated  by 
Mr.  Hill.  As  Mr.  Hill's  description  is  nearly  inaccessible,  while 
Mr.  Gosse's  book  is  by  no  means  easy  of  access,  I  here  tran- 
scribe the  whole  account  as  given  at  length  by  Mr.  Gosse, 
under  the  heading  "The  Pedro  Seal":  "Ir.  the  Jamaica  Al- 
manack for  1843,  Mr.  Hill  pubUshed  a  Memoir  on  a  Seal  inhab- 

'  Mbid.,  pp.  25-28. 

+  Olafseii,  in  his  "  Rtsisc  (lurch  Island,"  j).  284,  refers  to  the  Great  Seal  of 
the  Antilles,  and  cites  '' Joh.  Sam.  Hallen's  Natur-Geschichte  der  Thiere,  p. 
593  nud  581,"  as  containing  a  further  account.  Hallen's  work  being  inac- 
cessible to  mo,  I  am  uuablo  to  state  what  information  may  be  there  found. 


HILLS   AND    GOSSES   ACCOUNTS. 


711 


iting  the  Pedro  Kays,  ii  leef  of  rocks,  lying"  off  the  south  coast 
of  Jamaica.  As  it  appears  to  be  a  species  uuknowii  to  natur- 
alists, ami  as  the  publication  in  wiiicli  it  was  described  had 
only  a  transient  ajul  local  interest,  I  transcribe  the  Memoir  at 
length,  I'.dding  to  it  such  particulars  of  the  natural  history  of 
the  aninuil  as  have  since  been  communicated  to  me  by  my 
friend. 

"  'The  differeiu!es  which  exist  in  the  crania  of  the  Fhocido), 
and  other  discrepancies  of  structure  which  have  been  remarked 
as  disiinguishing  the  several  genera  into  which  the  family  is 
divided,  would  appear  to  make  the  Seal  from  the  Pedro  Shoal 
more  allied  to  the  Ph.  vltul'ma  of  Linn.  {Galocephalus,  Fr.  Cuv.) 
than  to  any  of  which  we  have  detailed  accounts,  although  very 
different  from  all.*  The  shoulders,  legs,  and  thighs  are  con- 
cealed within  the  body,  and  the  haml  is  extremely  flattened 
and  fln-like.  The  cranium  is  large,  high,  and  convex : — there 
are  ten  molar  teeth,  and  two  canines  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  the 
same  number  in  the  lower;  these,  with /o«r  incisors,  above  and 
below,  make  in  all  thirty-two  teeth.  They  are  Jive-lohed  and 
conical,  and  they  terminate  in  a  base  of  extremely  rough 
enamel.  The  teeth  are  so  disposed  that  when  the  mouth  is 
closed  there  is  no  interspace  above  or  bcilow  them,  the  points 
of  the  upper  teeth  filling  the  depressed  intervals  of  the  lower 
ones.  Having  no  external  auricjle,  and  ears  witii  foramina  so 
small  as  to  be  hardly  perceptible,  the  species  belongs  to  the 
Inauricidata  of  Peron,  or  the  earless  division  of  Seals.  The 
nostrils  are  narrow  fissures,  which  appear  like  two  slits  in  the 
nose,  and  are  frequently  and  rapidly  closed.  The  small  orifices 
of  the  ears  are  in  a  similar  manner  rapidly  opened  and  shut. 
The  lips  are  full  and  fleshj',  an<l  covered  with  numerous  strong 
bristles,  very  flexible,  of  a  black  hue  with  transverse  bars  of 
grey.  The  colour  of  the  body  is  an  intense  and  uniform  black. 
The  hair  is  short  and  stiff",  and  extremely  and  curiously  close. 
The  close  bristly  covering  prevails  everywhere  except  on  the 
palms  of  the  flippers,  which  are  bare.  The  fore  paw  has  much 
more  the  form  of  a  foot  than  of  a  hand,  the  first  finger  answer- 
ing to  the  thumb  being  the  longest.    There  are  nails  only  on 

*  "From  Mr.  Hill's  (k'sciiptiou  it  appears  to  liavo  the  iucisors  iiiul  nail- 
less  liirul  feet  of  Ste)iofh>inrhii>i,  with  the  molars  of  Caloccjihaliig.  The  data 
are  perhaps  not  sutticient  to  warrant  the  formation  of  a  new  genns,  hnt  I 
may  he  permitted  to  proposes  the  trivial  name  of  ff  ilkiatnw  f(»r  the  species, 
in  hononr  of  George  Wilkie,  Es(i.,  to  whose  courtesy  I  am  indehted  for  tlio 
skin  of  an  adult  spe'-mcu,  probably  of  the  same  kind,  shot  by  himself." 


712      MONACIIUS?   TROPICALIS WEST   INDIAN   SEAL. 

the  fore  paws,  those  of  the  hiucler  being  rudimentary.  The 
eyes  are  large,  bhick,  and  full,  and  the  irides  crimson. 

" '  When  tlie  specimen  from  which  these  notes  were  made 
first  arrived  it  was  very  lively,  and  so  sensible  to  the  slightest 
touch,  that  however  lightly  the  hand  might  be  placed  on  the 
fur,  it  felt  the  contact,  and  moved  rapidly  away,  jerking  the 
whole  body  forwards.  When  left  unmolested  it  was  playful. 
It  ploughed  the  water  with  the  nose,  and  snorted  as  it  drew 
the  head  out.  It  grunted  like  a  pig,  and  barked,  growled,  and 
snarled,  like  a  dog.  It  was  fond  of  turning  ui)ou  the  back  and 
lying  dozing.  In  this  i)osture  it  slept  and  basked  in  the  sun. 
It  refused  all  food,  and  lived  four  months  without  eating. 
Symptoms  of  dulness  only  appeared  in  the  last  month,  when  it 
was  found  to  be  labouring  under  jjome  disease  of  the  head; 
and  when  it  died  it  was  discovered  to  have  become  totally 
blind,  the  dark  pupil  of  the  eye  having  disappeared,  together 
with  the  crimson  colour  of  the  iris.  It  was  surprisingly  fat,  not- 
withstanding its  long  fast.  The  fat  was  four  inches  thick,  and 
yielded  four  gallons  of  oil.  It  was  a  male,  but  the  organs  of 
generation  were  not  externally  perceptible.  This  organization 
is  accordant  with  the  peculiarities  of  the  Seal  tribe :  in  the  fe- 
male the  teats  are  concealed  in  the  skin,  and  the  lacteal  fulness 
swells  with  the  rotundity  of  the  body,  so  that  the  animal  does 
not  sutt'er  pain  or  inconvenience  when  crawling  on  land;  and 
the  bitid  termination  of  the  tongue,  another  peculiarity,  is  an 
adaptation  which  enables  the  young  of  the  Phocidw  to  .seize 
the  ni[)ple  under  comparatively  diificult  circumstances,  attend- 
ant on  lactation.  The  occipital  aperture,  which  remains  for  a 
long  time  unossifled  in  this  tribe  of  animals,  being  still  open, 
though  reduced  to  a  very  small  orifice, — this  Seal  may  be  co  •.- 
sidered  to  ha\e  been  only  Just  full  grown.  The  unworn  sharp- 
ness of  the  teeth  in<licated  the  same  fact. 

" '  The  measurements  of  this  specimen  were  as  follows : 

Feet.  Incbes. 

Total  hiiigth  along  the  back  from  snout  to  til)  of  tail 4  2 

From  Hiiout  to  insertion  of  foro  paw , 1  6 

■  From  insertion  of  fore  paw  to  hind  paw 2  10 

Cirtiunforenco  of  body  near  fore  paws • 3  2 

Circumference  at  bind  paws 1  6 

Breatlth  of  back  at  foro  paws 1  0 

From  one  fore  paw  to  the  other,  extended 2  6 

Length  of  fore  paw 0  10 

Length  of  bind  paw 0  11 


hill's  and  gosse's  accounts.  713 

Feet.  Inolies. 

Breadth  of  head  across  oars,  measured  horizontally 0  7 

Length  of  head 0         9 

Breadth  of  nose 0  4 J 

Length  of  tail 0  3 

"  '  The  Kays  frequented  by  these  Seals  are  situated  at  about 
a  degree  south  from  this  Island,  and  form  portions  of  an  exten- 
sive and  dangerous  line  of  rocks  on  a  shoal  about  100  miles 
long,  the  two  extremities  of  soundings  touching  nearly  the  77th 
and  79th  meridians  of  VV.  longitude.  These  banks  rise  pre- 
cii)itously  from  the  deep  ocean,  with  reefs  formed,  like  the  usual 
rocks  in  these  seas,  of  coral,  with  an  accumulation  of  shells 
and  calcareous  sand.  The  depth  of  water  varies  from  7  to  17 
fathoms.  A  scanty  vegetation  covers  the  principal  group  of 
islands,  which  are  what  are  properly  called  the  Pedro  Kays. 
The  detached  islets  about  90  miles  a])art,  known  as  the  Port- 
land and  Rattlesnake  Rocks,  are  nearly  the  eastern  and  west- 
erii  extremities  of  the  bank.  This  shoal  has  always  been  vis- 
ited as  an  excellent  and  inexhaustible  fishing  ground;  and, 
l)r()bably  from  the  variety  and  abundance  of  its  aquatic  ani- 
mals and  mai  lae  productions,  it  received  from  the  Spaniards 
the  name  of  Vivero,  a  word  equally  designating  a  warren  or 
fish-pond.  The  principal  supply  of  turtles  for  the  Kingston 
IVIarket  is  erived  from  these  shoals,  and  the  rocks  are  numer- 
ously tenanted  by  sea-birds.' 

"  In  the  spring  of  1840  George  Wilkie,  Esq.,  paid  a  visit  to 
these  Kays  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  larger  specimen  of  the 
Seal.  Some  notes  with  which  he  kindly  furnished  me,  through 
the  medium  of  Mr.  Hill,  of  the  i)eculiarities  of  the  ditt'erent 
islets,  depict  natural  difficulties  in  the  access  to  Seal  Kay,  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  the  meagreness  of  the  information  about 
Seals,  possessed  by  the  host  of  egg-gatherers,  who  annually 
resort  to  those  rocks  and  shoals.  Seal  Kay  lies  about  three 
miles  to  leewanl  of  the  principal  group.  It  is  about  two  acres 
in  extent,  and  rises  to  twenty  feet  in  height,  but  is  entirely 
destitute  of  all  terrestrial  vegetation.  Address,  in  landing, 
requires  to  be  combined  with  strength,  hardihood,  and  perse- 
verance; and  frequently  before  a  footing  can  be  obtained,  the 
Seals,  the  objects  of  attrsictlon,  have  escaped  to  the  waters,  and 
continue  to  avoid  the  shore  as  long  as  intruders  remain  upon 
the  island.  '  When  Mr.  Wilkie's  party  first  landed  in  their  late 
visit,  they  surprised  some  five  Seals  on  shore.  They  immedi- 
ately succeeded  in  heading  a  "  Bull,"  or  Male  Seal,  both  big 


|i-i-! 


iU|l>'M 


714      MONACHUS?    TROPICALIS — WEST   INDIAN    SEAL. 


and  biiiiy,  jukI  killed  him.  He  proved  to  be  an  aged  patriarch, 
with  teeth  nearly  woi'n  to  the  stumps,  and  a  hide  gashed  and 
seamed  with  scars,  got  in  many  a  tierce  tight ; — and  about  teu 
feet  in  length. 

"'In  the  scramble  which  the  Seal  makes  to  regain  the  water, 
nothing  is  to  be  remarked  but  the  violence  and  impatience 
".'  th  which  he  Jerks  his  body  forward;  but  when  he  plunges 
1 1  jni  the  shore  into  the  sea,  it  is  no  small  treat  to  see  the  sud- 
denness with  which  the  uncouth  animal,  so  unwieldy  and  help- 
less on  land,  becomes  gracefully  alert  in  the  ocean.  The  com- 
mand with  which  he  strikes  through  the  water,  the  velocity 
with  which  he  cleaves  the  tiood,  the  ease  with  which  he  winds 
the  mazes  of  the  rocks,  and  dashes  forward  into  the  hidden 
recesses  of  the  deep,  are  beautifully  interesting  in  a  (sreature 
looking  so  essentially  a  quadruped.  When  the  boat  is  atioat 
again,  the  Seals  come  trooping  out  to  reconnoitre.  At  a  depth 
of  about  three  feet  they  paddle  about,  gazing  up  through  the 
clear  liquid  with  an  expression  of  countenance  beaming  with 
curiosity  and  intelligence.  They  dodge  around  the  boat,  occa- 
sionally ascending  to  the  surface,  to  renew  their  inspirations  of 
air,  and  to  look  upon  their  island  home,  to  asciertaiu  whether 
they  may  return  thither  and  be  at  rest. 

"  'A  grown-up  cub  about  four  feet  long  had  been  taken  by 
the  peojjle.  One  Seal  was  observed  more  persevering  in  her 
watchfulness  and  assiiluity  to  regain  the  shore,  than  the  rest. 
This  was  <!onjectured  to  be  the  dam  of  the  slaughtered  young 
one.  The  maternal  instinct  did  not  exhibit  any  stronger 
emotion  than  this  anxious  vigilance.  The  young  one  was  suffi- 
ciently grown  to  be  no  longer  dependent  on  the  mother.  Had 
it  been  still  sucking,  there  was  enough  to  show  that  the  parental 
passion  would  have  merged  fearlessness  into  fury,  and  inquie- 
tude for  the  safety  of  its  yoiing,  into  unsparing  vengeance  for 
its  fate. 

"  'Without  doing  more  than  referring  to  Weddell's  observa- 
tion, that  the  jaw  of  the  Seals  he  describes  was  so  powerful  in 
the  agonies  of  death  as  to  grind  stones  into  powder,  it  seemed, 
from  the  condition  of  the  teeth  of  some  eight  that  were  taken 
during  the  time  Mr.  Wilkie's  party  were  on  the  Pedros,  that 
their  strength  is  exercised  in  more  laborious  work  than  crush- 
ing the  bones  of  fishes.  The  opinion  that  the  more  experienced 
tishermen  expressed  was,  that  they  fed  as  generally  on  mollus- 
cous animals  as  on  tish,  and  that  their  teeth  suffei'ed  much  wear 


gray's  accounts.  715 

and  tear  in  the  work  of  breaking  shells.  Yet  it  is  remarkable 
that  the  contents  of  the  stomachs  of  those  killed  gave  them  no 
insiglit  into  the  nature  of  their  food: — they  were  invariably 
empty. 

" '  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  our  friends  had  one  oppor- 
tunity of  closely  observing  the  progression  of  the  Seal  when 
ascending  the  beach.  The  advance  was  by  zigzag  movements. 
It  was  evident  that  the  ground  was  first  gripped  by  one  fore 
flipper,  then  by  the  other,  that  the  body  advanced  iirst  to  the 
right,  then  to  the  left,  as  one  or  the  other  flii)per  took  its  hold 
of  the  eartli,  and  helped  the  body  onward.  They  seemed  to 
delight  in  basking  in  the  sun,  and  to  huddle  together,  and 
grunt  out  their  pleasure  in  each  others'  company.' 

"The  skin  of  one  of  the  specimens  obtained  in  this  expedi- 
tion Mr.  Wilkie  kindly  presented  to  me ;  a  courtesy  the  value 
of  which  was  enhanced  by  the  fact  of  its  being  one  of  the  chief 
of  the  ophna  spolia,  a  sort  of  trophy  of  his  own  exploits.  It  is 
now  in  the  British  Museum.  As  the  skull  was  not  i)reserved, 
the  actual  identity  of  the  species  with  the  smaller  specimen, 
described  by  Mr.  Hill,  cannot  with  certainity  be  established ; 
and  there  seems  a  little  discrepancj'  in  the  proportions,  as  will 
be  seen  by  comparing  the  admeasurements  of  Mr.  Hill's,  already 
given,  with  the  following,  which  were  taken  from  Mr.  Wilkie's 
specimen: — 

Feet.  Inches. 

Leugtli  from  nose  to  tip  of  tail 6  6 

Circmnforence  at  fore  paws 3  4 

Length  of  fore  paw 0  11^ 

Length  of  hind  paw 0  lOJ 

Lengthoftail 0  2 

"The  fur  is  of  a  nearly  uniform  dirty  ash-gray,  black  at  the 
base,  and  gray  at  the  tips  of  the  hairs ;  it  is  slightly  mottled  on 
the  belly ;  it  is  very  close  and  stiff,  and  not  more  than  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  long.  The  vibrissw  or  whiskers  are  from  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  three-quarters  long ;  white,  with  one  on 
each  side  broM'n."  * 


Gray's  Accounts,  1849-1874. — Mr.  Gosse,  as  appears  from 
the  foregoing,  transmitted  a  specimen  to  the  British  Museum, — 

*  A  Natnralist'a  Sojourn  in  Jamaica.  By  Philip  Henrj  Gosse,  A.  L.  S., 
&c.  Assisted  by  Ricliard  Hill,  Esq.,  Cor.  M.  Z.  S.  Lond.,  Mem.  Couro. 
Roy.  Soe.  Agric.  of  Jamaica.  London :  Longman,  Brown,  Green,  and 
Longmans,  1851,  pp.  107-114. 


716      MONACIIUS?    TROPICAUS — WEST   INDIAN   SEAL. 


tbo  skin  last  descTibed  in  tbe  above  transcript,  and,  so  far  as 
Mr.  Gosse's  narrative  goes  to  show,  tlie  only  one  he  ever  saw. 
Br.  Gray,  liowever,  in  1849,  described  another  "skin  and  skull" 
from  "the  West  Indies",  which  he  la;  r  stated  were  sent  home 
direct  by  Mr.  (losse  from  Jamaica.  Dr.  Gray's  description  of 
these  specimens  is  as  follows:  "We  have  lately  received  from 
the  West  Indies  the  skin  and  skull  of  a  seal  which  evidently 
belongs  to  the  same  genus  as  the  crested  seal  of  the  northern 
hemisphere.  The  skull,  or  rather  the  teeth,  when  compared 
with  those  of  the  Greenland  specimens,  induce  me  to  believe 
that  it  is  distinct  from  them.  It  chiefly  diflie^s  in  the  form  of 
the  outer  upper  cutting  teeth  and  canines.  In  all  the  speci- 
mens, both  old  and  young,  from  the  North  Sea,  the  outer  upper 
cutting  t«eth  and  the  canines  are  narrow  and  compressed.  In 
the  W^est  Indian  skull,  which  is  that  of  a  very  young  specimen, 
the  outer  upper  cutting  teeth  and  the  canines  are  broad, 
strongly  keeled  on  each  side  and  longitudinally  plaited  within. 
In  this  skull  the  4th  grinder  has  only  a  single  root,  and  the  5th 
gi'iuder  has  two ;  the  crowns  of  the  teeth  are  plaited  and  tuber- 
cular like  those  of  the  North  Sea  specimens.  The  face  is  rather 
broader  than  in  a  skull  of  the  northern  kind  of  nearly  the  same 
size.    This  species  may  be  called  Cystophora  antHlarum. 

"  We  have  received  an  imperfect  skin  of  a  seal  from  Jamaica, 
which  was  brought  home  by  Mr.  Gosse.  It  is  unfortunately 
without  any  bones.  The  whiskers  are  short,  thick,  white, 
cylindrical,  regularly  tapering,  and  without  any  appearaUvje  of 
a  wave  or  twist.  In  this  character  it  most  agrees  with  Phoea 
barbata."  * 

The  following  year  he  redescribed  these  specimens,  claiming 
Jamaica  as  the  habitat  of  his  Cystophora  antillarum,  and  stat- 
ing that  the  specimens  on  which  it  was  based  were  from  "Mr. 
Gosse's  collection",  as  follows: 

"2.   PHOCA  TROPICALIS.      JAMAICA  SEAL. 

"Grey-browu  ;  hair  very  short,  strap-shaped,  closely  adpressed,  black 
with  a  slight  grey  tip;  whiskers  short,  thick,  cylindrical,  regularly 
tapering,  without  any  appearance  of  w."vc  or  twist ;  fingers  gradually 
shorter. 

"  Inhab.  Jamaica. 
•     "a.  Skin  imperfect,  without  skull. 

"Skin  referred  to  in  desciiption of  Cystophora  antillarum,Gf»'ay, 

Proc.  Zool.  Soc,  1849,  93."t 

•Proc.  Zotil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1849,  p.  93. 
tCat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus!,  18G0,  p.  28. 


GRAY  S    ACCOUNTS. 


717 


"2.    C'ysTOPHOUA   ANTII.LAIM'M.      WkST  INDIAN   IIOODED   SEAL. 

"Skull,  lacti  hroiul.     Tho  outer  upi)c'r  cutting  teeth  anil  the  canines 

broad,  .strouf^ly  keeled  on  eueh  wide  and  lougitudiually  plaited  Avithin. 

Fur  grey  brown,  lips  and  bcueatb  yellow. 

"Cystopliora  antillaruni,  Gray,  Proc.  ZoiiU  Soc,  1849,  9.3. 

"  Inbab.  West  Indies. 

"a.  StuU'ed  Hi)eciuu;n.  West  Indies,  Jamaica.  Mr.  Gosse's  collection. 
"6.  Skull  of  a  very  young  speciiuen.  Tbe  face  is  broader  than  the 
skull  of  C.  vrhtata  of  tbfl  same  size.  Tbe  crowns  of  tho  teeth  are 
plaited  and  tubercular.  The  4th  grinder  has  only  a  single  root, 
the  oth  has  two.  West  Indies,  Jauuiiea.  Mr.  Gosse's  collection. 
"Specimen  described.  Gray,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc,  1849,  93."* 

These  descriptions  were  repeated,  verbatim,  by  Gray  in  18GG, 
•in  his  "  Catalogue  of  Seals  and  AVhales  in  the  British  Museum" 
(pp.  20,  43),  without  additional  remark,  but  in  his  account  of 
the  genus  Monachun  (ibid.,  p.  18)  he  says  :  ''As  the  other  sub- 
tropical Seal,  Phoca  tropicalis  (Gray,  Cat.  Seals  B.  M.  28),  from 
JauuiicK,  described  from  mx  imperfect  skin  without  a  skull,  has 
similar  small  smooth  whiskers  [as  Monachus  albiventer],  it  may 
very  probably,  when  its  skull  has  been  examined,  be  found  to 
belong  to  this  genus,  which  will  then  prove  to  be  a  subtropical 
form  of  the  family."!  It  appears,  however,  that  in  the  mean- 
time a  figure  of  the  Cy&tophora  antillarum  had  api)eared  in  an 
"inedited"  plate  in  the  "  Zoology  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror,"  | 
at  least  such  is  here  so  cited  by  Gray,  but  whether  the  skull  or 
the  external  characters  are  represented  is  not  stated. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  above  descriptions  no  measure- 
ments are  given,  nor  any  indication  of  size,  nor  is  the  structure 
of  the  hind  feet  referred  to,  not  so  much  as  to  state  whether 
they  are  or  are  not  provided  with  nails.  The  only  further  infor- 
mation Dr.  Gray  has  vouchsafed  to  us,  based  on  his  own  obser- 
vations, is  contained  in  his  "  Hand  List  of  Seals,"  etc.,  pub- 
lished in  1874,  where  he  says  under  Cystophora  antillarum  (p. 
18):  "Animal,  stuffed,  young  male?     1005  a.     Skull,  young, 

*Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  p.  38. 

t  These  remarks  appeared  originally  twelve  years  l)efore  iu  his  description 
of  his  genus  Heliophoca  (Proc.  Zoiil.  Soe.  Lond.,  1854,  p.  44),  and  hence  the 
comparison  of  the  whiskers  wiis  lirst  made  with  his  Heliophoca  atlantica, 
■which  he  later  ( 186(5)  referred  to  Monach  us  albiventer,  Heliophoca  was  charac- 
terized as  having  the  "  cutting  teeth  f ,"  but  this  seems  to  have  been  a  typo- 
graphical error  for  i,  as  with  this  correction  the  whole  description  of  the 
genus  Heliophoca  was  in  1866  introduced  under  Monachus. 

X  On  this,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  I  have  to  lament  the  absence  from 
all  the  libraries  of  this  vicinity  of  the  part  of  this  work  treating  of  tho  mam- 
mals. 


718      MONACHUS?    TROPICALIS — WEST   INDIAN   SEAL. 

broken.  Muzzle  rather  dilated  .  .  .  This  Hkiill  is  exeeed- 
ni};lylike  thatt)i"  the  yoiiiij";  (J.  cristuta.''^  In  18(U},  under  "Addi- 
tions and  Corre  I  ions"  in  his  "  Catalogue  of  Seals  and  Whales  " 
(j).  3(57),  he  cites  for  the  tirst  time  "  Hill's  Jamaica  Almanack, 
1843",  and  adds  as  a  synonym  "The  Pedro  Seal  (Phoca  Wilki- 
anus),  OoHse,  Nat  Sojourn  in  Jamaica,  307,  308",  aud  quotes 
the  descriptions  of  specimens  there  given. 

Gill  on  the  West  Indian  Seals,  1860. — Dr.  Gill  in  1866 
(but  before  he  had  seen  Gray's  "Catalogue  of  Seals  and 
Whales"  of  that  date)  thus  referred  to  the  West  Indian  Seals: 
"The  relations  of  the  Jamaican  Seal,  rejoicing  in  the  two  names, 

Phoca  tropicaViH,  Gray,  and if !  Wilkianua,  Gosse  (1851),  are 

very  uncertain.  Mr.  Gosse  obtained  a  single  skin.  The  exact 
origin  of  the  Cystophora  antillarum  was  not  mentioned  in  the 
original  description,  and  its  West  Indi..  habitat  requires  con- 
firmation."* Dr.  Gray,t  a  little  later,  in  referring  to  Dr.  Gill's 
above-quoted  remarks,  reaffirmed  that  the  specimens  of  both 
his  species  were  obtained  in  Jamaica  by  Mr.  Gosse. 

Analysis  and  Discussion  of  the  foregoing. — From  the 
foregoing, — the  only  information  at  present  accessible  on  the 
subject, — what  conclusions  may  be  drawn  respecting  the  num- 
ber of  species  and  affinities  of  the  West  Indian  Seals?  Are 
there  two  species  or  one,  aud  what  is  their  relationship  ?  In 
the  first  place,  it  may  be  noted  that  Gray's  Phoca  tropicalis  and 
Gosse's  Pedro  Seal  ( wilkianua),  the  latter  named  specific- 
ally, but  referred  to  no  particular  genus,  are  one  and  the  same 
thing,  the  former  being  based  on  Mr.  Gosse's  specimen.  That 
such  a  species  exists  is  beyond  question,  while,  as  will  be  no- 
ticed fully  later,  its  generic  affinities  seem  to  be  with  Mona^shus, 
to  which  genus  Dr.  Gray  finally  referred  it.  Secondly,  it  is  to 
be  noted  that  the  specimens  made  known  by  Hill  and  Gosse, 
and  all  their  observations  respecting  the  Jamaican  Seals,  re- 
late to  this  type,  and  in  no  way  suggest  the  genus  Cystophora. 
In  the  third  place,  no  one  can  doubt  but  that  the  specimens 
on  which  Gray  based  his  Gyatoplwra  antillarum  were  correctly 
referred  to  Cystophora.  Every  point  of  the  description  ren- 
ders this  evident,  while  Dr.  Gray  himself  says,  in  his  last  ref- 
erence to  the  species,  twenty-five  years  after  it  was  first  de- 
scribed, "This  skull  is  exceedingly  like  that  of  the  young  C. 

*  Proc.  Essex  lustitute,  vol.  v,  No.  1,  April,  1866,  p.  4,  footaote, 
t  Aon.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  zvii,  1866,  p.  445. 


im    I  Hjiviuvn.  I 


ANALYSIS   AND   DISCUSSION. 


719 


criHtata.^''*  Filially,  did  tlio  specimenH  on  wliich  Cyntophora 
antUlarum  was  based  come  from  the  West  Indies?  Dr.  (Jray 
says,  in  his  first  reference  to  tlu'iii  in  1849,  they  were  "lately 
received  from  the  West  Indies."  In  the  next  paragraph  he 
says,  "We  have  received  an  imperfect  skin  of  a  Seal  from  Ja- 
maica, which  was  bronj>ht  home  by  Mr.  Gossc,"  certainly  im- 
plyin}^  that  th'^  specimens  mentioned  jnst  before  were  notfronj 
Mr.  Gosse,  and  probably  not  from  Jamaica.  On  the  other 
hand,  Mr.  Gosse's  acconnt  of  the  Pedro  Seal  indicates  that  Mr. 
Gosse  himself  never  oven  saw  other  specimens  of  this  Seal 
than  the  skin  he  sent  to  the  British  Museum,  his  whole  account 
of  the  species,  aside  from  a  description  of  this  skin,  being 
avowedly  given  at  second  hand.  Yet  Dr.  Gray  the  next  year, 
in  redescribing  these  S])ecimen8,  made  the  skin  received  from 
Mr.  Gosse  the  basis  of  his  Phoca  tropicalis,  while  the  "skin  and 
skull"  on  which  Cystophora  antUlarum  became  now  exclusively 
based  received  a  definite  localitj'  and  history,  namely,  "  West 
Indies,  Jamaica,  Mr.  Gosse's  Collection."  t  It  was  a  year  later 
when  Mr.  Gosse  published  his  account  of  the  Pedro  Seal,  and 
if  these  specimens,  alleged  to  have  been  received  from  Jamaica 
through  him,  had  related  to  the  Pedro  Seal,  or  to  any  other  Ja- 
maican Seal,  it  is  probable  that  he  would  not  have  failed  to  refer 
to  ihem  in  treating  of  the  Seals  of  Jamaica.  Dr.  Gray,  how- 
ever, doubtless  firmly  believed  in  their  Jamaican  origin,  for  he 
not  only  gives  for  them  the  habitat  and  history  above  quoted 
in  all  his  subsequent  notices  of  Cystophora  antUlarum,  but  in 
1866,  in  replying  to  Dr.  Gill's  remark  that  its  West  Indian  hab- 
itat required  confirmation,  says  he  (Gill)  overlooked  "  the  fact 
that  they  were  both  [Phoca  tropicalis  and  Cystophora  antUla- 
rum] collected  in  Jamaica  and  sent  home  direct  from  the  island 
by  Mr.  Gosse."! 

In  regard  to  the  occurrence  of  the  genus  Cystophora  in  Ja- 
maican waters,  there  are,  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge 
of  the  subject,  only  two  alternatives,  one  of  which  implies  the 
acceptance  of  Gray's  alleged  origin  of  his  specimens  of  C.  an- 
tUlarum as  valid,  while  the  other  assumes  an  accidental  error 
of  locality;  since  its  presence  or  absence  there,  so  far  as  we 
now  know,  turns  upon  this  point.  In  favor  of  the  latter  alter- 
native is  the  pretty  strong  inference,  derivable  from  the  gen- 

'  •  •Hand  List  of  Seals,  etc.,  1674,  p.  18.  ~ 

t  Cat.  Seals,  p.  38. 
t  Aim.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  xvii,  7.866,  p.  145.  ..  ;>- 


111 


720      MONACIIUS?    TROriCALIS WF.ST    INDIAN    HEXL. 

eral  history  of  the  case,  that  Mr.  Gosso  obtained  or  saw  only  a 
single  speeiinen  of  Seal  in  Januiiea, — namely,  the  skin  forming 
the  basis  of  Gray's  Phoca  tropicalis.*  Fnrtherinore,  the  gentis 
Cysto2)hora,  as  now  known,  is  a  subarctic  type,  the  occnrrenco 
of  wliieli  within  the  tropics  seems  at  lejist  very  improbable. 
Agreeing,  therefore,  with  Dr.  Gill  that  the  West  Indian  habitat 
of  Ci/Htophora  antillarum  even  still  "requires  confirmation,"  I 
can  recognize  in  the  present  connection  only  a  single  8i)ecies 
of  West  Indian  Seal, — namely  Phoca  tropkalis,  Gray,  1850,= 
Monachns  tropicalis,  Gr.iy,  1874. 

Affinities  of  the  Jamaican  or  Pedro  Seal. — In  respect 
to  the  characters  and  affinities  of  the  Jamaican  Seal,  we  have 
nothing  of  importance  beyond  the  information  furnished  by 

Messrs.  Hill  and  Gosse.  The  incisive  fornuila  of  Iff  shows  that 
it  is  neither  Cystophora  nor  Macrnrkinns,  nor  even  a  tyi)ical 
member  of  the  subfamily  Phocincc.  In  this  respect  it  agrees 
with  Monachus  and  with  the  Stenorhyncine  Seals,  with  which 
types  it  also  agrees  in  the  rudimentary  condition  of  the  nails 
on  the  hind  feet.    It  agrees  with  Monachus  in  the  structure  of 

*  After  transmitting  tbis  article  to  the  printer  it  seemed  to  mc  desirable 
to  settle,  if  possible,  tbe  question  of  tbo  West  Indian  origin  of  tbe  specimens 
on  wbicb  Dr.  Gray  based  his  CyHtopltora  antiUarvm,  and  I  accordingly  ad- 
dressed a  letter  of  inquiry  on  tbo  subject  to  Mr.  I*.  H.  Gosse.  He  not  only 
promptly  replied,  but  in  a  subsequent  letter  kindly  gave  me  per.nission  to 
publish  his  letter,  the  greater  part  of  which  I  hero  transcribe : 

"Sandhurst,  Torquay.  Jan.  18,  1880. 

"  My  Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  inquiry  about  West  Indian  Seals,  I  may 
say,  with  certainty,  (notwithstanding  the  length  of  time  that  has  elapsed,) 
that  Dr.  J.  E.  Gray  was  in  error,  in  supposing  that  more  than  one  species  was 
actually  delivered  to  the  Brit.  Museum,  from  Jamaica,  hy  me.  This  was 
the  skin  mentioned  in  my  'Nat.  Soj.  Jam.',  p.  314 

"The  Seal  of  the  Pedro  Kays  is  certainly  rot  a  Cystophora.  I  know  noth- 
ing of  this ;  nor  of  any  other  Seal  from  the  Antilles  than  the  species  I  b»vo 
described  in  'N.  S.  J.' 

"Believe  me,  my  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

"P.  H.  GOSSE." 

This  makes  it  evident  that  Dr.  Gray  was  mistaken  in  his  statement  that 
the  8X>ecimens  of  his  Cystoplwra  antillai-um  were  "collected  in  Jamaica  and 
sent  home  direct  from  the  island  by  M".  Gosse."  I  will  now  add  that  I  be- 
lieve it.  safe  to  n.xor  Cystophora  antillanim  to  the  well-known  Cystophora 
cristata,  even  Gray  himself  having  stated  that  the  young  skull  on  which  it 
was  mainly  based  "is  exceedingly  like  that  of  tbe  young  C  cristata,"  and 
to  assume  that  the  supposition  of  its  West  Indian  origin  was  wholly  a  mis- 
take. «  -     ■ 


GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION. 


721 


the  mystacial  bristles,  aiul  in  the  i)alinH  bciiifc  bare,  in  which 
characters  it  (litters  from  any  of  tlio  Stcnorhynchinw.  It  ap- 
pears to  differ  from  Monuchiis  in  no  essential  character,  except 
in  the  structure  of  the  teeth,  whiiih  seem  to  agree  better  with 
those  of  Lohodon.  Mr.  ilill  describes  the  molars  as  "tive- 
lobed  and  conical,"  and  as  "  terminating  in  a  base  of  extremely 
rough  enamel."  In  Monachun  the  molars  are  very  thick,  broad, 
and  conical,  with  a  small  accessory  cusp  before  and  behiiul 
the  principal  one,  and  a  roughened  cingulum.  As  in  all  other 
characters  the  agreement  is  closer  with  Monachus  than  with 
s  uy  of  the  Antarctic  genera,  I  accept  provisionally  Gray's  refer- 
ence of  the  species  to  MonavhuH,  especially  as  Mr.  Hill's  descrip- 
tion of  the  dentition  is,  on  the  whole,  rather  vague.  Besides 
this,  Monavhus  is  the  only  subtropical  genus  of  the  family,  uulesa 
the  Jamaican  Seal  prove  to  be  a  distinct  generic  type. 

Geographical  Distribution. — Respecting  the  present  geo- 
graphical  distribution  of  the  West  Indian  Seal,  I  am  indebted  for 
valuable  information  to  Mr.  R.  W.  Kemp,  who,  under  date  of 
"Key  West,  Fla.,  April  29, 1878,"  Avrote  me  as  follows :  "Some 
two  or  three  years  ago  there  were  two  seen  near  Cape  Florida. 
It  was  supposed  that  they  had  strayed  from  some  of  the  Bahama 
Islands,  as  there  are  some  few  to  be  found  in  that  vicinity.  I 
am  informed  by  reliable  parties  that  Seals  are  to  be  found  in 
great  numbers  at  the  Anina  Islands,  situated  between  the  Isle 
of  Pines  and  Yucatan.  One  of  my  informants  says  that  as  he 
was  sailing  about  the  islands  fishing  and  wrecking,  he  and  his 
party  discovered  a  number  of  Seals  on  one  of  them,  and  went 
on  shore  to  kill  some,  merely  'for  fun'.  On  nearing  the  shore 
the  Seals  all  got  into  the  water.  They  then  hid  themselves  in 
the  shrubbery  along  the  beach,  and  in  about  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes the  Seals  came  on  the  beach  again.  The  men,  armed  with 
axes,  sprang  upon  them,  the  Seals  trying  to  get  into  the  water 
again.  Two  of  them  were  killed,  and  another  one,  as  one  of 
the  men  cac^e  up  to  him,  turned  around  and  barked  furiously 
at  him,  which  frightened  the  poor  man  so  badly  (he  having 
never  seen  one  before,  and  knowing  nothing  of  their  habits) 
that  he  almost  fainted.  The  Seals  are  said  to  be  very  easily 
killed  or  captured  alive.  They  yield  a  great  deal  of  oil..  The 
skins  are  very  large,  but  not  easy  to  cure,  on  account  of  their 
fatty  substance."  In  a  later  letter  he  refers  to  their  great  raT- 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 46 


722      MONACHUSi   TROPICALIS — WEST   INDIAN   SEAL. 


ity  on  the  Florida  coast,  There  lie  say.**  they  occur  "  only  once 
or  twice  in  a  lifetime'',  but  alludes  to  their  comparative  abun- 
dance on  the  coast  of  Yucatan,  and  their  occasional  occurrence 
at  the  Bahama  Islands. 

Mr.  L.  F.  de  Pourtales  also  informs  me  thr^t  there  is  a  rock 
on  Salt  Key  Bank,  near  the  Bahamas,  called  "Dog  Eock",  pre- 
sumably from  its  having  been  formerly  frequented  by  the  Seals. 
Also,  that  his  pilot,  in  l.SOS-OO,  told  him  he  had  himself  killed 
Seals  among  the  rocky  islets  of  Salt  Key  Bank. 

1  learn  irom  .Mr.  S.  \V.  Garman,  who  accompanied  Mr.  Agas- 
siz  during  his  driuiging  expe«lition  in  the  Caribbean  S<»a,  in 
the  United  States  Coast  Survey  steamer  "Blake,"' during  the 
winter  of  1877-78,  that  the  Seal  of  those  waters  is  well  known 
to  the  wreckers  and  turtle-hunters  of  that  region,  and  that 
they  often  kill  tl>em  for  their  oil.  He  also  informs  me  that 
these  animals  had  also  been  iiequeiitly  seen  and  killed  by 
one  of  the  officers  of  the  "  Blake,"  especially  about  the  Isle  of 
Piney,  south  of  Cuba,  and  at  the  Alacranes,  where,  as  already 
noted,  Jiey  occurred  in  such  abumlance  at  the  time  of  Dam- 
pier's  visit  in  1(570  as  to  be  extensively  hunted  for  their  oil. 
They  are  also  known  to  the  whalers  who  visit  these  waters. 

The  specimens  described  l)y  Messrs.  Ildl  and  Gosse  were 
taken  at  the  Pedro  Kays,  oft"  the  southern  coast  of  Jamaica, 
where  thirty  years  ago  they  appear  to  have  occurred  in  consid-. 
erable  numbers. 

On  a  "Chart  of  the  Environs  of  .Tamaica,"  ^.ublished  in 
1774,*  as  well  as  on  later  maps  of  this  region,  are  indicated 
some  islots  oft'  the  Mosquito  Coast,  in  about  latitude  12^  40', 
which  bear  the  name  "  Seal  Kays,''  doubtless  in  reference  to 
the  presence  there  of  these  animals. 

it  therefore  appears  that  the  habitat  of  the  West  Indian 
Seal  extends  iiom  the  northern  (.-oast  of  Yuiatan  northward 
to  the  sou' hern  point  of  Florida,  eastward  to  tlie  Baliamas  and 
Jamaica,  and  southward  along  the  Central  American  coast  to 
about  latitude  llio.  Although  ku-  xv  to  Jiave  been  once  abun- 
dant at  some  of  these  localities,  it  appears  to  ha\o  now  weil- 
nigh  reached  extinction,  and  is  doubtless  to  be  found  at  only  a 
few  of  the  least  frequented  islets  in  various  portions  of  the 
ar  I  above  indicate«i.  Beiiig  stiM  well  known  to  many  of  the 
wreckers  and  turtJe-hunters,  it  seems  strange  that  it  should 

*  History  of  Jamaica,  ol.  i,  faeiiij;  fit.  -page.  Tb«  work  in  a.ionyuioiis, 
but  tlie  iiulhorsliip  isattiilMiled  <o  Edwiinl  Long. 


C  -^^-NUS    CYSTOPHORA. 


i23 


have  80  long  remained  almost  unknown  to  naturalists.  The 
only  specimen  extant  in  any  museum  seems  to  be  the  imperfect 
skin  transmitted  by  Mr.  Gosse  to  the  British  Museum  thirty 
years  ago.  Consequently  respecting  none  of  the  Pinnipeds, 
at  least  of  the  northern  hemisi)here,  is  information  still  so  desk- 
able. 

Subfamily  CYSTOPHORINiE,  Grmj.    . 


Genus  CYSTOPHORA,  mUson. 

Cystophora,  Nillson,  "Skaiul,  Fauna,  i,  1820,  382."    Type,  Cystophora  bore- 

al'iH,  Nilssou  =  P/ioca  crixtata,  Erxlobcn. 
Stemmatope  [Stemmatopua'],  F.  Cuvier,  M<Siu.  du  Mas.,  xi,  1824,  196.     Type, 

Photd  a-istata,  Erxlobeii. 
Stemmatopu8,  F.  Cuvier,  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  1826,  551;  ibid.,  lix,  1829, 

464. 
MiroiDiga,  Gray,  Gilfflth's  An.  Kin<r.,  v,  1827,  463  (in  part). 

Incisors  j^'.  Molar  teeth  with  small,  plaited  crowns,  a  dis- 
tinct neck,  and  very  thick,  swollen  roots,  all  simple-rooted 
except  the  fifth  upper,  which  is  double-rooted,  as  is  also  some- 
times the  fourth  upper.  Nasal  bones  rather  short,  small ; 
palatal  surface  br  ad,  flat ;  hind  bonfer  of  palatines  concave. 
Nasal  passages  deep,  broad,  nearly  divided  posteriorly  by  a 
long  septum;  intevorbital  region  broad;  muzzle  narrow, rather 
produced.  Auditory  bulh©  greatly  swollen,  the  anterior  border 
nearly  straight  (convex  in  youth).  Brain-case  short,  broad; 
prominent  occipital  crest',  and  well-developed  anteorbital  i)ro- 
cesses  in  the  adult  males ;  also,  with  a  large  inflatable  sac  on 
the  nose,  which  is  absent  in  the  females  and  in  the  young 
males.  Digits  of  both  fore  an<'-  hind  limbs  armed  with  large 
powerful  claws.  Outer  digits  of  pes  but  little  longer  than  the 
middle  ones. 

Cyfitophora  agrees  closely  Avith  Macrorhinus  in  the  form  aud 
general  character  of  the  teeth ;  also  in  neither  do  the  inter- 
maxillaries  rise  in  front  to  meet  the  nasals,  as  is  the  case 
throughout  the  Phocinw.  Cystophora  differs  from  Macrorhimis 
in  the  form  of  the  basisphenoid  and  basioccipital  bones,  which 
in  Cyntophora  constitute  a  bro^d  tiat  interl>ullar  space,  this 
region  in  Macrorhinus  being  narr^.  w  and  deeply  hollowed.  Also 
in  the  form  of  the  hind  feet,  which  in  Cystophora  are  only 
slightly  emarginate  on  the  distal  border,  whereas  in  Macro- 
rhinuH  the  hind  feet  are  deeply  forked,  in  consequence  of  the 


724 


CY8T0PH0RA    CR18TATA — HOODED   SEAL. 


outer  digits  far  exceeding  in  length  the  middle  ones.  The  nails 
8xe  alao  rudimentary  in  the  last-named  genus,  while  in  Cysto- 
phora  they  form  strong,  well-developed  claws.  A  further  differ- 
ence iu  external  characters  consists  in  the  form  of  the  nasal 
appendage  of  the  adult  males,  the  large  inflatable  sac  met 
with  in  Cystophora  being  represented  in  Macrorhimis  by  a  long 
flexible  proboscis,  resulting  in  a  widely  different  physiognomi- 
cal expression. 

In  respect  to  general  form,  MacrorMnus  is  heavily  developed 
anteriorly,  all  the  bones  of  the  fore  limbs  being  especially  mas- 
sive, while  those  of  the  hind  limbs  are  rather  weak,  and  the 
feet  small.  The  scapula  is  very  large  and  broad,  the  width  at 
the  widest  part  being  equal  to  the  length.  The  acromion  pro- 
cess is  strongly  developed,  and  the  crest  placed  very  near  the 
posterior  border,  two-thirds  of  the  width  of  hhe  scapula  being 
in  front  of  the  crest.  While  the  length  of  the  skeleton  (adult 
males  being  compared  in  each  case)  in  MacrorMnus  leomnua  is 
twice  that  of  Cystophora  cristata,  and  the  bulk  of  the  whole 
animal  must  be  many  times  greater,  the  hind  limb  is  only  a 
little  larger  than  in  the  latter  (for  detailed  measurements  see 
infra,  pp.  733  and  750).  While  the  humerus  and  radius  are  each 
twice  as  long  in  Macrorhimis  as  the  corresponding  parts  in 
Cystophora,  the  tibia  is  scarcely  a  third  longer,  while  the  rela- 
tive length  of  the  pelvis  in  the  two  is  as  5  to  4 ! 

Cystophora,  so  far  as  is  certainly  known,  is  represented  by 
only  a  single  species,  which  is  restricted  to  the  colder  parts  of 
the  North  Atlantic.  A  second  species  has  been  attributed  to 
the  Caribbean  Sea,  but,  as  already  shown  {antea,  p.  720),  there 
seems  to  be  reason  for  believing  the  locality  to  have  been  wrongly 
assigned. 

CfSTOPHORA  CRISTATA  {Urxl),  Nilss. 

Hooded  Seal. 

Phoca  leonina,  LiNNUi,  Syst.  Nat.,  1766  (in  part, — only  the  reference  to  EUia's 
"Seal  with  a  Cawl";  not  Phoca  konina,  Linn6,  1758). — Fabbicics, 
MUUer'sZool  Dan.  Pi-od.,  1776,  viii ;  Faun.  Groeul.,  1780,  7  (exclud- 
ing jiart  of  the  references ;  not  Phoca  leonina,  Linnd,  1758). — Wal- 
lace, Proc.  Eoy.  Phys.  ^oc.  Edinb.,  1862,  393. 

Klamilth,  Eobde,  Det  gamle  Gronlands  Ts}  e  Perls.,  etc.,  1741,  pi.  facing  p.  46. 

Seal  with  a  Cawl,  Ellis,  Voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay,  etc.,  1748,  pi.  facing  p.  134. 

Neitseraoak,  Cranz,  HJstorie  von  GrSnland,  1765. 

Hooded  Seal,  Pennant,  Synop.  Quad.,  1771,  342  (based  on  Egede  and  CraniB). 

KlappmUze,  Schbebbr,  Saugt.,  iii,  312  (baued  on  the  foregoing). 


BIBLIOGRAPHY   AND   SYNONYMY. 


725 


Phoca  crialata  Erxleben,  Syst.  Reg.  Anim.,  1777,  590  (based  exclusively  on 
Egede,  Ellis,  Cranz,  Pemiaut,  and  Schreber,  as  above). — Gmeun, 
Syst.  Nat.,  i,  1778,  64. — Fabricius,  Skrivter  af  Naturh.-Selskabet, 
i,  Hefte  2, 1791, 120  (in  part  only).— Kerr,  Anim.  King.,  1792, 126.— 
Desmarest,  Nouv.  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxv,  1817,  580;  Mam.,  1820, 
;i41,  :i71.— DeKa  Y.Ann.  New  York  Lye.  Nat.  Hi8t.,i,  1824, 94,  pi.  vii.— 
Ludlow  and  King,  ibid.,  99  (anatomy).— Harlan,  Faun.  Amer., 
1825,  106.— Godman,  Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  i,  1826,  336.— Lesson,  Diet. 
Class,  d'llist.  Nat.,  xiii,  1828, 412.— Fischer,  Syn.  Mam.,  1829, 241.— 
Von  Bakb,  Bull.  Acad.  Imp.  des  Sci.  de  St.  P^tersb.,  iii,  1838, 350.— 
Hamilton,  Ampbih.  Carniv.,  1839,  197,  pi.  xiv  (from  DoKay). — 
Blainville,  Ostdogr.,  Phoca,  1840-1851,  pi.  v  (skull). —  Schinz, 
Synop.  Mam.,  i,  1844,  485. — Gervais,  Zool.  et  Pal.  Fran^ais,  1848- 
1852,  139,  pi.  xlii  (animal,  skull,  and  dentition.  Coast  of  France, 
accidental) ;  ibid.,  1859,  270. 

Cyatophora  criatata,  Nilsson,  "K,  Vet.  Akad.  Handl.  Stockholm,  1837,  — "; 
Wiegmanu's  Arch,  fur  Naturg.,  1841,326;  "Ilium.  Fig.  till  Skand. 
Fauua,  20:de  hiiftet,  1840";  Skand.  Faun.  Daggdj.,  1847,  312.— 
Wagner,  Schreber's  Saugt.,  vii,  1842,  48. — Gray,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc. 
Lond.,  1849,  91  (variation  in  dentition) ;  Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850, 
36,  fig.  13;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  41,  tig.  14;  Zoologist,  1872, 
3334,  3338  (distribution) :  Hand  List  Seals,  1874,  17,  tig.  11,  i>l.  xiii 
(skull,  juv.). — Giebel,  Siiugeth.,  1855,  142. — Blasius,  Nature.  Wir- 
bel.  Deutschl.,  i,  1857,  258,  ligg.  145-147.— Malmgken,  Ofv,  af 
Kongl.  Vet. -Akad.  Forh.  Stockholm,  1863,  134;  Arch,  filr  Naturg., 
1864, 72.— Reinhardt,  Videusk.  Meddel.  Natiir.  Foreu.,  1864  (1865), 
248,  277  (milk-dentitiou). — GCnther,  Zool.  Rec,  ii,  18f)5,  38  (ab- 
stract of  Reinhardt's  paper  on  milk-dentition). — Gill,  Proc.  Essex 
Inst.,  V,  1866, 13.— Packard,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  x,  1866,  271 
(Labrador).— Quennkustedt,  K.  Svens.  Veten.-Akad.  Handl.,  Bd. 
vii,  1868,  No.  3,  25.— Brown,  Proc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  Lond.,  1868,  435 ;  Man. 
Nat.  Hist.,  etc.,  Greenland,  1875,  Mam.,  64.— Allen,  Bull.  Mus. 
Comp.  ZooL,  i,  1869, 193  (Massachusetts).- Reeks,  Zoologist,  1871, 
2548  (Newfoundland).— Walker,  Scottish  Nat.,  ii,  1873  (St.  An- 
drews, Scotland). — Moore,  Proc.  Liverpool  Soc,  xxvii,  1873,  xiii 
(England). — Cobbold,  Pioc.  Zoiil.  Soc.  London,  1873,  741  (same). — 
Von  Heuglin,  Reisen  nach  dem  Nordpolarmeer,  iii,  1874,  66. — LiLL- 
JEBOBG,  Fauua  ofv.  Sveriges  och  NorgesRyggradsdjur,  1874,  721. — 
Van  Beneden,  Ann.  du  Mus.  roy.  d'Hist.  Nat.  du  Belgiqiu>,  pt.  i, 
1877,  17  (geogr.  distr.,  with  chart).— Rink,  Danish  Greenland,  its 
People  and  its  Products,  1877,  126,  430.— Schultz.  Rep.  U.  S.  Comm. 
Fish  and  Fisheries,  pt.  iii,  1873-74  and  1874-75,  53. 

Stenimatopua  criatatua,  F.  Cuvier,  M(5m.  du  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  196,  pi.  xiii ;  Diet, 
des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxi,  1826,  551. — Lesson,  Man.  de  Mam.,  1827,201. — 
DeKay,  Zool.  N.  Y.,  i,  1842,  55,  pi.  xv  fig.  1.— JUKES,  Excura.  in 
Newfoundland,  i,  1842,  319, 

Mirounija  cnafata,  Gray,  Griliith's  An.  King.,  v,  1827,  463.  ; 

Phoca  ciimllata,  Boddaert,  "Elen.  Anim.,  1785,  107.'" 

Phoca  mitraia,  "Milbert  i'S.",  G.  Cuvier,  Oss.  foss.,  3""  ed.,  v,  1825,  210, 
pi.  xviii,  fig.  3.— F.  Cuvier,  Dents  de  Mam.,  1825,  122,  pU.  xxxviii 
B,  xxxix— Fischer,  Syn,  Mam.,  1829,  241.— Hamilton,  Amphib. 
Carniv.,  1839,  204,  pi.  xv  ("from  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat."). 


726 


CYSTOPHOKA   CRISTATA HOODED   SEAL. 


Stemmatopm  mitraUis,  Gn.vY,  "Brooke's  Cat.  Mum.,  182(5,  36." 

Cyatophora  boreaUs,  Nilsson,  "Skaiul.  Faun.,  W20,  :ifi'A." 

Phocaleucopla,  Thienkmann,  "Reise  im  Nordeu  von  Eiiropa,  etc.,  1824,  102, 
pi.  xiii  (young);  liull.  Sci.  Nat.,  1825,  v,  261."— Fischeu,  Syn. 
Mam.,  IH^y,  :$37. 

Phoca  iaidorei,  Lesson,  Rov.  ZooL,  1843,  25(5  (Isle  d'Olerou,  P'rauce,  acci- 
dental). 

ICyntophora  aniillariim,  Gray,  Pro«.  Zool.  Sec.  Lend.,  1849,  93  (excluding 
the  skin  from  Jamaica  received  from  Mr.  Gosse) ;  "  Zotil.  Erebus  and 
Terror,  t.  ined.,"  apttd  Gray ;  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  1850,  58  ; 
Cat.  Seals  Brit.  Mus.,  1850,  'iS;  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1866,  43; 
Hand  List  Seals,  etc.,  1874,  18. 

"A  Seal  new  to  the  BritM  Shores,  Clxrkk,  1847,  4to.  lig.  of  animal  &  skull." 

Hood  Seal,  Cahuoll,  Seal  and  Hcri'lug  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  1873, 13. 

Klapnujdsen,  Reinuahdt,  Vidensk.  Meddel.  fra  den  Naturh.  Foreu.,i,  Kjo- 
Itcnhavn,  1H64  (18G5),  248  (milk-deutitiou). 

Neitsersoak  (  g ),  Xcsanrsalik  (  9  ),  Kakoriak  (young),  Greenlaudic. 

Bldaajiilen,  lilanx-Skal,  Klapmijts,  Klappnujsta,  Swedish. 

Tevyak,  Russian. 

Klapmyda,  Danish. 

Elappmiitze,  Blaserohhe,  Gorman. 

Phoqiie  hcapuehon,  French. 

Hooded  Seal,  Created  Seal,  Bladdernose,  English. 

External  Characters. — Color  above  bluish-black,  lighter 
on  the  sides  ami  veutrally,  thickly  varied  with  small  irregular 
spots  of  whitish  ;  head  and  limbs  nearly  uniform  black.  Some- 
times the  light  grayish- white  tint  prevails,  varied  with  spots  of 
dark-brown  or  blackish.  Length  of  full-grown  male  about  7J 
to  8  feet ;  of  full-grown  female  about  7  feet.  The  young  are 
born  white,  with  a  soft  woolly  pelage,  but  this  is  soon  changed 
for  the  harsh,  stiff  co\ering  of  the  adults,  and  the  color  changes 
to  a  Uniform  brownish,  or  more  or  less  silvery-gray,  lighter  on 
the  sides,  and  whitish  below. 

DeKay  describes  the  male  as  haWng  the  "  Head  small  in  pro- 
portion to  the  body,  with  a  moveable  muscular  bag  on  its  sum- 
mit, extending  from  the  muzzle  to  about  Ave  inches  behind  the 
eyes,  and  in  certain  positions  nearly  covering  the  internal  cauthi. 
This  sac  is  twelve  inches  long,  and,  when  fully  distended,  nine 
inches  high,  covered  with  short  hairs,  and  with  slight  trans- 
verse wrinkles.  The  nostrils  are  round,  each  two  inches  in  di- 
ameter, and  pierced  in  the  anterior  part  of  this  hood.  When 
the  hood  or  nasal  sac  is  not  inflated,  the  septum  nasi  can  be 
distinctly  felt,  elevated  into  a  ridge  about  six  inches  high.  .  .  . 
Ifasal  sac  bright  brown  or  rufous."  * 

•  New  York  Zoology,  pt.  i,  pp.  55,  56. 


EXTERNAL    CHARACTERS. 


727 


Nearly  all  writers,  from  Fabricius  to  the  present  time,  speak 
of  the  hood  as  a  sexual  character.  Mr.  Carroll,  whose  famili- 
arity with  the  species  should  render  him  an  authority  on  this 

.  <"   't2l!l':'1?;?i'f;i'ffi|Hi!ii|||!i^i^n.»      „,,„.„ 


point,  says  distinctly :  "The  female  of  this  species  has  no  hood 
on  the  head."*  Mr.  Brown,  however,  observes:  "Tt  is  assorted 
by  the  sealers  that  this  bladder  is  a  sexual  mark,  and  is  not 
found  on  the  female".  But  he  adds:  "I  do  not  think  there  is 
any  just  ground  for  this  belief";  yet  he  i)resents  no  reasons  for 

*  Seal  and  Herriug  FishcrieH  of  Ncwfourullaiirt,  p.  14, 


728 


CYSTOPIIORA   CKISTATA HOODED   SEAL. 


tliis  stsiteiiient.*    The  testimony  on  this  point  is  too  explicit, 
however,  to  be  set  aside  on  ilie  mere  }?ronnd  of  opinion. 

Respecting?  the  size  of  this  species,  DeKay  gives  the  total 
length  of  the  male  specimen  desciribed  by  him  as  90.5  inches,  of 


which  the  tail  formed  G.5  inches.  He  says  its  weight  was  500 
to  GOO  pounds  {loc.  cit,.,  p.  50).  Carroli  says  the  length  of  the 
Hooded  Seal,  "  from  nose  to  tail",  is  G  to  8  feet,  and  that  the 
weight  of  the  male,  ^^  when  in  full  flesh  ",  varies  from  800  to  900 
pounds,  of  which  the  skin  and  fat  form  350  to  450  pounds, 
while  the  skin  and  fat  of  the  female,  "  when  prime",  will  weigh 
only  150  to  200  pounds.  This  indicates  that  the  female  is  much 
smaller  than  the  male  {loc.  cit.,  p.  14).    Quennerstedt  gives  the 

*Proc.  Zoiil.  Sou.  Loud.,  1863,  p.  4:5(1, footuovc;  MauualNat.  Hist.,  Geol., 
etc.,  Greenland,  Mum.,  187.'),  p.  (54,  footuote. 


EXTERNAL    CIIAKACTERS. 


729 


following  measurements :  Male,  from  the  i»oint  of  the  nose  to  the 
end  of  the  tail,  2190  nun. (7feet3inches,Swe<lish  measure) ;  from 
the  i)oint  of  the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  hind  extren.  ties  2400  mm. 


Fig.  54. — Cystophora  cristata.     No.  6576,  Nat.  Mus  ;  i  iiat.  size. 

(8  Swedi-sh  feet);  length  of  the  fore  limb  480  mm.;  of  rhe  hind 
limb  420  mm.;  of  the  tail  10")  mm.  Fenmle,  from  the  point'  of 
the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  lOSO  mm.  (0.^  Swedish  feet.*) 
He  gives  the  length  of  two  young  ones  a  few  days  old  as  respect- 
ively 3  feet  4  inches  and  3  feet  9  inches.  I  find. the  length  of  a 
skeleton  of  an  adult  male,  from  the  point  of  the  nose  to  the  eml 
of  the  tail,  to  be  1070  mm. 

~       *  K.  Sv.  Vet.-Akad.  HaiuU.,  Baud  vii,  No.  %  1868,  pp.  "25,  26, 


730 


CYSTOPIIORA    CRISTATA HOODED    SEAL. 


Skeleton  and  Skull. — The  skull  of  the  Crested  Seal  (Figg. 
53-56,  from  a  rather  young  example)  is  nearly  quadrate  in  gen- 
eral form,  with  the  anteorbital  portion  abrui)tly  and  greatly 
narrowed.  The  orbits  are  very  large,  the  palatal  region  very 
broad  and  flat,  the  auditory  buUre  large  and  regularly  swollen, 
the  braiti-case  very  short  and  very  broad.     The  interorbital 


Fig.  55. — Cystophora  cristata.    No.  0576,  Nat.  Mns.;  ^nat.  size. 

region  is  broad,  regularly  narrowing  anteriorly.  The  teeth  are 
remarkable  for  their  small  plaited  (not  lobed)  crowns  and  the 
very  large  size  of  the  roots,  which  are  not  only  long  but  greatly 
swollen.  Usually  only  the  last  (5th)  upper  molar  is  2-rooted, 
and  in  this  the  double  character  of  the  root  is  only  indicated  by 


SKELETON  AND  SKULL. 


731 


the  deep  longitudinal  grooves  on  each  side.  Not  unfrequently, 
however,  the  fourth  upper  molar  is  either  distinctly  double- 
rooted,  or  incipiently  so,  the  two  fangs  being  connate  and  more 
or  less  completely  united.  It  sometimes  happens  that  the  4th 
upper  molar  is  double-rooted  on  one  side  and  single-rooted  on 
the  other.    In  old  age  the  bones  of  the  skull  become  greatly 


Fig.  56. — Cystophora  oristata.    No.  6576,  Nat.  Mus.;  ^  nat.  size. 


thickened,  the  surfa<;e  assumes  a  more  or  less  rugose  charac- 
ter, with  incipient  sagittal  and  well-developed  occipital  crests. 
The  sutures,  even  in  old  age,  remain  open  nearly  throughout 
the  skull. 

The  usual  sexual  variations  are  observable  in  the  smaller 
size,  weaker  structure,  and  smoother  surface  of  the  bones  in  the 
females.  An  adult  female  skull  gives  a  length  of  220  mm. 
against  a  length  of  275  mm.  in  an  old  male.  Detailed  measure- 
ments are  given  in  the  subjoined  table. 


732 


CY8T0P1I0KA    CRI8TATA — HOODED    SEAL. 


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GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION.  733 

In  respect  to  the  general  skeleton,  it  may  be  noted  that  the 
bones  are  very  thick  in  pro])ortion  to  their  length,  and  of  a 
rather  light  open  structure.  The  vertebraj  are  short  and  broad, 
especially  their  contra,  the  ai)ophysial  elements  being  also  thick 
and  short.  The  scapula  is  very  large,  with  the  (irest  medial 
and  the  acromian  process  well  developed.  In  general  outline 
and  proportions  it  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  that  of  Phoca 
grcenlandica,  and  is  consequently  entirely  unlike  the  long,  nar- 
row, luimte  scapula  of  ErignathuH  barbatus.  The  femur  is  short 
and  stout,  being  one-third  shorter  but  much  thicker  than  in  the 
last-named  species.  The  same  stoutness  of  form  characterizes 
the  humerus  and  the  other  limb-bones.  While  the  humerus  is 
of  tlie  same  length  as  in  the  Bearded  Seal,  it  is  much  thicker, 
besides  differing  much  in  other  features.  There  is  thus  a 
strongly  marked  difference  in  the  relative  length  of  the  upper 
segments  of  the  fore  and  hind  limbs  in  the  two  species.  The 
pelvis  has  the  same  general  form  as  in  the  species  of  the  re- 
stricted genus  Phoca.  The  following  measurements  are  from 
a  disarticulated  skeleton  of  an  adult  male  of  apparently  medium 
size: 

Miasurementa  of  th^  principal  parte  of  the  akeletov  in  Cyatophora  criafata  {$  ad.), 

MM. 

Length  of  the  skull 265 

Length  of  the  cervical  vertebr® 275 

Length  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae 630 

Length  of  the  lumbar  vertebrsB 320 

Length  of  the  sacral  vertebrae 190 

Length  of  the  caudal  vortebrse 290 

Lbiigth  of  the  scapula 213 

Length  of  the  humerus 160 

Length  of  the  radius 155 

Length  of  the  mauus 215 

Length  of  the  pelvis 318 

Length  of  the  femur 127 

Length  of  the  tibia 315 

Length  of  the  pes 410 

Length  of  the  whole  skeleton 1,970 

Length  of  the  fore  limb  (excluding  scapula) 530 

Length  of  the  hind  limb.. 852 

Geographical  Distribution  and  Migrations.  —  The 
Hoodeii  or  Crested  Seal  is  restricted  to  the  colder  parts  of  the 
Xorth  Atlantic  and  to  portions  of  the  Arctic  Sea.  It  ranges 
from  Greenland  eastward  to  Spitzbergen  and  along  the  Arctic 
coast  of  Europe,  but  is  rarely  found  south  of  Southern  Norway 


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CY8T0PH0RA   CRISTATA — HOODED   SEAL. 


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and  Newfoundland.  As  is  the  case  with  other  pelagic  species, 
stragglers  are  sometimes  met  with  far  to  the  southward  of  the 
usual  range  of  the  species.  On  the  North  American  coast  it 
appears  to  be  of  uncommon  occiirrence  south  of  the  point 
already  mentioned,  as  it  is  said  by  Gilpin  *  to  be  "  a  rare  vis- 
itor to  the  shores  of  Nova  Scotia."  Like  the  Harp  Seal,  it  ap- 
pears also  to  be  regularly  migratory,  but  owing  to  its  much 
smaller  numbers  and  less  commercial  importance,  its  move- 
ments are  not  so  well  known.  Carroll  states  that  it  visits  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland  at  the  same  time  as  the  Harp  Seal,  or 
about  the  25th  of  February,  the  time,  however,  varying  with 
the  state  of  the  weather.  He  further  states  that  Hooded  Seals 
always  keep  to  the  eastward  of  the  Harp  Seals,  amongst  the 
heavy  ice;  also  that  they  are  quite  numerous  in  spring  in  the 
Gulf  of  Saint  Lawrence,  where  "  many  of  them  are  killed  by 
persons  who  reside  on  St.  Paul's  Island."!  Dr.  Packard  states 
that  it  "is  not  uncommonly,  during  the  spring,  killed  in  con- 
siderable numbers  by  the  sealers"  along  the  coast  of  Labra- 
dor.J  Eink  says,  "  It  is  only  occasionally  found  along  the 
greater  part  of  the  coast  [of  Greenland],  but  visits  the  very 
limited  tract  between  60°  and  61°  N.  lat.,  in  great  numbers, 
most  probably  in  coming  from  and  returning  to  the  east  side 
of  Greenland.  The  first  time  it  visits  us  is  from  about  May 
20  till  the  end  of  June,  during  which  it  yields  a  very  lucrative 
catch."§  Robert  Brown  observes,  "  With  regard  to  the  favour- 
ite localities  of  this  si)ecies  of  Seal  Cranz  and  the  much  more 
accurate  Fabricius  disagree — the  former  afl&rming  that  they  are 
found  mostly  on  great  ice  islands  where  they  sleep  in  an  un- 
guarded manner,  while  the  latter  states  that  they  delight  in 
the  high  seas,  visiting  the  land  in  April,  May,  and  June.  This 
appears  contradictory  and  confusing;  but  in  reality  both  au- 
thors are  right,  though  not  in  an  exclusive  sense."  Again  he 
says :  "  This  Seal  is  not  common  anywhere.  On  the  shores  of 
Greenland  it  is  chiefly  found  beside  'r^rge  fields  of  ice,  and 
comes  to  the  coast,  as  was  remarked  by  Fabricius  long  ago,  at 
certain  times  of  the  year.  They  are  chiefly  found  [u  South 
Greenland,  though  it  is  erroneous  to  say  that  they  are  exclu- 
sively confined  to  that  section.  I  have  seen  them  not  uncom- 
monly about  Disco  Bay,  and  have  killed  them  in  Melville  Bay, 

*  Proc.  and  Trans.  Nova  Scotia  Inst.  Nat.  Sci.,  vol.  iii,  pt.  4,  p.  884. 
t  Seal  and  Herring  Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  pp.  13,  14. 
tProc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  x,  p.  271. 
$  Danish  Greenland,  etc.,  1877,  p.  126.     . 


GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION.  735 

in  the  most  northerly  portion  of  Baffin's  Bay.  They  are  prin- 
cipally killed  in  the  district  of  Julianshaab,  and  then  almost 
solely  in  the  most  southern  part,  on  the  outtermost  islands,  from 
about  the  20th  of  May  to  the  last  of  J  une ;  but  in  this  short 
time  they  supply  a  great  portion  of  the  food  of  the  natives  and 
form  a  third  of  the  colony's  yearly  production.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  July  the  Klapmyds  leaves,  but  returns  in  August, 
when  it  is  much  emaciated.  Then  begins  what  the  Danes  in 
Greenland  call  the  maigre  Klapmydse  fangst,  or  the  '  lean- 
Klapmyds-catching',  which  lasts  from  three  to  four  weeks. 
Very  seldom  is  a  Klapmyds  to  be  got  at  other  places,  and  espe- 
cially at  other  times.  The  natives  call  a  Klapmyds  found 
single  up  a  tjord  by  the  name  of  Nerimartont.,  the  meaning  of 
which  is  '  gone  after  food'.  They  regularly  frequent  some  small 
islands  not  far  from  Julianshaab,  where  a  good  number  are 
caught.  After  this  they  go  further  north,  but  are  lost  sight  of, 
and  it  is  not  known  where  they  go  to  (Rink,  /.  c).  Those  seen 
in  North  Greenland  are  mere  stragglers,  wandering  from  the 
herd,  and  are  not  a  continuation  of  the  migrating  flocks. 
Johannes  (a  very  knowing  man  of  Jakobshavn)  informed  me 
that  generally  about  the  12th  of  July  a  few  are  killed  in  Ja- 
kobshavn Bay  (lat.  09°  13'  X.).  It  is  more  pelagic  in  its  habits 
than  the  other  Seals,  with  the  exception  of  the  Saddleback."* 

I  conclude  the  account  of  the  geographical  distribution  of 
the  Hooded  Seal  in  Baffin's  Bay  with  the  following  from  Mr. 
Kumlien's  account : 

"The  bladder-nose  appears  to  be  very  rare  in  the  upper 
Cumberland  waters.  One  specimen  was  procured  at  Annanac- 
took  in  autumn,  the  only  one  I  saw.  The  Eskimo  had  no  name 
for  it,  and  said  they  had  not  seen  it  before.  1  afterward 
learned  that  they  are  occasionally  taken  about  the  Kikkertoii 
Islands  in  spring  and  autumn.  I  found  their  remains  in  the 
old  kitchenmiddens  at  Kingwah.  A  good  many  individuals 
were  noticed  among  the  pack-ice  in  Davis's  Straits  in  July."  t 

On  the  European  coast  t\x\c  species  is  said  to  be  of  not  very 
common  occiu'rence  on  the  northarn  coast  of  Norway,  but  more 
to  the  southward  only  stragglers  api)ear  to  have  been  met 
with.|    In  March  and  April,  according  to  Malmjiren,  ths^v  arc 

*  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  Loml.,  Itilid,  pp.  436,  437;  Niiiu.  Nat,  Hist.,  etc.,  Green- 
land, Mam.,  pp.  (iS,  G(?.  tBuU,  U.  S.  Nat.  Mn8.,No.  15,  lH7y,  p.  64. 

t  Says  BlasinH,  writing  in  18r)7,  "An  don  siidlichcn  Kiistenliindorn  der 
Nordsee  batnuui  sie  bin  jotzt  noohnicbt  geeeben." — Naturgesch.  der  SUngeth. 
Deutschlands,  p.  UGO. 


\m: 


f. 


736 


CYSTOPHOEA    CRI8TATA HOODED    SEAL. 


i     I 
I 

V. 


I  ■• 


mi 

mil 


m 


ill 


seen  about  Jan  May  en,  and  they  are  said  to  occur  on  the  coast 
of  Finuiark,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  \Vhite  Sea.  Von  Baer* 
and  Schultz  also  state  that  it  is  rarely  found  not  oidy  in  the 
White  Sea,  but  along  the  Tiuianschen  and  Mourman  (!oasts. 
Von  Heuglin  says  it  appears  to  be  found  in  the  Spitzbergen 
waters  only  on  the  western  coast  of  these  islands,!  and  states 
that  they  are  not  known  to  occur  at  Xova  Zendda.  He  gives 
its  i)riucipal  range  as  lying  more  to  the  westward,  around  Ice- 
land an«l  Greenland. 

It  thus  appears  that  the  range  of  the  (Jrested  Seal  is  restricted 
mainly  to  the  Arctic  waters  of  the  IJforth  Atlantic,  from  Spitz- 
bergen  westward  to  Greenland  and  Baffin's  Bay,  and  thence 
southward  to  Jfewfoundland.  Stragglers  have  been  captured, 
however,  far  to  the  southward  of  these  limits,  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic.    Thus  Graj*  observes : 

"A  young  specimen  has  been  taken  in  the  Eiver  Orwell:  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Thames ;  and  at  the  Island  of  Oleron,  west 
coast  of  France,  but  I  greatly  doubt  if  it  had  not  escaped  from 
some  ship  coming  from  North  America ;  there  is  no  doubt  of 
the  determination  of  the  species.  The  one  caught  on  the  Eiver 
Orwell,  29th  .Tune,  1847,  is  in  the  Museum  of  Ipswich,  and  was 
described  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Clarke,  on  the  14th  August,  1847,  in 
ito,  with  a  figure  of  the  Seal  and  skull.  The  one  taken  on  the 
Isle  d'Oleron  is  in  the  Paris  Museum,  and  is  figured,  with  the 
skull,  in  Gervais,  "ool.  and  Paleont.  Franc,  t.  42,  and  is  called 
Phoca  Isiclorei,  by  Lesson,  in  the  Rev.  Zool.,  1843,  256.  The 
young  is  very  like  that  of  PogophiluH  grcenlandicits,  but  is  im- 
mediately known  from  it  by  being  hairy  between  the  nostrils, 
and  by  the  grinders  being  only  plated  and  not  lobed  on  the 
surface."  J 

Its  capture  has  occurred  a  few  times  on  the  coast  of  the 
United  States,  as  far  from  its  usual  range  even  as  on  the  Euro- 
pean coast.    A  large  Seal  is  occasionally  seen  on  the  coast  of 


•Bull.  Acad.  Irnp.  des  Sci.  de  St,  P^tersb.,  iii,  1838,  p.  mo. 

+  Malmgren,  writing  some  years  earlier,  says  that  in  recent  time"  it  lias 
not  been  observed  witb  certainty  at  Spitzbergcn,  tbongb  reported  as  occur- 
ring there  by  Martens  and  Scorcsby.  Possibly,  he  svys,  during  its  summer 
wanderings  it  may  (extend  to  the  latitude  of  Spitzbergen.  During  Torell's 
first  journey  to  Spitzbergen  a  young  individual  wa«  killed  in  the  vicinity 
of  Bear  Island.  He  says  it  is  only  exceptionally  taken  by  the  Seal  hunters 
about  Jan  Mayen,  only  a  comparatively  small  number  being  captured. — 
Arch,  fur  Naturgeich.,  1864,  p.  72. 

t  J.  E.  Gray,  Zoologist,  2d  ser.,  vol.  vii,  1872,  p.  3338. 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION.  737 

Massachusetts,  which  has  be  ^n  supposed  to  be  the  Crested  Seal, 
but  just  what  this  large  8ej*l  is  remains  still  to  be  determined.* 
DeKay,  in  1824,  recorded  t  the  capture  of  a  male  example  of 
this  species  in  a  small  creek  that  empties  into  Long  Island 
Sound  at  East  Chester,  about  fifteen  miles  from  New  York  City. 
Twenty  years  J  later  'le  refers  to  this  as  the  first  and  only 
known  instance  of  its  occurrence  within  the  limits  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  where,  he  says,  "it  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  rare 
and  accidental  visitor."  Professor  Cope,  however,  has  recorded 
its  capture  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  where  he  says  it  has  twice 
occurred.§  The  first  specimen  was  recorded  in  1865  |f  as  "  some 
species  of  Cystophora^,  taken  near  Cambridge,  Maryland,  on 
an  arm  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  eighteen  miles  from  salt  water, 
by  Mr.  Daniel M.  Henry".  The  specimen,  it  is  said,  " measured 
6i^  feet,  and  weighed,  when  living,  about  330  lbs.".  Although 
Professor  Cope  adds,  "  Whether  this  species  is  the  C.  cristata 
or  antillarum,  can  not  be  determined,  owing  to  the  imperfection 
of  extant  descriptions",  there  is  no  reason  for  doubting  that  it 
was  really  the  Crested  Seal,  a  conclusion  to  which  Professor 
Cope  seems  to  have  later  arrived.  Although  Gray's  sugges- 
tion anent  the  English  specimen  naturally  arises,  namely, 
transportation  from  the  north  in  some  ship,  it  seems  more 
probable  that  they  were  really  wanderers  from  the  usual  home 
of  the  species. 

•  In  my  "  Catalogue  of  the  Mammals  of  Massachusetts,"  I  refer  to  this 
large  Seal  as  follows,  supposing  it  to  be  the  Hooded  Seal :  "From  accounts 
I  have  received  from  residents  along  the  coast  of  a  seal  of  very  large  size 
observed  by  them,  and  occasionally  captured,  I  am  led  to  think  this  species 
is  not  of  unfrenuent  occurrence  on  the  Massachusetts  coast.  Mr.  C.  W. 
Bennett  informs  me  of  one  taken  some  years  since  in  the  Providei.ce  River, 
a  few  miles  below  Providence,  which  he  saw  shortly  after.  From  his  very 
particular  account  of  it  I  cannot  doubt  that  it  was  of  this  species.  Mr.  C. 
J.  Maynard  also  informs  me  that  a  number  of  specimens  have  been  taken  at 
Ipswich  within  the  past  few  years,  that  have  weighed  from  seven  hundred 
to  nine  hundred  pounds.  It  seems  to  be  most  frequent  in  winter,  when  it 
apparently  migrates  from  the  north." — Bull.  Mua.  Conp.  Zool.,  vol.  i,  No. 
8,  1869,  pp.  198,  194.  This  identification  was  made  almost  solely  on  the 
ground  of  size,  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  the  species  had  be-^n 
taken  in  Long  Island  Sound  near  New  Tiork  City.  The  question,  howevex 
may  fairly  be  raised  whether  the  large  Seals  more  or  less  frequently  seen  on 
the  coast  of  New  England  are  not  really  the  Gray  Seal  {nalichcerua  prypna). 

t  Ann.  New  York  Lyceum  Nat.  Sci.,  vol.  i,  1824,  p.  94. 

t  New  York  Zool.,  pt.  i,  p.  56. 

$  New  Topog.  Atlas  of  Maryland,  187:{,  p.  10. 

UProc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  18CJ.'>,  p.  '^73. 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 47 


738 


CYSTOPHORA   CRISTATA HOODED   SEAL. 


II  > 


f 

.1  ■ 

'i  I  \ 
Iff  w 


Generai,  History  and  Nomenclature. — The  first  refer- 
ences to  the  nooded  Seal,  or  at  least  the  earliest  that  have  auy 
importance  in  relation  to  the  technical  history  of  the  species, 
are  the  brief  allusions  to  it  made  by  Egede  in  1741,  by  Ellis  in 
1748,  and  by  Cranz  in  17G5,  the  first  two  of  whom  gave  each,  in 
addition  to  their  textual  notices,  a  grotesquely  rude  figure  of 
the  animal,  although  they  show  clearly  that  no  other  species 
than  the  present  (!ould  have  been  intended.  On  these  refer- 
ences and  figures  are  based  Pennant's  "  Hooded  Seal,"  and 
Schreber's  "Klappmii/.e".  Primarily  they  are  the  basis  also 
of  Erxleben's  Phoca  vristata  (1777),  the  first  tenable  specific 
designation  of  the  species.  Eleven  years  earher  (176G),  how- 
ever, Fabricius  had  called  the  species  Phoca  leonina,  apparently 
confounding  it  with  the  Phoca  leonina  of  Linn6,  1758,  which 
has  reference  entirely  to  the  Sea  Elephant  of  the  southern  seas. 
In  176G  Linnd  also  partly  confounded  the  two  species  by  cit- 
ing as  synonyms  of  his  Phoca  konina  the  KlapniUts  of  Egede, 
Ellis's  "  Seal  with  a  Cawl,"  etc.  Although  Fabricius  retained 
for  this  species  the  name  Phoca  leonina,  in  his  "Fauna  Grcen- 
landiea,"  published  in  1780,  he  abandoned  it  in  1791  for  Phoca 
vristata,  but  at  the  same  time  kept  up  the  confusion  of  this  spe- 
cies with  the  southern  Sea  Elephant  by  citing  the  references 
to  that  siiecies  as  synonyms.  With  slight  exceptions,  the  name 
cristata  has  since  prevaileil  as  the  designation  of  the  species, 
although  Boddaert  renamed  it  cucnllata  in  1785,  and  Nilssou 
in  1820  applied  to  it  the  name  borealis.  Milbert  labelled  a  speci- 
men he  sent  from  New  York  to  the  Paris  Museum  Phoca  mi- 
trata,  which  name  was  published  by  G.  Cuvier  in  1825,  and  sub- 
sequently came  into  some  prominence,  through  the  labors  of 
compilers,  as  that  of  a  supposed  second  species  of  Crested 
Seal.  Thienemann,  in  1824,  described  the  young  under  the 
name  leucopla,  and  Lesson,  in  1843,  added  isidorei,  based,  as 
already  noticed,  on  a  specimen  captured  on  the  coast  of  France. 

The  chief  stumbling-block  in  the  technical  history  of  this 
species  has  been  Cuvier's  Phoca  mitrata.  To  show  how  im- 
perfectly the  Hooded  or  Crested  Seal  was  known  by  a  promi- 
nent writer  on  the  Pinnipe«ls  as  late  as  1839,  and  also  to  indi- 
cate the  confusion  that  arose  from  the  Phoca  mitrata,  I  (piote 
a  few  passages  from  Dr.  Robert  Hamilton's  "Amphibious  Car- 
nivora"(pp.  197,  204-200).  He  begins  by  saying  that  "It  is 
with  considerable  hesitation  we  i)lace  the  Crested  Seal  in  the 
same  genus  with  the  Mitrata".    He  correctly  gives  for  a  " Plate 


GENERAL   HISTORY  AND   NOMENCLATURE.  739 

of  the  Cristata"  a  copy  of  that  publislied  by  DeKay  in  the 
"Auuals  of  the  New  York  Lyceuui  of  Natural  History,"  of  the 
New  York  specimen,  but  has  to  regret  that  I)e Kay's  descrip- 
tion was  inaccessible  to  him,  and  so  falls  back  ui)on  "the  ac- 
curate Fabricius''  for  the  chief  part  of  hits  account  of  the  spe- 
cies, adding  thereto  a  few  anatomical  details  from  Drs.  Ludlow 
and  King,  based,  like  DeKay's  figure,  on  the  si>ecimen  taken 
near  New  York.  Of  the  Phoca  mitrata  he  says:  "The  desig- 
nation of  Mitred  Seal  appears  to  have  been  first  api)liec  by 
Camper,  and  a  cranium  with  this  label  was  found  in  his  mu- 
seum, in  1811,  by  Baron  Cuvier.  This  specimen  was  supposed 
[doubtless  correctly]  to  have  been  procured  in  the  Northern 
Ocean.  Soon  after  making  this  observation  Cuvier  received 
from  Mr.  Milbert,  of  New  York,  a  young  animal  of  this  genus, 
from  which  a  skeleton  was  prepared,  and  which  was  found  per- 
fectly to  correspond  with  Camper's  specimen.  The  locality  of 
its  capture  was  not  indicated.  It  has  probably  been  from  these 
materials  that  the  plate  in  the  PI.  de  Diet,  des  Scien.  Nat.,  of 
which  ours  is  a  copy,  has  been  prepared,  though  this  is  not  ex- 
pressly stated.  The  learned  author  of  the  work  [F.  Cuvier] 
here  referred  to  has  certainly  been  unfortunate  in  making  this 
animal  identical  with  the  Crested  Seal."  After  quoting  from 
Cuvier's  and  Blain\ille's  accounts  of  this  specimen  he  concludes 
by  stating:  "The  dimensions,  the  habits,  and  even  the  locality 
of  this  singular  species  seems  to  be  nearly  unknown,"  and 
quotes  "  as  the  only  gleanings  we  have  detected "  a  part  of 
Cranz's  account  of  his  "  Neitsersoak,"  which  he  (Cranz)  says  is 
also  called  "  Clapmutz,"  and  hence  is  merely  Cranz's  account 
of  the  Crested  Seal! 

All  the  names,  both  vernacular  and  technical,  that  have  been 
applied  to  this  species  relate  to  the  peculiar  inflatable  hood  of 
the  male.  Respecting  the  vernacular  designations,  Mr.  Brown 
gives  the  following :  "  Popular  names. — '  Bladdernose '  or,  shortly 
'  Bladder '  (of  northern  sealers,  Spitzborgen  sea  [also  of  New- 
foundland]); Klappmysta  (Swedish);  Klakkekal,  Kabbutskobhe 
(Northern  Norse) ;  Kiknebb  (Finnish) ;  Avjor,  Fatte-Nuorjo,  and 
Oaado  (Lapp);  Klapmyds  (Danish;  hence  Figede,  Greenl.,  p. 
46 :  the  word  Klapmyssen,  used  by  him  on  page  62  of  the  same 
work,  Engl,  trans.,  and  supposed  by  some  commentators  to  be 
another  name,  means  only  the  Klapmyds,  according  to  the 
Danish  f>rthography) :  Elapmiitzc  (German,  hence  Cranz, 
Greenl.,  i,  p.  125:  I  have  also  occasionally  heard  the  English 


'1 


740 


CYSTOPHOLA   CRISTATA — HOODED   SEAL. 


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sealers  call  it  by  this  name,  apparently  learnt  from  the  Dutch 
and  German  sailors).  All  of  these  words  mean  the  ' Seal  with 
a  cap  on,'  and  are  derived  from  the  Dutch,  who  style  the  frontal 
appendage  of  this  species  a  mutz  or  cap,  hence  the  Scotch 
mutch.  This  prominent  characteristic  of  the  Seal  is  also  com- 
memorated in  various  popular  names  certain  writers  have  ap- 
plied to  it,  such  as  Blas-SMl  (Bladder-Seal)  by  Nilsson  (Skand. 
Faun.,  i,  p.  312),  [hence  Elme-Robbe  by  various  German  writ- 
ers,] Hooded  Seal  by  Pennant  (Synopsis,  p.  342),  Seal  with  a 
caul  by  Ellis  (Hudson  Bay,  p.  134),  in  the  French  vernacular 
Phoque  a  capuchon,  and  in  the  sealers'  name  of  Bladdernose,  ^ 
Neitersoalc,  9  Nesaursalik  (Greenland),  and  KakortaJc  (when 
two  years  old)."  * 

Habits. — As  already  noted  in  the  account  of  the  geograph- 
ical distribution  of  this  species,  it  is,  like  the  Harp  Seal,  pelagic 
and  migratory,  preferring  the  drift  ice  of  the  "high  t^eas"  to 
the  vicinity  of  land,  and  seems  rarely  if  ever  to  resort  to  rocky 
islands  or  shores.  It  brings  forth  its  young  on  the  ice,  remote 
from  the  land,  in  March,  a  week  or  ten  days  later  than  the 
Harp  Seal,  with  which  it  appears  only  rarely  to  associate, 
although  the  two  species  are  often  found  on  neighboring  ice- 
floes.t  It  is  commonly  described  as  the  most  courageous  and 
combative  of  the  Phocids,  often  turning  fiercely  upon  its  pur- 
suers. Dr.  Rink  states  that  its  pursuit  is  hazardous  to  a  man 
in  a  frail  kayak,  and  that  its  destruction  is  facilitated  by  the 
use  of  the  rifle,  the  hunter  first  shooting  it  from  the  ice-floes 
and  afterward  dispatching  it  with  the  harpoon  from  the  kayak. 
Although  it  will  pursue  a  man  and  bite  him,  Brown  states  that 
"as  long  as  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  South 
Greenland  extends,  only  one  man  in  the  district  of  Julianshaab 
(where  they  are  chiefly  captured)  has  been  killed  by  the  bite  of 
the  Klapmyds,  though  not  unfrequently  the  harpoon  and  line 
have  been  broken."  Various  writers  speak  of  the  difficulty  of 
killing  it  with  the  seal-club,  and  state  that  it  is  hard  to  kill 
with  the  sealing-gun  unless  hit  on  the  back  of  the  neck  behind 

•Proc.  Zool.  Soc,  Lond.,  1868,  pp.  435-436;  Mau.  Nat.  Hist,  Greenland, 
etc..  Mam.,  p.  64. 

t  Says  Brown,  "  It  i^  affirmed,  curiously  enough,  that  the  Bladdernoae  and 
the  Saddleback  are  rarely  or  ever  [sto]  found  together ;  they  are  said  to  dis- 
agree. At  all  events  the  latter  is  generally  found  on  the  innide  of  the 
pack,  while  the  former  is  on  the  outside." — Proc,  ZoSl.  Soo.  Lond.,  1868,  p. 
437;  Man.  yat.  Hist.  Greenland,  etc.,  Mam,,  p.  65.  Jukes  and  Carroll,  from 
entirely  independent  observations,  make  substantially  the  same  statement. 


FOOD — HUNTING   AND    PRODUCTS.  741 

the  hood,  the  inflatable  "hood"  of  the  male  afifording  no  small 
degree  of  protection  from  the  effects  of  the  club,  or  even  the 
ordinary  heavy  seal-shot.  Mr.  Carroll  says  that  no  matter 
how  large  the  gun,  or  how  heavy  the  shot  you  fire  at  him,  you 
will  not  kill  him,  even  if  within  the  length  of  the  gun,  unless 
he  rises  in  the  water  so  that  you  shoot  him  in  the  throat,  or  he 
turns  the  side  of  his  head  toward  you. 

The  Hooded  Seal  is  desciibed  as  very  active  when  in  the 
water.  It  swims  very  low,  with  only  the  top  of  the  head  above 
the  surface.  During  the  rutting  season  the  males  wage  fierce 
battles  for  the  possession  of  the  females,  the  noise  of  which 
may  be  heard  miles  away.  At  times  the  sexes  are  said  to  live 
apart,  but  associate  in  families  during  the  breeding  season. 
Their  att'ection  for  each  other,  and  especially  for  their  yoxmg,  is 
rt^l>resented  as  very  strong,  both  parents  remaining  by  them 
with  such  persistency  that  the  whole  family  are  easily  killed. 
It  often  happens,  says  Carroll,  that  if  the  female  or  young  one 
•  be  killed  the  male  will  mount  the  ice  and  take  the  deatl  one  in 
his  mouth  and  bring  it  into  the  water,  in  which  act  he  is  very 
often  himself  killed.  The  female  is  reported  to  be  far  less 
fierce  than  the  male,  but  even  she  will  allow  herself  to  be  killed 
before  she  will  abandon  her  young  one.  Jukes  represents  the 
young  of  this  species  which  he  hud  on  shipboard  as  tamer  and 
more  gentle  than  the  young  of  the  Harp  Seal,  and  that  when 
teased  it  did  not  offer  to  scratch  and  bite  so  much  as  did  the 
young  Hari)8. 

Food. — The  food  of  this  species  doubtless  consists  chiefly  of 
fishes  of  ditterent  species.  Malmgren  supposed  it  to  subsist 
mainly  on  those  of  large  size.  That  it  also  feeds  upon  squids, 
and  probably  on  other  mollusks,  is  evinced  by  their  remains 
having  been  found  in  their  stomachs,  as  well  as  "  the  beaks  of 
large  cuttle  fish."* 

Hunting  and  Products. — This  species,  owing  to  its  scar- 
city, is  of  relatively  small  commercial  importance,  yet  many 
are  taken  every  year  by  the  !Mewfoundland  and  Jan  Mayen 
sealers ;  generally  no  separate  estimates,  however,  are  given 
of  the  number  taken.  Dr.  Eiuk  states  that  the  average  annual 
catch  in  Greenland  is  3,000.  The  flesh  is  greatly  esteemed  by 
the  Greenlanders. 

The  Hooded  Seal  is  usually  taken  on  the  ice,  but  Mr.  Beeks 
states  that  many  are  also  shot  in  the  spring  of  the  year  by  the 

*  Jukes,  Excurs.  iu  Newfoimdlaud,  vol.  i,  p.  312. 


742 


GENUS   MACRORHINUS. 


settlers  aloog  the  coast  of  Newfoundland.  As  already  stated, 
the  hood  of  the  male  affords  such  a  protection  to  its  owner  as 
to  render  the  animal  so  provided  v«  "y  hard  to  kill  with  the 
ordinary  seal-dub,  or  even  with  a  heavy  load  of  shot;  and  they 
are,  furthermore,  "at  times  very  savage,  and  it  requires  great 
dexterity  on  the  part  of  the  seal-hunters  to  keep  from  being 
bitten". 

Genus  MACRORHINUS,  F.  Cuvier. 

Macrorhine  lAIacrorhinita'i,  F.  CuviEU,  Mdiii.  «lu  Mus.,  xi,  1824,  200,  pi.  xlii. 

Type  and  sole  species,  Phoca  proboscidea,  P^ron. 
Macrorhinus,  F.  CuviER,  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.,  xxxix,  182G,  552;  ibid,  lix,  1829,  4C4. 
Manrorhyna,  Gray,  Grifiitli's  An.  King.,  i,  1827,  180  ("njispriuf.  Gray). 
Mirounga,  Ghay,  Griffltli's  An.  King.,  v,  1827, 179  (in  part). 
Bhinophora,  Wagler,  Nat.  Syst.  Auiph.,  1830,  27. 
Cystophora,  Nilsson  (in  part),  18;i7,  and  of  various  later  authors. 
Morunija,  Gray,  List  Ost.  Spec.  Brit.  Mas.,  1847,  33. 

Dental  characters  as  in  Cystophora.  Basi  sphenoid  and  basi- 
occipital  bones  deeply  arched  and  the  interbullar  space  narrow. 
Hind  feet  deeply  bilobed,  with  the  claws  rudimentary.  Males 
with  an  elongated  tubular  proboscis. 

The  genus  Maerorhinus  was  founded  by  F.  Cuvier  in  1824  on 
the  Proboscis  Seal  {Phoca  proboscidea^  P6ron)  or  the  Elephant 
Seal  of  the  Southern  Seas,  which,  until  within  the  last  fifteen 
years,  was  supposed  to  be  sole  representative  of  the  genus.  In 
1866  a  second  species  was  described  by  Dr.  Gill  from  the  coast 
of  California,  thus  adding  this  remarkable  genus  to  the  North 
American  fauna.  As  already  shown  {anted,,  p.  723),  Macro- 
rhinns  agrees  closely  with  Cystophora  in  dental  and  cranial 
characters,  the  skull  being  an  exaggerated  form  of  that  of 
Cystophora,  while  it  differs  from  the  latter  in  the  form  of  the 
nasal  appendage  of  the  males,  in  the  form  of  the  hind  limbs, 
and  in  the  relative  size  of  the  fore  and  hind  limbs. 

A  prominent  synonym  of  Maerorhinus  is  Gray's  barbarous 
term  Mirounga,  proposed  in  1827  for  both  this  species  and  Cys- 
tophora cristata,  but  changed  in  1847  to  Morunga  and  restricted 
to  the  Elephant  Seal  of  the  Southern  Seas.  Although  uniformly 
adopted  by  Gray,  and  by  those  who  follow  Gray  as  authority, 
it  is  clearly  antedated,  even  iu  its  first  form,  by  three  years  by 
Maerorhinus  of  F.  Cuvier,  although  Gray's  incorrect  citation  of 
F.  Cuvier  at  1827  makes  them  apparently  synchronous.* 

*  It  may  be  here  noted  that  Gray  persistently  ^ives  the  date  of  the  eleventh 
volume  of  the  "Memoirs  dii  Museum"  containing  F.  Cuvier's  paper,  "De 
quelque  esp^ces  de  Phoques  et  .dee  groupes  gfin^riques  entre  lesquels  ils  bo 


M.   ANGUSTIROSTRIS — CALIFORNIAN   SEA   ELEPHANT.      743 

MACRORnmUS  ANGUSTIROSTRIS,  mil. 
Callfornian  Soa  Elephant. 

Macrorhinua  angualirostria,  Gill,  Proc.  Essex  Inst.,  v,  186G,  13;  Proc.  Chicago 
Acad.  Sci.,  i,  18(Ui,  X], — Scammon,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Pliila., 
1869,  (>;$;  Marino  Mam.,  1874,  115,  pi.  xx,  flgg.  1,  2, 

Moriitif/a  ungHgtiroHtrin,  Gray,  Suppl.  Cat.  Seals  and  Whales,  1871,  5. 

Sea  Ehphant,  Scammon,  .J.  Ross  Browne's  Resonrces  of  the  Pacific  Slope 
[App.],  129;  Overland  Monthly,  iii,  112-117,  Nov.  1870. 

Ehftinte  marhio,  of  Mexicans  and  old  Californiaus. ' 

Elephant  Sml ;  Sea  Elephant ,  English. 

External  Characters. — Color  lij;ht  dull  yellowisb-browu, 
varied  with  gray,  ratber  darker  on  the  back,  more  yellowish 
below.  Hair  very  harsh  and  stitf.  The  new  coat  is  said  to  have 
a  slightly  bluish  cast.  Mystacial  bristles  black,  in  four  to  six 
rows;  the  longest  five  to  seven  inches  long;  flattened,  with 
waved  or  beaded  edges.  A  group  of  bristles  over  each  eye,  the 
largest  nearly  as  thick  and  as  long  as  any  of  the  mystacial 
bristles,  and  two  or  three  on  each  side  of  the  face,  midway  be- 
tween the  nose  and  eye.  Extremity  of  hind  flippers  deeply 
emarginate,  hairy,  without  nails.  Fore  flippers  armed  with 
strong  nails ;  web  deeply  notched  between  the  fourth  and  fifth 
digits,  slightly  so  between  the  third  and  fourth,  and  a  slight  in- 
dentation between  the  second  and  third.  (Description  based 
on  three  examples  from  Santa  Rarbar.i  Island.) 

"  The  sexes  vary  much  in  size,  the  male  being  frequently  tri])le 
the  bulk  of  the  female ;  the  oldest  of  the  former  will  average 
fourteen  to  sixteen  feet ;  the  largest  we  have  ever  seen  measured 
twenty-two  feet  from  tip  to  tip."  "  The  adult  females  average 
ten  feet  in  length  between  extremities."  Scammon.  "  Round 
the  under  side  of  the  neck,  in  the  oldest  males,  the  animal  ap- 
pears to  undergo  a  change  with  age ;  the  hair  falls  oft",  the  skin 
thickens  and  becomes  wrinkled — the  furrows  crossing  each  other, 
producing  a  checkered  surface — and  sometimes  the  throat  is 
more  or  less  marked  with  white  spots.    Its  proboscis  extends 


partagent",  as  1827,  instead  of  1824,  the  correct  date.  He  also  cites  F.  Cu- 
vier's  article  on  "LesPhoques"  in  the  "  Dictionnaire  des  Sciences  Natu- 
relles"  as  published  in  tome  lix,  1829,  although  it  appeared  originally  in 
tome  xxix,  1826.  The  result  is  a  postdating  by  three  years  of  F.  Cuvier's 
generic  and  specific  names,  favoring,  as  it  happens  (accidentally  or  other- 
wise), several  of  Gray's  names  published  in  ''Griffith's  Animal  Kingdom" 
in  1827. 


744    M.  ANGUSTIROSTRIS CALIFORNIAN  «KA  KLKI'HANT. 


from  oi)i«»sitr  tlic  jiiifih'  of  the  iiioutli  forward  (in  ih«  larjjfer 
niiilo.s)  about  fifteen  inches,  when  the  (a'eatnre  is  in  a  state  of 
quietudt!,  and  the  upper  surface  appears  vidgy ;  but  when  the 


m 

II 

m 

mm 


mm 


animal  makes  an  excited  respiration,  tiio  trunk  becomes  elon- 
gated, and  the  ridges  nearly  disapi)ear."  The  females  "are 
destitute  of  the  proboscis,  the  nose  being  like  that  of  the  com- 
mon se.al,  but  pi'ojecting  more  over  the  mouth."     Scammon. 

Captain  Scamnion  gives  the  following  measurement:^,  in  feet 
and  inches,  of  two  large  females  taken  on  the  coast  of  Lower 
California :  ,  ^ 

"No.  1.  No.  2. 

"LeixgMifroiu  tip  to  til) 9      0  10    0 

Rotind  the  body  bohiiul  the  fore  Hippers 5    10  5    U 

Lenjjth  of  tail 0      2  0    2i 


EXTERNAL    CHAKACTEU8.  745 

No.  1.  «s().  2 

Brcftdtli  of  tail  nt  root, 0      2  0    «^ 

Loiijftli  of  ]K>Mt»'ri()i' flipiMTs 17  17 

Exi>anHioii  of  poHtt  rior  lliiipcrs 1      ^  18 

Longtli  of  foro  tlippcru 1       ">  1    2 

Width  of  foiellipiH-iH U      G  0    fi 

Round  cxtioinit V  of  liodv  at  root  of  tail 1      (i  1    7 


JilBI'll' 

il'iiL- 

'II  i:  jiiingitnini'i^in. 

Fig.  58. — Macrorhimis  angiiBtiiostri.s.     No.  4704,  Nat.  Mns. ;  \  nat.  size. 

No.].  No.  2. 

From  tip  of  nose  to  comer  of  inoutli 0      7  0    H 

Opening  of  month .' 0      4}  0    4^ 

From  tip  of  nose  to  eye 0      8  0    9 

From  tip  of  nose  to  fore  flippers 2      7  3    0 

Length  of  fissure  between  the  eyelids 0      0  0    If" 

...        - ■,■,        ,■..-■..,-     .  .    ■'■''•  '!  ^  -v'.,',  ■■■&: 


746       M.    ANGUSTIROSTRIS CALIFORNIAN    SEA    ELEPHANT. 

Twc  salted  skins,  male  and  feniali!,  obtained  from  Santa  Bar- 
bara, by  Professor  O.  C.  Marsh,  whicli  I  had  an  opjtortunity  of 
examining  as  they  were  unpacked  at  Pi'ofessor  Ward's  estab- 
lishment, measur,  ,1  respectively  from  tip  of  nose  to  end  of  tail 
5  feet  and  4  feet  10  inches.    One  of  these  specimens  nowmeas- 


FlQ.  59. — Macrorhiiius  augustiioHtiis.     No.  4704,  Nat.  Miis. ;  i  iiat.  size. 

ures,  mounted,  G  feet  4  inches.  They  were  young  individuals, 
probably  yearlings.  In  neither  was  the  proboscis  at  all  de- 
veloped. Captain  Scammon  gives  the  length  of  a  "  new-born 
pup"  as  4  feet.  . 

Skull. — The  skull  differs  from  that  of  Cyntophora  crintata 
as  already  described,  but  its  general  contour  is  essentially  the 


SKULL. 


747 


same,  of  which  it  niav  be  considered  as  a  magnified  type.  It  is 
somewhat  arched  Jihove,  the  region  of  greatest  convexity  being 
at  the  orbits.  The  facial  jwrtion  is  abruptly  narrowed  and 
somewhat  i)roduced,  the  width  of  the  skull  at  the  base  of  the 
malar  ]>rocess  of  the  maxillaries  being  nearly  twice  as  great  as 


Fig.  60. — MacTorhimis  aiiKUHtirostris.     No.  4704,  Nat.  Miis. ;  ^  uat.  size. 

at  the  canines.  The  following  measurements  of  two  examples 
will  serve  to  indicate  its  general  proportions.  One  is  marked 
as  female,  but  whether  either  i;*  full-grown  is  not  known.  For 
purposes  of  comparison  the  same  table  contains  measurements 
of  two  old  male  skidls  of  the  Sea  Elephant  of  the  Southern  Seas. 


748      M.    ANGUSTIROSTRIS — CALIFOENIAN   SEA   ELEPHANT. 


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COMPARISON  WITH  THE  SOUTHERN  SEA  ELEPHANT.  749 

lu  respect  to  the,  skeleton  I  have  no  account  to  reud^ir,  my 
material  being'  restricted  to  the  before-mentioned  skins  and 
skulls.  As  a  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  genus,  how- 
ever, I  append  measurements  of  the  principal  parts  of  an  old 
male  skeleton  of  the  Southern  Sea  Elephant,  one  of  two  nearly 
complete  skeletons  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology, 
obtained  by  Captain  Edwin  Church  at  Kurd's*  Island,  and  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  R.  H.  Chapell,  of  New  London. 

Measurements  of  the  principal  parts  of  the  skeleton  in  Maororhinus  leoninus 

U  ad.). 

MM. 

Length  of  the  skull 480 

Length  of  the  cervical  vertebrae 570 

Length  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae 1,690 

Length  of  the  lumbar  vertebrae » 670 

Length  of  the  sacral  vertebrae 250 

Length  of  the  caudal  vertebrae  (approximate) 680 

Length  of  the  scapula 330 

Length  of  the  humerus 335 

Length  of  the  radius 310 

Length  of  the  manus  (apx>roximate) 650 

Length  of  the  pelvis 390 

Length  of  the  femur 200 

Length  of  the  tibia 415 

Length  of  the  pes  (approximate) 450 

Length  of  the  os  penis 335 

Length  of  the  whole  skeleton 4,340 

Length  of  the  fore  limb  (excluding  scapula) 1, 195 

Ldugth  of  the  hind  limb 1,065 

Peters  t  states  that  the  skull  of  a  male,  apparently  an  old 
animal,  from  Kerguelen  Island,  measures  50  centimetres,  and 
the  vertebral  column  370  centimetres, — substantially  the  same 
as  the  above.  The  skull  is  intermediate  in  length  between  the 
two  of  which  measurements  have  already  been  given  {antea, 
p.  748) ;  the  length  of  the  vertebral  column  given  by  Peters  is  a 
little  (16  centimetres)  less,  but  this  may  be  due  to  differences 
in  the  mode  of  measurement,  as  I  have  included  the  probable 
length  of  the  intervertebral  cartilage. 

COMPABISON  WITH  THE  SOUTHERN  SEA  ELEPHANT. — So 

fax  as  can  bo  determined  by  descriptions,  the  Northern  and 

*  This  name  I  find  variously  spelled  by  different  writers,  to  wit:  "Herd's," 
"  Heard's,"  and  "Hurd's." 
t  Monatsb.  dor  K.  P.  Akad.  der  Wisseusch.  zu  Berlin,  1877,  p.  393,  footnote. 


7oO      M.    ANGUSTIROSTRIS CALIFORNIAN   SEA   ELEPHANT. 


P%  ' 


th"  Southern  Sea  Bleiihants*  differ  very  little  in  size,  color,  or 
other  external  features.  Captain  Scammon  gives  the  average 
length  of  the  full-grown  male  of  the  northern  species  as  twelve 
to  fourteen  feet,  and  says  that  the  largest  he  ever  measured  had 
a  length  of  twenty -two  feet  "from  tip  to  tip".  P^ron  gives  the 
length  of  the  southern  species  as  twenty  to  twenty-five,  and 
even  thirty  feet,  with  a  circumference  of  fifteen  to  eighteen 
feet.  Anson  gives  the  length  as  twelve  to  twenty  feet,  and  the 
circumference  as  eight  to  fifteen  feet.  Pernety  records  the  total 
length  as  twenty-five  feet.  Scammon  gives  the  length  of  the 
young  of  the  northern  species,  at  birth,  as  four  feet ;  and  P6ron 
gives  four  or  five  feet  as  the  length  of  the  young  at  birth  for 
the  southern  species.  The  skeletons  of  the  two  old  males  of  the 
southern  species,  already  mentioned,  allowing  for  the  intcirver- 
tebral  cartilages  that  have  disappeared  in  maceration,  meas- 
ure respectively  not  over  fifteen  and  sixteen  feet,  adding  to 
which  the  length  of  the  hind  flipper  and  the  proboscis  gives  a 
total  length,  from  "tip  to  tip,"  of  about  twenty-one  to  twenty- 
two  feet.  Prom  the  foregoing  we  may  infer  that  the  usual 
difference  in  siz.    between  the  two  species  is  not  great,  the 

*  It  is  here  aflsumecl  that  the  Sea  Elephants  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere 
are  all  referable  to  a  single  species,  the  Phoca  honina  of  Linn^,  1758,  based 
on  the  Sea  Lion  of  Lord  Anson,  which  was  renamed  Phoca  elephantina  by 
Molina,  in  1782,  and  again  renamed  Phoca  probosciden  by  P6ron,  in  1816,  and 
of  which  Phoca  bi/roni  of  Desmarest,  and  also  Phoca  amaoni  of  the  same  au- 
thor (the  latter  species  in  part  only),  and  the  Mirounga  patagonioa  of  Gray 
are  synonyms.  I  am  aware,  however,  that  Peters  has  recently  proposed 
the  recognition  of  four  species,  namely,  Cyatophora  leonina  (  =  Anson's  Seo 
Lion),  C.  falklandica  ( =  Pernety'8  Sea  Lion),  C.  proboacidea  (ox  P^ron),  and 
C.  kerfftielenais  (the  Sea  Elephant  of  Kerguelen  Island).  He  seems  not,  how- 
ever, to  have  arrived  at  this  course  by  an  examination  of  an  extensive  suite 
of  specimens  from  various  localities,  as  he  refers  in  this  connection  to  only 
a  single  old  male  example  from  Kerguelen  Island.  He  seems  to  have  been 
influenced  merely  by  the  varying  statements  in  respect  to  size  and  some 
other  features  given  by  Pemety,  Anson,  and  Pdron.  His  entire  presenta- 
tion of  the  case  is  as  follows :  "Pernety  gibt  von  seinem  Seelowen  eine  lange 
Miihne,  eine  Totallange  von  25  Fuss  und  einen  Durchmesser  der  Basis  der 
Eckzahnevon3  ZoUan.  P^rons  See-Elephanten  sollen  bis  30  Fuss  langund 
von  blaugrauer  Farbe  seiu.  Vielleicht  siud  alle  diese  Arten  versohieden 
und  es  wiirde  dann  der  Name  C.  leonina  L.  bloss  dem  Anson'scheu  Seelowen 
zu  belassen  sein,  wahrend  die  C.  falklandica,  wie  man  die  von  Pernety  ben- 
en  nen  konnte,  die  C.  proboaoidea  P^ron,  die  C.  angitatiroatria  Gill  der  ndrd- 
lichen  Hemisphare  und  die  von  Kerguelenland  besonderen  Arten  angehSreu 
wUrdeu.  Fiir  den  letzteren  Fall  schlage  ich  vor,  diese  Art  kerguelenais  zu 
benennen"  (Mouatsb.  d.  K.  P.  Akad.  Wissensch.  zu  Berlin.  (18C5,  p.  394, 
footnote). 


GEOGKAPIIICAL    DISTRIBUTION.  751 

soutliei'ii  species  qu  the  whole  appeariug  to  be  Homewhat  the 
larger  of  the  two. 

In  respect  to  color,  Eaton  says  of  the  Sea  Elephant  of  Ker- 
guelen  Island :  "Some  examples  are  uniformly  reddish  brown; 
others  are  pale,  blotched  and  spotted  with  darker  grey  ".* 
Peters  describes  an  old  example  from  the  same  locality  as  dark 
brown,  the  liairs  being  white  at  the  base,  and  brown  or  blackish- 
brown  at  the  tips.  P6ron  gives  the  color  as  sometimes  grayish, 
sometimes  bluish-gray,  more  rarelj'  brownish-black.  Jjizarst 
has  described  the  color  of  a  female  as  dark  olive  brown,  shad- 
ing to  a  yellowish-bay  upon  the  belly.  Scammon  gives  the  color 
of  California  examples  as  light  brown,  but  adds  that  the  new 
coat  has  a  bluisli  cast.  It  thus  appears  that  the  two  species 
present  a  striking  similarity  of  coloration. 

I  have  before  me  two  skulls  of  the  northern  species,  both  of 
which  are  those  of  adult  females,  and  also  four  skulls  of  the 
southern  species,  but  of  these  two  are  those  of  adult  males, 
and  the  others  those  of  animals  probably  less  than  three  months 
old.  Of  the  two  young  skulls,  one  is  from  Kerguelen  Island 
(Kidder),  and  the  other  from  the  "Cape  of  Good  Hope"  (Lay- 
ard).  The  adult  skulls  being  of  different  sexes  are  not  com- 
parable. They  differ  greatly  in  size  (see  measurements,  anted,, 
p.  748),  and  necessarily  in  other  features,  but  to  what  extent 
these  differences  are  merely  sexual  cannot  be  stated. 

From  the  foregoing  it  would  seem  that  the  northern  and 
southern  Sea  Elephants,  though  presumably  distinct,  are  closely 
allied,  as  well  in  structural  characters  as  in  habits.  In  respect 
to  geographical  distribution,  I  am  not  aware  that  the  south- 
ern species  has  been  found  north  of  about  the  35th  degree  of 
south  latitude  (the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez),  or  the  northern 
species  south  of  about  the  24tli  degree  of  north  latitude.  It 
may  consequently  be  safely  assumed  that  the  two  forms  have 
been  long  isolated,  and  that  the  southern  is  an  offshoot  from 
northern  stock,  since  the  only  other  known  species  of  the 
Cystophorina'  is  also  >  lorthern. 

Geographical  Distribution. — The  Sea  Elephant  seems 
to  have  been  formerly  very  abundant  on  the  coast  of  Califor- 
nia and  Western  Mexico,  whence  it  became  long  since  nearly 


*Pi-oc.  Roy.  Soc.  Loudou,  vol.  xxiii,  1875,  p.  502.    See  alao  PluloiM>X)b. 
Transact.,  vol.  clxviii,  1879,  p.  96. 
t  IIaiiiilton't«  Marine  Amphibia,  p.  211. 


I !  y 


752      M,    ANGUSTIROSTRIS — CALIFORNIAN   SEA    ELEPHAXT. 


N 


extirpated.  Captain  Sciiinmoii,  in  writing  (abont  1852)  of  Ce- 
dros  Island,  ofi'  the  coast  of  Lower  California,  says:  "Seals 
and  Sea  Elephants  once  basked  upon  the  shores  of  hisisolivted 
spot  in  vast  numbers,  and  in  j'ears  past  its  surrounding  shores 
feemed  with  sealers.  Sea  Ele^jhant  and  Sea  Otter  hunters; 
the  remains  of  their  rude  stone-houses  are  still  to  be  seen  in 
many  convenient  places,  which  were  once  the  habitations  of 
these  hardy  men."*  A  few  Sea  Elephants  are  still  found  at 
Santa  Barbara  Island,  where  they  are  reported,  however,  to 
be  nearly  extinct.  Whether  or  not  they  still  occur  elsewhere 
along  the  California  coast  I  am  without  means  of  determining, 
although  it  is  probable  that  a  small  remnant  still  exists  at  other 
points,  where  scarcely  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago 
vessels  were  freighted  with  their  oil.  Neither  is  it  possible  to 
determine  with  certainty  the  limits  of  their  former  range.  Cap- 
tain Scammon,  who  doubtless  obtained  his  information  from 
trustworthy  sources,  states  that  it  extended  from  Cape  Lazaro, 
latitude  24°  46'  north,  to  Point  Reyes,  in  latitude  38°,  or  for  a 
distance  of  about  two  hundred  miles.  As  already  stated  (««- 
teil,  p.  290),  l)j?mpier,  in  1080,  met  with  Seals  on  the  islands 
off  the  western  coast  of  Mexico,  as  far  south  as  latitude  21^  to 
23°,  but  of  wluit  species  his  record  unfortunately  fails  to  show. 
They  were  doubtless  either  Sea  Elephants  or  Sea  Lions  {Zaio- 
phus  calif  or  itianus),  and  nuiy  have  included  both.  This  rather 
implies  its  former  extension,  two  hundred  years  ago,  consider- 
ably to  the  southward  of  the  limit  assigned  by  Captain  Scam- 
mon, on  probably  traditional  reports  current  among  the  resi- 
dents of  this  part  of  the  coast  at  the  time  of  his  visit  there  in 
1852. 


General  History. — The  California  Sea  Elephant  was  first 
described  by  Dr.  Gill,  in  1806,  from  a  skull  of  a  female  in  the 
Museum  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  received  from  Saint 
Bartholomew's  Bay,  Lower  California.  Its  external  characters 
were  first  made  known  by  Captain  C.  M.  Scammon  in  1809,  and 
the  species  was  redescribed  by  him  in  1874,  with  detailed  meas- 
urements of  two  adult  females  and  a  newly-born  pup.  This  is 
all  that  has  thus  far  appeared  relating  to  its  technical  history. 
Captain  Scammon,  as  early  as  1854,  gave  some  account  of  the 
habits  of  this  species,  under  the  name  Sea  Elephant,  and  ear- 
lier incidental  references  to  it  doubtless  occur  in  the  narratives 


*  In  J.  Robs  Browne's  "  Resources  of  the  Pacific  Sloiic  "  [ App. ],  p.  129. 


HABITS.  753 

of  travellers.  Dr.  Gill  observes,  in  his  p:per  already  cited, 
"For  a  long  time,  the  fact  that  a  species  of  the  genus  Macro- 
rhinu8  or  Elephant-Seal  inhabits  the  coast  of  Western  Nor^^h 
America  has  been  well-known.  But,  on  account  of  the  want 
of  opportunity  for  comparison  of  specimens,  the  relations  of 
the  species  have  not  been  understood".  I  fail  to  And,  however, 
in  any  technical  account  of  the  Sea  Elephant,  any  previous  no- 
tice of  their  occurrence  on  the  coast  of  I^^orth  America.  Dr. 
Gill  compares  his  specimen  of  the  skull  with  the  figure  of  the 
skull  of  Morunga  elephantina  {=Macrorhinus  leoninus)  pub- 
hshed  by  Dr.  Gray  in  the  "Zoology  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror", 
and  says  if  that  "represents  an  equally  old  female,  the  i)resent 
species  must  bo  very  distinct".  He  adds,  "I  do  not  know  the 
size  of  the  original  of  that  gentleman's  figure.  Some  of  the 
differences,  however,  cannot  be  the  effect  of  age,  and  there  can 
exist  no  doubt  that  the  present  form  is  at  least  distinct  from 
those  described  by  the  Cuviers,  Blainville,  and  Gray.  In  al- 
lusion to  the  peculiarly  narrowed  and  produced  snout  of  the 
female,  the  name  Macrorhintis  angustiroatris  is  conferred  upon 
it."*  ^ 

Habits. — We  are  indebted  to  Captain  Scammon,  who  has 
fortunately  had  favorable  opportunities  for  observation,  for 
everything  of  importance  that  has  thus  far  been  recorded  re- 
specting the  habits  of  the  Sea  Elephant  of  California.  "The 
habits  of  these  huge  beasts,"  he  tells  us,t  "when  on  shore,  or 
loitering  about  the  foaming  breakers,  are  in  many  respects  like 
those  of  the  Leopard  Seals  [P}ioca  mtulina].  Our  observations 
on  the  Sea  Elephants  of  California  go  to  show  that  they  have 
been  found  in  much  larger  numbers  from  February  to  June 
than  during  other  months  of  the  year;  but  more  or  less  were 
at  all  times  found  on  shore  upon  their  favorite  beaches,  which 
were  about  the  islands  of  Santa  Barbara,  Cerros,  Guadalupe, 
San  Bonitos,  Natividad,  San  Boque,  and  Asuncion,  and  some 

*  "  Ou  a  new  species  of  the  genus  MacrorUnus."  Proc.  Chicago  Acad.,  i, 
1866,  pp.  33-34. 

t  Marino  Mammalia,  1874,  pp.  117-119.  See  also  Proc.  Acad.  Nit.  Sci. 
Phila.,  1869,  pp.  63-65,  where  the  account  here  quoted  was  first  published. 
See  further  J.  Ross  Browne's  Resources  of  the  Pacific  Coast  [Append.],  p. 
129,  where  the  same  author  has  also  given  a  short  account  of  its  habits  as 
observed  at  Cedros  (or  Cerros)  Island  in  1852.  Also  an  article  entitled 
'*Sea-£lephant  Hunting,"  in  the  "Overland  Monthly"  magazine,  iii,  pp. 
112-117,  Nov.,  1870. 

Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 48 


754      M.   ANOUSTIROSTRIb — CALIFORNIAN   SEA   ELEPHANT. 


¥0 


v"  ' 


ItJ 


I'M 


If 


of  the  most  iiriccossiblo  ])oiiits  on  the  main-laml  between  As- 
uncion and  Cerro8.  Wl  mi  coming  up  out  of  the  water,  they 
were  generally  first  seen  nc:ir  the  line  of  surf ;  then  crawling  up 
by  degrees,  frequently  reclining  as  if  to  sleep ;  again,  moving 
up  or  along  the  shore,  Jippearing  not  content  with  their  last 
resting-place.  In  this  manner  they  would  ascend  the  ravines, 
or  '  \)w-downs,'  half  a  mile  or  more,  congregating  by  hundreds. 
They  are  not  so  active  on  land  as  the  seals;  but,  when  excited 
to  inordinate  exertion,  their  motions  are  quick — the  whole  body 
quivering  with  their  crawling,  semi-vaulting  gait,  and  the  ani- 
mal at  such  times  manifesting  great  fatigue.  Notwithstamling 
their  unwiehliuess,  we  have  sometimes  found  them  on  broken 
and  elevated  ground,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  sea. 

"The  principal  seasons  of  their  coming  on  shore,  are,  when 
they  are  about  to  shed  their  coats,  when  the  females  bring  forth 
their  young  (which  is  one  at  a  time,  rarely  two),  and  the  mat- 
ing season.  These  seasons  for  'hauling  up' are  more  marked 
in  southern  latitudes.  Tlie  ditl'erent  periods  are  known  among 
the  hunters  as  the  '])ui)i>ing  cow,'  '  brown  cow,' '  bull  and  cow,' 
and  'March  bull'  seasons;*  but  on  the  Californhi  ccast,  either 
from  the  influence  of  climate  or  some  other  cause,  we  have  no- 
ticed young  pups  with  their  mothers  at  (pate  the  opposite 
months.  The  continual  hunting  of  the  animals  may  possil)ly 
have  driven  them  to  irregularities.  The  time  of  gestation  is 
supposed  to  be  about  three-fourths  of  the  year.  The  most 
marked  season  we  could  discover  was  that  of  the  adult  males, 
which  shed  their  coats  later  than  the  younger  ones  and  the  fe- 
males. Still,  among  a  herd  of  the  largest  of  those  fully  ma- 
tured (at  Santa  Barbara  Island,  in  June,  1852),  we  found  sev- 
erjil  cows  and  their  young,  the  latter  apparently  but  a  few  days 
old. 

"  When  the  Sea  Elephants  come  on  shore  for  the  puqiose  of 
'shedding',  if  not  disturbed  they  remain  out  of  water  until  the 
old  liair  falls  oft".  By  the  time  this  change  comes  about,  the 
animal  is  supposed  to  lose  half  its  fat;  indeed,  it  sometimes 
becomes  very  thin,  and  is  then  called  a  'slim-skin'. 

"In  the  stomiMih  of  the  Sea  Elephant  a  few  pebb'>i3s  are 
found,  which  has  given  rise  to  the  saying  that  'they  take  in 
ballast  before  going  down '  (returning  to  the  sea).    On  warm 

*  Referring  to  the  liabits  of  the  Soiitheru  Se.i  Elaphaut  (Macrorhinm  leo- 
ninus),  as  he  had  "  learned  from  ship  masters  who  have  taken  Seals  about 
Kergnelen's  Land,  the  Crozets,  and  Hurd's  Island."  See  Proc.  Acad.  Nat. 
Sci.  Phila.,  1869,  p.  64. 


CHASE  a:;.o  prodt^cts.  755 

and  sunny  days  we  have  watched  ihem  come  up  snigly  on 
smooth  beaches,  and  burrow  in  the  dry  ■  and,  tbrowijig  over 
their  backs  the  lose  particles  that  collect  about  their  fore 
limbs,  and  nearly  coverinjj:  thcTUselves  from  view;  but  when 
not  disturbed,  the  animals  follow  their  gregarious  propensity, 
and  collect  in  large  herds."  "  Tiie  largest  number  I  ever  found 
iu  one  herd,"  he  states  in  another  coiniectlon,  "was  one  lunulred 
and  sixty-five,  which  lay  promiscuously  along  the  beach  or  up 
the  ravine  near  by." 

Nothing  further  respecting  tlic  breeding  habits  or  sexual  re- 
lations of  the  species  appears  to  have  been  as  yet  recorded,  but 
they  umy  be  presumed  to  be  similar  to  those  of  the  Sea  Ele- 
phant of  the  Antarctic  Seas.* 

Ohask  and  Products. — The  mode  of  capturing  Sea  Ele- 
phants on  the  coast  of  California  has  been  described  b,,  Cap- 
tain Scammon,  who  "  in  1852,  when  the  '  gold  fever'  raged  ", 
was  compelled  by  force  ot  circumstances  "to  take  command  of 
a  brig  bound  on  a  'sealing,  Sea-elephant  and  whaling  Aoyage' 
or  abandon  sea  life — at  least  temporarily".  He  says:  "The 
sailors  get  between  the  herd  and  the  water;  then,  raising  all 
possible  noise  by  shouting,  and  at  the  same  time  flourishing 
clubs,  guns,  and  lances,  the  party  advance  slowly  toward  the 
rookery,  when  the  animals  will  retreat,  appearing  in  a  state  of 
great  alarm.  Occasionally'  an  overgrown  male  will  give  battle, 
or  attempt  to  escape;  but  a  musket-ball  through  the  brain  dis- 
patches it;  or  some  one  checks  its  progress  by  thrusting  a 
lance  into  the  roof  of  its  mouth,  which  causes  it  to  settle  on  its 
haunches,  when  two  men  with  heavy  oaken  clubs  give  the  crea- 
ture repeated  blows  about  the  head,  until  it  is  stunned  or  killed. 
After  securing  those  that  are  disposed  to  show  resistance,  the 
party  rush  on  the  main  body.  The  onslaught  creates  such  a  panic 
auiong  these  peculiar  creatures,  that,  losing  all  control  of  their 
actions,  they  climb,  roll,  and  tumble  over  each  other,  when  pre- 

*  The  Sea  Elephants  appear  to  be  exceptional  among  the  PhoeidcB  in  the 
great  disparity  of  size  between  the  sexes,  in  which,  as  well  as  in  their 
breeding  habits,  jhey  closely  resemble  the  Otaries.  Although,  unlike  the 
latter,  they  have  not  the  power  of  using  the  hind  limbs  in  locomotion  on 
laud,  and  are  hence  unable  to  walk,  they  manage  to  crawl  to  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  sea, — according  to  Scanunon,  a  "half  a  mile  or  more ". 
The  habits  of  the  Southern  Sea  Elephant  (Macrarhinua  leoninua)  were  long 
since  described  by  Anson  and  Pernety,  and  later  by  P^ron,  but  their  ac- 
counts seem  in  some  respects  to  be  tinged  with  romance.  According  to  these 
Trriters  the  males  dght  desperately  for  the  possession  of  the  females. 


756      M.    AN0USTIR0STRI8 CALIFORNIAN   SEA   ELEPHANT. 


vented  from  farther  retreat  by  the  projecting  cliflfs.  We  recol- 
lect  in  one  instance,  where  sixty-five  were  captured,  that  sev- 
eral were  found  showing  no  signs  of  having  been  eitlier  clubbed 
or  lanced,  but  were  smothered  by  numbers  of  their  kind  heaped 
upon  them.  The  whole  flock,  when  attacked,  manifested  alarm 
by  their  peculiar  roar,  the  sound  of  which,  among  the  largest 
males,  is  nearly  as  loiftl  as  the  lowing  of  an  ox,  but  more  pro- 
longed in  one  strain,  accompanied  by  a  rattling  noise  in  the 
throat.  The  quantity  of  blood  in  this  species  of  the  seal  tribe 
is  supposed  to  be  double  that  contained  in  an  ox,  in  proportion 
to  its  size. 

"After  the  capture  the  flaying  begins.  First,  with  a  large 
knife,  the  skin  is  ripped  along  the  upper  side  of  the  body  the 
whole  length,  and  then  cut  down  as  far  as  is  practicable,  with- 
out rolling  it  over;  then  the  coating  of  fat  that  lies  between 
the  skin  and  flesh — which  may  be  from  one  to  seven  inches  in 
thickness,  according  to  the  size  and  condition  of  the  animal — is 
cut  into  'horse-pieces',  about  eight  inches  wide,  and  twelve  to 
fifteen  long,  and  a  puncture  is  made  in  each  piece  sufficiently 
large  to  pass  a  rope  through.  After  flensi.ig  the  upper  portion 
of  the  body,  it  is  rolled  over,  and  cut  all  around  as  above  de- 
scribed. Then  the  'horse-pieces'  are  strung  on  a  raft-rope  (a 
rope  three  fathoms  long,  with  an  eye-splice  in  one  end),  and 
taken  to  the  edge  of  ^he  surf;  a  long  line  is  made  fast  to  it,  the 
end  of  which  is  thrown  to  a  boat  lying  just  outside  the  break- 
ers ;  they  are  then  hauled  through  the  rollers  and  towed  to  the 
vessel,  where  the  oil  is  tried  out  by  boiling  the  blubber,  or  fat, 
in  large  pots  set  in  a  brick  furnace  for  the  purpose.  The  oil 
produced  is  superior  to  whale  oil  for  lubricating  purposes. 
Owing  to  the  continual  pursuit  of  the  animals,  they  have 
become  nearly  if  not  quite  extinct  on  the  Cahfornia  coast,  or 
the  few  remaining  have  fled  to  some  unknown  point  for  secu- 
rity." •  He  also  states  that  a  fat  bull,  eighteen  feet  long,vtaken 
by  the  brig  "Mary  Helen",  in  1852,  yielded  two  hundred  and 
ten  gallons  of  oil. 

*  Marine  Mammalia,  pp.  118,  119. 


APPENDIX. 


A.-MATERIAL   EXAMINED/ 


Family  0D0B.^NID^. 


ODOBiENUS  ItOSMAKUS. 

List\  of  apecimena  examined. 


3« 

i 

LooaUty. 

In  collection  of— 

Nature  of  speci- 
men. 

Age. 

7156 
4645 
0570 

1860 

1720 
1721 

? 
? 
9 

? 

? 
<f 

North  Greenland 

National  Museum. 
....do  

Skull 

Old. 

Very  old. 

Young. 

Adult. 

Old. 

Young. 

Old. 

Old. 

Old. 

Young. 

Adult. 

Adult. 

Young. 

Young. 

Greenland 

do 

...do  

....do   

do 

do 

...do 

Skin 

Sable  Island 

....do  

Skull 

G-reenland ............ 

Boston  SocN.Hiflt. 
MuB.  Comp.  Zo{>l . . 
....do  

. .  do    ....  

do 

....do 

do 

Skeleton 

Skull 

do 

....do  

do 

....do  

....do 

d" 

Davis's  Straits 

Prof.  H.  A.  Ward.. 
....do 

Skin  and  skull  .. 
. . . .do 

do 

.    ...do    

...  do     

.do    

Greenland 

Amherst  College . . 

Skin 

*Only  that  relating  to  North  American  species  is  recorded  in  the  subjoined  tables, 
t  In  part  only ;  quite  a  number  of  skulls  have  been  esamined  in  different  museums  that 
ai-e  not  here  recorded. 

757 


758 


MATERIAL  EXAMINED. 


ODOB^NUS  ODEflUS. 
List  of  epecimeHu  examined. 


U740 

0475 

14»05 

njoa 

14307 
078U 
7880 


Locality. 


Walrus  Island,  Alaska . . 

do 

do 

do 

, do 

North  Paciflo 

do 

Walrus  Island,  Alaska  . . 

do 

North  Paciflo 

AValrus  Island,  Alaska. . 
do 


do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

North  Pacific  . 
do 


la  collection  of— 


Naturo  of  speci- 
men. 


National  Alusouni. 

...do  

....do  

...do 

....do  

....do  

....do  

...  do 

....do 

Prof.  n.  A.  Ward  . . 
Boston  Soc.N.IIist. 
MuH.  Com]).  Zoiil  . . 
....do 


Skull , 

...do 

....do 

....do 

....do 

...do 

....do 

Skeleton 

Skin 

Skin  and  skull 

Skeleton 

....do 

Skin 


....do ISkuU., 

do j....do  , 

do I do  . 

— do I do  . 

....do '...do 

Boston  Soc.N.IIist.' . . .  do 
. ..  iio I do 


Age. 


Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Young. 
Very  old. 
Very  <dd. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Tounjr. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Very  old. 
Young. 
Very  old. 
YonuK. 
Young. 


Family  OTARIID^. 

El'METOWAS  STELLEIU. 

List  of  apecimena  examined. 


11 
ii 

M 

2020 

d 

2921 

<s 

11675 

c^ 

cf 

8166 

d 

8162 

9 

8163 

? 

15359 

d 

4703 

Od 

4702 

d 

6006 

d 

3631 

d 

4701 

d 

18217 

d 

1767 

^ 

Locality. 


In  collection  of— 


I 


St.  Paul's  Island,  Alaska 


-do. 

.do 

-do 


St.  George's  Island,  Alaska 

do 

do    

ITnalaahka 

San  Francisco,  Cal 

do 

Monterey,  Cal 

do 

Farallono  Island,  Cal . . . 

do 

do 


Museum  of  Com- 
parative Zoology. 

...do  

National  Museum . 

...do 

...do  

...do 


...do  

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

Mus.  Comp.  Zool 


Collected  by- 


Charles  Bryant.. 


....do 

....do 

.-..do 

W.H.DaU 

....do 

....do 

...do 

Dr  W.0.Ayre8. 

...do 

I  r.  C.  S.  Canfleld 

i.S.  Taylor 

Dr.W.O.  Ay  res. 
C.  M.  Scammon-. 
F.  Bierstadt 


Naturo  of 
specimen. 


Skin      and 
skeleton. 

Do. 
Skin. 

Do. 
Skull. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 


ZAL0PHU8   CALIFORNIANUS. 


759 


ZAI.OIMUI8  CALIFORNIANUS. 

List  of  spfcimenn  i-xamined. 


Corrcspon  ding 
number  of  skin. 

1 

1 
•Et 

d 

? 

cf 
O 
O 
9 

O 

o 

o 
o 
o 
o 

d- 

9 
9 
9 

? 

9 
cf 

d 

d- 

9 
9 
d" 

Locality. 

In  collection 
of- 

Collected 
by- 

Nature  of 
spuuimvn. 

Age. 

Califonila 
. . .  .do 

National  Mu- 
seum. 

Skull 

....do  

Very  old. 

Very  uld. 
Rather  young. 

Adult. 
Middle-aged. 

Middle-aged. 
Fow  days  old. 
Few  dayp  old. 
Old. 

About    fotir 
months. 

Fffital.      . 

A  few  mouths. 
A  few  months. 
A  few  months. 
A  fow  months. 
Old. 

Old. 

Adult. 

Adult. 

Nearly  adult. 

Rather  young. 

Middle-aged. 

Rather  young. 

Two   or  three 
years. 

Two   or  three 
yearH. 

Adult. 
Adult. 
Young. 

14500 

14507 
1.W34 

152.55 

15000 

15001 

0150 

0100 

0158 

0156 
0153 
0154 
6165 
6140 

0150 
0150 
0152 
6147 
6148 
0149 
0101 
0102 

0103 

0164 
6H>5 
6160 
1132 

Santa  Bar- 
bara  I»l- 
aiid,  Cal. 

...do 

....do 

....do  

Capt.  C.  M. 
Scammon. 

....do 

....do. 

....do    ... 

San    Nico- 
las iHland, 
Cal. 

....do 

....do 

P.  Schuma- 
cher. 

....do 

...do 

....do 

....do 

....dtf 

California . 
....do 

....do 

...do 

...do  .... 

....do  

Santa  Bar- 
bara IhI- 
aud,  Cal. 

. . .  .,lo 

Museum    of 
(Joniparativo 
Zoology. 

do    

....do 

. . .  .do  .... 

Skeleton  . . 
....do  

5830 

.... 

,...(l0 

...  .do 

....do  .... 

Skull   and 
skin. 

...do     . 

.     .do    ... 

do    . 

..do 

6876 

5780 

5787 
5788 
5077 
f785 
5780 
5078 

5 
3 
4 

10 

11 

3 

8 

....do 

....do 

...  .do 

....  do 

....do 

....do 

....do  

Skull 

....do 

. .    do 

....do 

...do    ... 

....do 

....do 

....do  

Skull   and 
skin. 

....do  

...  .do 

do 

do 

....do 

....do 

....do  

....do 

....do 

....do 

....do 

....do 

...  do  

....do     . 

....do 

....do  

..do    .... 

do  . 

....do    .... 

...  .do  ... . 

....do  

....do 

...do 

... .do  

....do 

....do 

...  .do 

....do  

...do 

....do 

...  .do 

....do 

....do 

....do  

do 

....do 

....do 

...  .do 

....do  

.v.. do 

....do 

...  .do 

....do  

... 

....do  

....do  

....do 

San  Diego, 
Cal. 

....do  

nasslerEx. 
pedition. 

SkuU 

l:''' 


760 


MATERIAL    EXAMINED. 


CaLLORHINUS  UR81ND8. 

List  of  specimens  examined. 


■3  d     « 


11720 
11005 
11715 
11701  j 
11733  ! 

11008  '  d 

11689  I  d 

7100  9 

14508  I  ? 

12737  ? 

12738  j  9 

12739  j  9 
8415  j  9 
8825  I  O 

11270  9 

0080  !  9 

0079  .  9 

1830  ;  d 

6536  9 

6537  9 
6558  :  9 
6011  !  9 

<f 

9 
9 

1° 

'  o 
o 

2022  d 

2023  d 

2024  9 

2025  9 

2026  \  O 
2927  O 

'  d 

1088  I  d 

1086  i  V 

1087  ■  9 

1149  I  O 

1150  i  O 
1787 
1788 
1788 
1784 
1786 
1786 
5326 


Locality. 


Saint  PauVs  Island,  Alaska 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

A  luDtian  Islands 

do 

do 

Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuoa. 


, do 

do 

Puget  Sound 

do 

, do 

do 

Saint  Paul's  Island,  Alaska 
do 


.do 

.do 

-do 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

-do 

.Jo. 

.do  . 

.do. 

.do. 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do. 

.do 

.do 

.do, 

.do 

.do 


In  collection  of— 


CoUoctod  by- 


[  Nature  uf 
specimen. 


I 


National  Muacam 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do..  

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 


.do 
do 
.do 
do 
do 
.do. 
do 
.do 
.do 
.dc 


...do 

...do 

Mus.  Comp.  Zool . 
....do 


.t'o 
.do 
do 
.do 
.do 
do 
.do, 
.do 
.do 
do 
.do 
.do 
.do 
.do 
.do 
.do 
.do 


Capt.  C.  Bryant . 

....do  

....do 

...do 

....do  

....do  

....do  

Colonul  Bulkloy. 

....do  

n.-W.  Elliott.... 

....do 

....do  

Dr.  T.  T.  Minor  . 

....do  

....do  

Capt.  CM.  Scam 
mou. 

...do  

....do  

J.G.  Swan 

...do 

...do  

....do 

H.W.Elliott.... 

....do 

....do 

....do 

....do  

....do  

Capt.  C.  Bryant . 

...do  

...do 

....do 

....do 

...do  

....do  

...do 

....do  

....do  

...do  

....do 

Alaska  Com.  Co. 

...do 

....do 

....do 

...do  

....do  

C.  J.  Mclntyre . . 


Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
SkuU. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

SkuU. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skiu. 

Skin. 

Skiu. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skoloton. 

Skelnton. 

Sktilcton. 

Skeleton. 

Skull. 

SkuU. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skin. 


PHOCA   VITULINA. 


761 


Family  PHOCID^. 

PlIOCA   VITULINA. 

List  of  apecimem  examined. 


-    — 
Catalogue 
number. 

A 
<% 

Locality. 

In  collection  of— 

Collected  by— 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

3506 
3634 
4716 
4713 
4714 
3506  1 
5285  1 
1738" 
1143 
1142 
5144 
6157 
12284 
11742 
14337 
0480 
0783 
6550 
6485 
6486 
6535 
9081 

3031 
3648 
3741 
7778 
7770 
7780 
7781 
0516 
8201 
12043 
5852 
5853 
3742 
7782 
3320 
5680 
5783 
5784 

? 

National  Museum. 
..  do 

Skull.  * 

Skull.t 

Skull. 

Skull.: 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Skull.  § 

Skull. ; 

Skull. 

Sable  iHland,  N.  S 

P.S.Dodd 

do        

do    

do    

do 

....do 

....do 

do 

do 

..  do          .   ... 

do 

do 

do 

England   

rer  jkese  IsUind,  Mass 

Valiant  Afans        .         .... 

Mus.  Com  p.  Zoiil . . 

....do  

...do 

L.  Agassiz 

....do 

....do 

W.K.Cabot 

P.  Scluimacher. . 
W.n.Dall 

Santa  Barbara  Island,  Cal. 
Aleutian  IsIandH 

....do 

National  Muaoiini . 
....do 

St.  Paul's  Island,  Alaska. . 
do 

....do  

H  W  Klliott        i  Skull. 

Kanai  Inland,  Alaska 

Plover  :«a,v,  Bcihrinn's  Sts. 

Wasbington  Territorj' 

do 

...do 

....do    

....do  

....do 

F.  Hisohoft' 

Col.  Buckley  .... 

J.O.Swan 

Lt  G.W.White, 
do 

Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull, 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 
Skull. 

Skull. ; 

Skull.  II 

Skin.  II 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

Skin. 

M't'd  skin. 

M't'd  skin. 

M't'd  skin. 

M't'd  skin 

do 

....do  

do    

....do  

Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca. . . 

...do 

Capt.C.M.Seam- 

mon. 
U.  S.  Ex.  Ex.... 
do 

. 

....do  

....do  

.do                    

....do  

do 

.... 

...do 

W.n.Dall 

...do    

.do     

....do 

do 

do    

Lt.(^  W.White. 
...do 

...do  

.    do     

W.n.Dall 

Copenhagen  Mus, 

StpiLlfiiiil    Unnniarlc 

....do       

....do 

.... 

Sable  Island  N  S 

P.S  Dodd 

...do    

do 

....do  

.... 

California 

....do  

Washington  Territory 

do 

....do  

...  do  

Dr.J.S.Newberry 
P.  Schumacher . . 
do 

Santa  Barbara  Island,  Cal. 
do 

Mus.  Comp.  Zofil . . 
....do 

do 

... .do  

,...do  

Orleans.  Mass  

...do 

J.  A.  Allen 

f 

♦Adult.  told.  {Toiug.  {Very  old. 

JIThe  type  of  " Halichcerui  antarotietu,  Peale,"  and  "Lobodon  eareinophaga,  Cassin," 


762 


MATERIAL   EXAMINLD. 


i 


'  PHOCA  FCETIDA. 

■     List  of  speeimena  examined. 


11 

Locality. 

In  collection  of— 

CoUe(  ted  by— 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

6560 

]S'ational  Museum. 
do 

CopenfaagenMus. 
1     do 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skeleton.* 

Skull.* 

Skull.* 

Rkeleton.t 

Skeleton.* 

Skeleton.; 

Skeleton. § 

Skeleton.  II 

Skeleton.  II 

Skeleton. 11 

Skeleton.^ 

Skull.* 

Skull.* 

Skull.* 

Skull.; 

Skull. 

SkuU.t 

Skull.f 

Skull.i 

Skull.t 

6567 

do 

6S68 
6565 
3504 

do 

...do  

...do  

do 

d» 

...do 

do 

do    

S.  Sternberg 

...do  

3503 

do 

...do  

8698 
8699 
8700 
8042 
7105 
6785 

Disco  Bay,  Greenland 

iln 

...do 

.  do    

Copenhagen  Mus, 

...  do 

....do  

W.  H.  Ball 

....do 

....do 

L.  Kumllen 

....do  

ilo 

....do    

Unalakleot,  Alaska 

Plover  Bay,  Behring's  Sts 
do 

....do  

...do 

...do    

6297 
6295 

? 

Gulf  of  Cumberland 

do 

Mu8.  Com  p.  ZoJil . . 
..  do    

6296    d 
6298     9 

do 

....do 

...do 

do 

...do 

....do  

....do 

....do  

...do 

do 

do    

16106 
16077 
16061 

do 

National  Museum. 
...do    

9 

do 

do 

do     

16033.... 
16034  .... 
16050  .... 
16098     <? 

do 

do    

do 

. . .do 

do 

....do  

....do  

do 

...do     

....do  

16138 
16130 
10111 
16023 
16061 
16058 

d 
d 
? 

....do  

do          

....do  

do 

do    

....do  

do 

.  do     

....do  

do 

...do 

do 

...do  

do 

..do   

do 

do      

...do  

16135 

do 

...do     

...do 

16137 

, do 

..do     

....do  

16082 
16101 
16134 
16068 
16066 
16136 
16134 
16055 

do 

do                  

....do 

do 

..do     

....do  

Skull. f 
Skiill.t 
okuU.t 
Skull.t 
SkuU.t 
Skull.  II 
Skull.  II 

do 

do              

....do  

do 

do                    

. .  do 

do 

...  do     

do 

do 

do     

..do 

.do 

do                    

do    

.do 

do 

do    

♦Adult.         tToung  in  white  coat.  ;  Young.         §  Few  days  old.  |1  Foetal. 


PH.   GRCENLANDICA,  ERIG.  BARBATUS,  fflST.  FASCUTA.      763 


PHOCA  GRCENLANDICA. 

List  of  apedmena  examined. 


II 

li 

3514 

3515 

3805 

881 

8762 

4582 

12039 

12040 

i    5791 

S130 

1146 

i 

Locality. 

In  collection  of— 

Collected  by- 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

1 

Disco  Bay.  Greenland 

do 

National  Museum. 
....do 

Copenhagen  Mus. 
....do  

Skull. 

Skull. 

SkuU. 

Skull. 

Skiu. 

Skin.' 

Skin.* 

Skin.* 

Skin.* 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

do 

....do 

....do 

(?) 
Diacu  Bay,  Greenland 

— do 

....do  

(?) 
Copenhagen  Mus. 

(?) 
tT.  M.  Harv'.y — 
..do    

Hudson's  Bay  ? 

....do  

St.  John's,  Newfoundland  . 
do 

....do 

...do 

Newfoundland 

Mns.  Conip.  Zool.. 

"  Mas8u>;uusett8  " 

...do 

"Nahant.Mass." 

....do    

"L.  Agassiz"  ... 

*In  the  white  coat. 
ERIGNATHUS  BARBATUS. 

List  of  specimens  examined. 


II 


il 


6569 
6570 
6571 
7103 

7104 

7106 

7107 

15685 

5697 

16116 

16117 

16112 

6290 


Locality. 


Behring's 


Greenland  ... 

lo 

do 

Plover    Bay, 
Straits. 

do 

do 

do 

Cumberland  Gulf i do 

Disco  Bay,  Greenland ' do 

Cumberland  Gulf j do 


In  collection  of— 


National  Museum . 
...do  


.do, 
.do 

.do 
.do 
.do 


Collected  by- 


.do i — do 

.do do 

.do !  Mus.  Comp.  J^ool . 


Copenhagen  Mus. 

....do 

...do 

Col.  Buckley . . . . 

....do 

....do 

....do 

W.  A.  Mintzer  . . 
Copenhagen  Mus. 

L.  Kumlieu 

....do 

...do 

...do 


Nature  of 
specimen. 


Skull. 
SkuU. 
Skull. 
SkuU. 

SkuU. 

SkuU. 

SkuU. 

SkuU. 

Skin. 

Skeleton. 

Skull. 

Skeleton.* 

Skull. 


►Foetal. 


HiSTRIOPHOCA  FA8CIATA. 


List  of  82>ectme»i8  examinee 

9      . 

M 
& 

Locality. 

• 

In  collection  of— 

■ 

Collected  by— 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

9311 

.... 

CapoRomanzoff .. 

National  Museum. 

W.H.DaH 

Skin. 

764 


MATERIAL   EXAMINED 

HaUCHCERUS  GRYPU3. 

List  of  apecimena  examined. 


3    3 

1 

Locality. 

In  collection  of— 

Collected  by— 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

4717 
6593 
14011 
5857 
8694 

Sable  Island,  Nova  Scotia 

National  Museum 
....do  

P.S.Dodd 

Copenhagen  Mus. 
J.  M.  Harrey  . . . 

P.S.Dodd 

Copenhagen  Mus. 

Skull.* 

SkuU.t 

SkuU.t 

Skia.J 

Skin. 

St.  John's,  Newfoundland . 
Sable  Island,  Kova  Scotia . 

....do 

...do 

....do  

*  Very  old. 


t  Young. 
CYSTOPHOKA  CRI8TATA. 

List  of  epecimens  examined. 


t  Adult. 


Catalogue  1 
number. 

■1 

Locality. 

In  collection  of— 

Collected  by- 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

6577 

6576 

6574 

14012 

14013 

1083 

1084 

1085 

5790 

8696 

16022 

Greenland 

National  Museum 
....do  

Copenhagen  Mus. 
....do  

Skull. 

Skull. 

Skull.  ■ 

Skull.* 

SkuU.* 

SkuU. 

Skeleton. 

Skeleton. 

Mounted. 

Skin. 

SknlLt 

do 

do    

....do 

....do  

Newfoundland 

do    

M.Harvey 

....do  

do 

....do  

do    

Mus.  Comp.  Zoul . . 
... .do  

Michael  Carroll. 
.  ..do 

iIa                        

.     1             Hn       .    . 

.do.           

do     

? 
? 

do       

....do 

...do 

Disco  Bay,  Greenland 

Gulf  of  Cumberland 

National  Museum 
...do 

Copenhagen  Mus. 
L.  Kumlien     ... 

*  Young. 


f"  Two  years  old." 


MaCRORHINDS  ANGUSTIR08TRI8. 
List  of  apedmena  examined. 


0    M 

5« 

1 

Locality. 

In  coUection  of— 

CoUected  by— 

Nature  of 
specimen. 

4704 
13526 

San  "Jartholomew's  Bay, 

Lower  California. 
Coast  of  Lower  California 
do    

National  Museum. 
....do 

Dr.W.O.Ayres. 
C.  M.  Scammon  . 

Skull. 

Skull. 
Skin. 
Skin. 
Skin. 

...  do    

do 

Prof.  0.  C.  Marsh  . 
do 

1  .. 

do 

1 

ODOB/ENUS   ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC   WALRUS.        765 


B -ADDITIONS  AND  COKKECTIONS. 


Family  ODOBJINID^. 


ODOBJ5NUS  EOSMAEUS. 

To  the  bibliographical  references  to  this  species  already  given 
{anted,  pp.  23-26)  add  the  following : 

Rostitngcr  oder  Rossmer,  Ola i  .sen,  Reiao  ilurch  Island,  i,  1774,  189,  $  525  (uses 
of  tho  tusks) ;  ii,  118,  ^  1861  (occurreuce  iu  Icelaud). 

Trichechus  roamarus,  E.  Sabine,  Parry's  First  Voy.,  Suppl.,  1824,  cxci. — 
RiciiAUDSON,  Parry's  Second  Voy.,  Suppl.,  1825,  337. — J.  C.  Ross, 
Parry's  Third  Voy.,  1826,  192  (distribution— Spitsbergen,  Walden 
Island,  etc.). — Schinz,  Syu.  Mam.,  i,  1844, 487. — Lloyd,  Game  Birds 
and  Wild  Fowl  of  Sweden  ami  Norway,  1867, 444. — Feilden,  Nares's 
Voy.  to  the  Polar  Sea,  1875-76,  ii,  1878,  196.— Alston,  Ptoc.  Nat. 
Hist.  Soc.  Glasgow,  1879,  97  (Outer  Hebrides);  Fauna  of  Scotland, 
Mam.,  1880,  15  (Western  Scotland). 

Odobwnusrosmarus,  Quennerstedt,  Kongl.  Svenska  Vetenskaps-Akademieus 
Handlingar,  vii,  No.  3,  1868, 10. 

Size  and  External  Appearance. — To  the  remarks  al- 
ready given  the  following  may  be  added : 

Dr.  E.  Sabine  gives  the  length  of  a  young  male,  from  the 
point  of  the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  hind  flippers,  as  10  feet  3 
inches,  and  the  weight  as  1,384  pounds. — Parry's  First  Voyage, 
Suppl.,  1824,  J),  cxci. 

"  One  of  the  largest  Walruses  we  saw  wa^  killed  on  the  ice 
near  Shannon,  on  the  27th  of  August,  18G9,  by  Dr.  Copeland. 
It  measured  9  feet  11  inches.  ...  It  [the  Walrus]  is  from 
9  feet  0  inches  to  10  feet  0  inches  long,  weighs  about  20  cwt., 
and  its  skin  is  3^  inches  thick  (a  sort  of  massive  coat  of  mail), 
with  a  head  of  infinite  ugliness,  rather  large  eyes,  and  tusks 
sometimes  30  inches  long  (of  a  sort  of  ivory),  which  help  the 
creature  to  obtain  his  food  (chiefly  mussels)  from  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  and,  together  with  the  breast-flus,  help  him  to  climb 
on  to  the  floating  ice  to  a  place  of  rest  [compare  anteh,  p.  137]. 


766 


ADDITIONS   AND   CORRECTIONS. 


Round  liis  jaws  are  long  cat-like  bristles,  as  thick  as  a  large 
clarning-needle.  Demoniacal  as  his  appearance  is  his  voice  is 
as  had — a  Jerking  imitative  scream,  lowing  and  puflBng,  often 
repeated,  and  in  which  it  seems  to  delight." — German  Arctic 
Expedition,  1869-70,  j).  479. 


I'.i 


Geographical  Distribution. — To  the  remarks  on  this 
subject  add  the  following: 

Nova  Zcmbla  and  Northern  Coast  of  Europe. — According  to 
Alexander  Schultz,  Walruses  are  caught  '*on  the  coasts  of 
Novaya  Zemblya  and  the  islands  of  Vaigatch  and  Kalonyen." 

He  also  states  that  '*  About  a  dozen  sailing-vessels  devote 
themselves  habitually  to  Inmting  the  Walrus  from  Cape  Ka- 
nine  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kara ". — Rep.  U.  S.  Commis.  Fish  and 
Fisheries,  Part  iii,  1870,  pp.  53,  50. 

Franz-Josef  Land. — Payer  reports  Walnises  as  seen  on  two 
occasions  near  the  coast  of  Franz-Josef  Laiul. — New  Lands 
tcithin  the  Arctic  Circle,  p.  2(i0. 

Abundance  in  Wolstenholme  Sound. — ''Two  Hoe-pieces  two  or 
three  feet  thick,  and  each  coveringau  area  of  about  half  a  mile, 
were  black  with  the  large  ungainly  creatures",  in  Wolstenholme 
Sound,  August  J  1871. — Narrative  of  the  ^^Polaris^^  North  Polar 
Expedition,  187G,  p.  72. 

Spitzhergcn,  ete. — Mr.  J.  G.  Ross,  in  Parry's  "Third  Voyage" 
(1824,  p.  192),  says  that  "  Trichechus  rosmarus^^  is  "Very  uncom- 
mon along  the  western  coast  of  Spitzbergen  and  the  Low  Islands 
of  Phipps ;  l)ut  none  seen  to  the  northward  of  Walden  Island." 

Iceland. — Respecting  the  former  occurrence  of  the  Walrus 
in  Iceland  Olafsen  observes  "Dahingegen  hat  man  hier  [Ost- 
Island]  mehr  Rostunge  als  an  andern  Orten,  inbesondere  kam 
1708  eine  ungewohnlicheMengedavon  nachden  Ost-florden." — 
Beise  durch  Island  (German  translation),  Theil  ii,  p.  118,  §1861. 

Supposed  Presence  of  Walruses  in  the  Antarctic 
Seas.^ — In  the  last  footnote  to  page  176  reference  is  made  to 
Mr.  R.  Brown's  belief  that  "  It  is  not  unlikely  that  it  [the  Wal- 
rus] may  even  be  found  in  the  Antarctic  regions",  in  relation  to 
which  I  there  observe :  "This  idea  I  have  not  seen  elsewhere 
revived  since  the  early  part  of  the  present  century".  I  find, 
however,  that  Schinz,  in  his  "  Synopsis  Mammalium  "  published 


fee 


OI)OB^.NUS    ROSMARUS — ATLANTIC    WALRUS.  767 

UH  late  Jis  1844  (vol.  i,  p.  487),  says :  "Es  [Trichechus  rosmarns] 
bewoliiit  die  Polarmeere  beide  Pole,  man  ist  aber  nocli  iin  Zwei- 
fel,  ob  das  Wallross  des  Siidpolarmeers  dieselbe  Art  mit  deueii 
der  aictisislieu  Meere  seiu  ". 

The  Walrus  a  Formidable  ANTAaoKiST.— To  the  pre- 
vious remarks  on  this  subject  {antea,  pp.  107-133,  passim),  add 
the  following- :  "  In  the  summer  of  1809  a  boat  excursion  to  Cape 
Wynn  with  diOiculty  escaped  the  destruction  of  their  craft. 
Another  time  they  were  followed  by  a  herd  and  succeeded  in 
reaching-  the  i^hore  of  an  island,  where,  though  only  for  a  short 
time,  they  were  blockaded  in.  The  longer  you  live  in  Arctic 
regions  the  less  v.nn  you  persuade  yourself  to  attack  these 
creatures  in  their  own  element,  unlesti  forced  by  pressing  cir- 
cumstances, i.  e.,  want  of  either  food  or  of  oil,  and  then  it  is 
advisable,  if  in  boats,  to  provide  oneself  with  cartridges." — 
German  Arctic  Expedition,  1800-70,  p.  481. 

Curiosity  and  Fearlessness  of  the  Walrus. — "One 
Ijeculiarity  [of  the  Walrus],  which  under  some  circumstances 
may  be  very  (hmgerous,  is  its  curiosity.  Should  one  of  these 
monsters  see  a  boat,  it  raises  itself  astonished  above  the  sur- 
face, utters  at  once  a  cry  of  alarm,  swinnning  towards  it  as 
quickly  as  possible.  This  call  brings  up  others,  awakens  the 
sleepers  which  the  boat  had  carefully  avoided,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  small  vessel  is  followed  by  a  number  of  these  monsters, 
blustering  in  apparent  or  real  fury  in  all  their  hideousness. 
The  creatures  may  possibly  be  only  actuated  by  curiosity,  but 
their  manner  of  showing  it  is  unfortunately  so  ill-chosen  that 
one  feels  obliged  to  act  on  the  defensive.  The  bellowing,  jerk- 
ing, and  diving  herd  is  now  but  a  short  distance  from  the  boat. 
The  tirst  shot  strikes,  and  this  inflames  their  wrath,  an<l  now 
begins  a  wild  tight  in  which  some  of  the  black  sphynxe.'.  are 
struck  with  axes  on  the  flappers,  with  which  they  threaten  to 
overturn  the  boat.  Others  of  the  men  defend  themselves  with 
a  spear  or  with  the  blade  of  an  oar." — German  Arotic  Uji^editionj 
1869-70,  p.  481. 

Locomotion  ;  Use  of  the  Tusks  in  Climbing.— Captain 
Sir  Edward  Belcher,  in  "The  last  of  the  Arctic  Voyages"  (vol. 
i,  p.  93),  thus  describes  the  Wabus's  manner  of  mounting  an 
ice-floe :  "  But  here,  within  a  few  feet,  deliberately  did  I  watchi 
the  progress  of  the  animal  in  effecting  its  purpose.    In  the  first 


768 


ADDITIONS    AND    CORRECTIONS. 


place,  the  tail  and  fins,  exerting  their  full  power  in  the  water, 
gave  such  an  impetus,  that  it  projected  about  one-third  of  the 
body  of  the  animal  on  to  the  floe.  It  then  dug  its  tusks  with 
such  terriflc  force  into  the  ice  that  1  feared  for  itK  brain,  and, 
l^ech-like,  hauled  itself  forward  by  the  enormous  muscular 
l)ower  of  the  neck,  repeating  the  operation  until  it  was  secure. 
The  force  with  which  the  tusks  were  struck  into  the  ice  ap- 
peared not  oidy  suflicient  to  break  them,  but  the  concussion 
was  so  heavy  that  1  was  surprised  that  any  brain  could  bear 
it.  Can  any  one  then  be  suiprised,  when  they  are  informed, 
that  they  'die  hard,'  even  when  shot  throug!i  the  brain  ?" 


i- 


Figures  of  the  Walrus.— In  Lloyd's  "Game  Birds  and 
Wild  Fowl  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  together  with  an  Account 
of  the  Seals  and  Salt- Water  Fishes  of  those  Countries"  (London, 
1807) — a  work  which  was  inaccessible  to  me  tiil  after  the  Mono- 
graph of  the  Walruses  was  put  in  type — occur  two  admirable 
plates,  illustrative  of  the  Walrus  (facing  pp.  444  and  457),  the 
tirst  in  tint,  the  other  plain.  The  colored  i)late  (drawn  by 
Korner)  gives  a  full  side  view  of  one  in<lividual,  and  a  side  and 
front  view  respectively  oi  the  he"jds  and  front  parts  of  two 
others.  The  other  (drawn  by  Wolf)  represents  an  encounter 
between  a  Walrus  and  a  Polar  Bear.  In  this  ilhr  ration  the 
Walrus  is  in  the  attitude  of  walking,  with  the  hind  ioet  turned 
forward  and  the  fore  feet  bent  backward.  This  is  one  "of  the 
most  characteristic  and  truthful  representations  I  have  yet  met 
with. 

In  the  "German  Arctic  Expedition,  1869-70",  there  is  also 
a  figure  (wood-cut,  p.  309)  of  a  young  Walrus, — a  side  view, 
with  the  hind  flippers  turned  backward. 


ODOB^NUS  OBESUS. 


11!. 
it''' 


m 


\ 


Destruction  op  the  Pacific  Walrus,— Attention  has 
already  been  called  (see  antea,  pp.  185-186)  to  the  rapid  diminu- 
tion of  the  Pacific  Walrus,  and  to  the  alarm  the  natives  have 
of  late  years  felt  respecting  the  disappearance  of  their  chief 
means  of  support.  The  following  (here  copied  from  the  Boston 
Daily  Advertiser  of  October  4,  1879)  shows  how  speedily  their 
fears  were  realized : 

"A  letter  from  E.  F.  Nye,  barque  Mt.  WoUaston,  off  Cape 


0TAR1E8   AT   TIIK    GALAPAGOS   ISLANDS.  769 

Lisburue,  Arctic  ocean,  written  to  the  New  Bedford  Standard, 
and  dated  August  2  [1879],  saya : — 

"'This  season  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  a  successful 
one.  Fifty  one  whales  have  been  taken  by  the  fleet,  against 
tliirty-two  at  the  same  time  last  year,  and  the  whales  have  run 
large,  averaging  about  100  barrels  of  oil,  and  say  80,(M)0  pounds 
of  whalebone  in  all;  also  about  11,000  walrus  against  12,000 
last  year;  the  walrus  making  less  oil  than  usual,  as  fewer 
females  are  killed  and  a  larger  i)roportiou  of  male  walrus  than 
in  years  past.  .  .  .  The  trading  vessels  have  abcmt  0000 
pounds  of  whalebone  and  a  small  quantity  of  ivory  compared 
with  former  years ;  about  half  the  fleet  are  in  this  vicinity,  tlie 
other  half  are  all  over  to  Cape  Seege  and  the  western  walrus-  i 
ing,  destroying  them  by  the  thousands;  about  11,000  have 
been  taken  and  .'30,000  or  40,00()  destroyed  this  year.  Another 
year  or  perhaps  two  years  will  tinish  them, — there  will  hardly 
be  one  left,  and  I  advise  all  natural  history  societies  and 
museums  to  get  a  specimen  while  they  can.  Fully  one-third 
of  the  population  south  of  St.  Lawrence  bay  perished  the  past 
winter  for  want  of  food,  and  lialf  the  natives  of  St.  Lawrence 
Island  died ;  one  village  of  200  inhabitants  all  died  excej)t- 
ing  one  man.  Mothers  took  their  starving  children  to  the 
buryiug-grounds,  stripped  the  clothing  from  their  little  emaci-  f 
ated  bodies,  and  then  strangled  them  or  let  the  intense  cold 
end  their  misery.  It  is  heart-rending  to  hear  them  tell  how 
they  suffered.  Captain  Cogan  has  taken  very  few  walrus ;  he 
says  that  for  every  one  hundred  walrus  taken  a  family  is  ! 
starved,  and  I  concur  in  his  opinion.  I  should  like  to  see  a 
stop  put  to  this  business  of  killing  the  walrus,  and  so  would 
most  of  those  engaged  in  it.  Almost  every  one  says  that  it  is 
starving  the  natives,  and  if  one  of  our  whalers  should  be 
wrecked  on  the  coast  in  the  fall,  the  crew  must  perish.'"  J 

Family  OTARIID^. 

OTABIES  AT  THE  GALAPAGOS  ISLANDS. — To  the  footUOte  tO 

page  211,  tlie  following  may  be  added. : 

An  early  reference  to  the  occurrfjnce  of  the  Southern  Fur 
Seal  at  these  islands  is  given  by  Pennant  (Arct.  Zoiil.,  i,  1792, 
p.  199;  see  also  Hist.  Quad.,  third  ed.,  ii,  1793,  p.  282)  on  the 
authority  of  Woodes  Eogers  (Voy.,  p.  136,  265).  On  referring 
to  Callander's  account  of  Kogers'H  voyage,  the  only  one  to 
Misc.  Pub.  No.  12 49 


770 


ADDITIONS   AND    CORRECTIONS. 


whicili  I  havo  sicci'ss,  I  tlrul  the  following,  which  siH'Ihn  to  have 
been  jienorally  ovorlookt'd  by  lator  writers  on  tlusc  aninialH: 
"Hea's  liannt  some  of  these  islands  [(ralapagos],  but  not  so 
jiunierous,  nor  tiieir  fur  so  ^ood  as  at  Juan  Fernandez.'^  U«i 
refers  to  a  vvvy  larj^e  one  that  repeatedly  attaeked  him  and 
adds,  ''This  iiini>hibions  beast  was  as  bij;  as  a  large  bear."* 

In  the  footnote  to  page  Ull  it  is  stated  (hat  the  oeeurrenee oC 
Eared  Seals  at  the  (Jijlapagos  Islands  seems  not  to  bo  gtMier- 
ally  known.  While  tl'ere  is  no  reference  to  their  occurrence  at 
these  islands  by  Gray  and  otiier  lending  writers  on  tlie  group, 
I  tind  that  Mr.  Salvia,  in  discussing  the  probable  habitat  of  the 
Xcma  fiirvata  (Ibis,  lS7r»,  p.  407),  alhules  to  the  fa<'t  incidentally, 
as  follows :  "Still  even  were  its  Arctic  character  established, 
it  [Xema  furcata]  nuiy  yet  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  GaUii>agos 
Islands,  where  an  Otarin  beh)nging  to  a  northern  sjiecies  exists 
and  formerly  abcmnded ".  "Northern",  however,  should  read 
southern,  for  the  Ofaria  is  0.  jubata,  and  conse«piently  is  not  a 
northern  type. 

Fossil  Otahies. — Add  at  i)age  217  the  following:  Trofessor 
McCoy  has  recently  described  and  figured  t  fossil  remains  of 
Eared  Seals  from  the  Pliocene  of  Vi(!toria,  under  the  name 
Arctocephaliis  wllUamsi,  sp.  nov.  The  skull  figured,  which  he 
refers  to  as  an  "ohl  male  skull",  bears  a  close  resend)lance  to 
the  K.vull  of  a  female  of  Zaiophus  lobatus,  fron^  which,  judging 
from  his  description  and  figures,  it  does  not  very  materially 
dift'er. 


Capture  of  Sea  Lions  fob  Menageries.— The  following 
interesting  Jiccount  of  the  capture  of  Sea  Lions  alive  for  me- 
nageries is  from  the  "Illustrated  Guide  aiul  Catalogue  of  Wood- 
ward's Gardens,"  of  San  Francisco,  California  (San  Francisco, 
1880,  i^p.  50-52),  where  it  is  credited  to  the  "  Santa  Barbara 
Press": 

"Nearly  all  the  live  seal,  sea  lions  and  sea  elephants  that 
have  been  fuiuished  Woodward's  Gardens,  in  San  Francisco, 
and  that  have  been  sent  to  the  Old  World  and  the  Eastern 
States  during  the  last  fitleen  years,  have  betu  captured  from 
tlie  Santa  Barbara  Islands,  across  the  channel  from  this  city. 

"  Every  year  there  are  more  or  less  of  these  animals  captured 

*  Callaiuler'a  Voyages,  vol.  iii,  17(58,  p.  ;}07. 

tProd.  Pahvout.  Victoria,  decade  v,  p.  7,  pU.  xli  and  xliv. 


ZALOPIIUS   CALIFOKNIANIS — CALIFORNIA   SEA    LION.      771 

ou  the  iHlaiids,  for  the  purpose  of  8up])Iyiiig  nienagerioa  in  the 
Eastern  States,  and  parties  engaged  in  the  business  always 
come  to  Santa  Barbara  to  se<',ure  men  for  the  purpose,  who 
have  ha^l  years  of  experience  in  capturing  them. 

"The  mode  of  capturing  these  aniumls  is  simple,  yet  very 
exciting,  and  w'lile  it  is  not  considere*!  nuich  of  a  trick  to 
cage  an  ordinary  sized  seal,  it  is  a  big  contract  to  capture  a 
bull  that  weighs  1,500  pounds  or  more,  without  seriously  iiyur- 
lug  the  animal. 

•'  Three  (►r  four  expert  vaqueros  usually  approach  the  .animals 
that  are  out  on  the  rotrks  m'ar  the  beach,  select,  perhai)8  from 
a  Inunlred  or  more,  the  big  bull  which  usually  starts  for  the 
water,  and  when  the  animal  arrives  at  a  convenient  place  on 
the  sand,  if  ])ossible  three  riatas  are  thrown  simultaneously, 
one  over  the  animal's  neck,  one  over  either  of  his  front  flip- 
pers, and  one  over  his  rear  flippers,  making  a  spread  eagle  of  him 
instantly.  The  riata  that  holds  the  r'nir  flippers  takes  away 
the  motive  jwwer  of  the  animal,  and  while  his  other  front  flip- 
l)er  is  'lassoed',  the  riatas  are  all  fasti'ned  to  the  rocks  or  trees 
near  by,  or  held  by  the  engaged,  wiiile  the  large  box — which 
has  already  been  nia«le — without  the  cover,  is  brought  and  care- 
fully stood  on  end  close  behind  the  animal,  unobserved,  and, 
with  a  man  on  top  of  it  is  dropped  suddenly  over  the  'ea  lion 
as  he  lies  stretched  at  full  length  on  the  sauil.  Small  ropes  are 
worked  under  the  box  and  the  animal,  and  lashed  to  th  j  top  of 
the  box,  and  at  a  given  signal  the  riatas  are  loosened,  and  the 
animal  is  free  to  move  around  in  his  cage  at  will.  The  cages 
are  made  out  of  strong  fence  boards,  firmly  nailed  to  the 
scantling  in  the  corners  and  on  the  sides.  They  are  about 
four  feet  high,  four  and  a  half  feet  wide,  and  from  eight  to 
fourteen  feet  in  length,  and  always  made  before  the  animal  is 
captured.  After  the  animals  are  caged,  several  strong  ropes 
are  made  fast  arounil  the  cage  and  blocks  hitched  into  these 
ropes,  and  the  cage,  with  the  animal,  is  drawn  through  the 
water  to  the  schooner,  near  by,  and  hoisted  on  board.  Fish 
and  water  are  given  the  captured,  but  they  often  go  ten  to 
twenty  days  without  eating." 

ZALOPHUS  CALIFOENIANUS. 

Period  of  Gestation,  etc.— Under  date  of  June  2, 1880, 
Mr.  Frank  J.  Thompson,  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati 
Zoological  Garden,  wrote  me  that  a  second  Californian  Sea 


772  AUDITIONS   AND   CORRECTIONH. 

Lion  had  just  been  born  at  the  Garden.  In  respect  to  the 
period  of  jjestation,  etc.,  Mr.  Thon)pHoii  later  kindly  gave  nu'  the 
following  interesting  partienlars:  "Tin*  mother  arrived  in  (ho 
(ianlen  on  .Inly  2,  IS7!>,  and  was  seen  in  eopidation  with  the 
nuile  several  times  between  Jnly  10  and  la.  The  yonng  one 
was  born  May  M,  1880,  making  the  period  of  gestation  abont 
ten  and  a  half  months.  It  was  evidently  the  tirst  ealf,  and 
therefore,  aa  is  generally  the  ease,  the  ])eriod  of  gestation  was 
a  little  lengthened.  The  yonngster  is  Jnst  fonrteen  days  old 
this  morning  [June  14],  bnt  does  not  as  yet  show  the  least 
desire  to  go  into  the  water,  lie  will  follow  his  mother  to  the 
edge  of  the  water  and  there  <ini<'tly  remain  while  she  takes  her 
bath.  We  ha<l  the  mother  in  onr  possession  thirty  days  before 
she  ate,  and  as  she  must  have  been  captured  twenty -five  or 
thirty  days  previous,  she  was  without  food  for  souui  tifty  or 
sixty  days.  She  was  shipped  from  San  Francisco,  California, 
by  rail,  in  a  simple  wicker  basket,  and  1  do  not  believe  she  had 
a  drop  of  water  in  trannitu.''^ 

CALLOKHINUS  URSINUS. 

Breeding  off  the  Co/.st  of  Washington  Territory. — 
In  a  letter  from  Mr.  .Tames  G.  Swan,  Field  Assistant  of  the 
United  States  Commission  of  Fish  and  Fisheries,  dated  Xeah 
Bay,  Washington  Territory,  July  17,  1880,  kindly  communi- 
cated by  Dr.  Coues,  contains  the  following  respecting  the  breed- 
ing of  the  Fur  Seal  off  the  coast  of  Washington  Territory: 

"  Several  ue\  facts  and  theories  have  been  developed  by  my 
investigations  about  Fur  Seals  this  season.  The  fact  that  they 
do  have  pups  in  the  open  ocean  off  the  entrance  to  Fuca  Strait, 
is  well  established  by  evidence  of  every  one  of  the  sealing  cap- 
tains, the  Indians,  and  my  own  i>er8onal  observations.  Doctor 
V  -^  Power  says  the  fact  does  not  admit  of  dispute.  The  theory  of 
the  captains  is,  ifirst,  that  this  fact  proves  conclusively  that 
these  Seals  do  not  go  to  Behring's  Sea  to  have  their  young,  and 
hence  they  argue  that  they  do  not  go  there  at  all,  but  'haul  out' 
for  pu'^poses  of  reproduction  on  some  undiscovered  islands  in 
the  No-,  th  Pacific,  or  go  at  once  to  the  coast  of  Japan  or  Siberia 
where  they  are  known  to  abound.  It  seems  as  preposterous  to 
my  mind  to  suppose  that  all  the  Fur  Seals  of  the  North  Pacific 
go  to  the  Pribylov  Islands  as  to  suppose  that  all  the  salmon  go 
to  the  Columbia  and  Fraaer's  River  or  to  the  Yakon. 


J 


L 


CALLORHINUS    UUSINUS — UALIFOllNIA   SEA    LION.       773        ( 


"Tlie  question  is  oiu'  of  inU'H'.st,  and  I  have  snjyf^ested  to  Pro- 
fessor IJainl  liis  havin};  blank  forms  of  (luestions  furnished  the 
captains  of  all  the  vessels  cnpiged  in  sealinj^,  for  them  to  fill 
out  with  their  observations  during  the  season  or  during  their 
voyages.  These  blanks  could  be  sent  to  the  custom-houses  at 
San  Francisco,  Port  Townsend,  and  Victoria,  and  given  to  the 
captiiins,  with  their  other  |)ai)erH,  wlu^n  they  clear  on  their  seal- 
ing voyages,  with  instructions  to  fill  them  out  and  return  them 
to  the  custom-house  at  the  end  of  their  voyage. 

"A  series  of  such  observations,  made  during  several  success- 
ive seasons,  would  enable  us  to  ascertain  definitely  the  facts 
about  the  J''ur  Seal,  whose  habits  are  but  little  known  except 
at  the  rookeries." 

Prof.  D.  S.  Jordan,  the  well-known  ichthyologist,  to  whom 
the  letter  was  addressed,  adds:  "I  may  remark  that  I  saw  a 
live  Fur  Seal  pup  June  1  [1880J,  at  Cape  Flattery,  taken  from 
an  old  seal  just  killed,  showing  that  the  time  of  bringing  them 
forth  was  just  at  hand." 

These  observations,  aside  from  the  judicious  suggestions  made 
by  Mr.  Swan,  are  of  special  interest  as  confirming  those  made 
some  years  ago  by  Captain  Bryant,  and  already  briefly  recorded 
{anteitf  p.  )  in  this  work.  They  seem  to  show  that  at  least  a 
certain  number  of  Fur  Seals  repair  to  secluded  places  suited  to 
their  needs  as  far  south  as  the  latitude  of  Cape  Flattery,  to 
bring  forth  their  young. 


.  V 


Family  TEOCIDM 

Extinct  Species. — Prof.  A.  Leith  Adams,  in  a  paper  "  On 
Bemaius  of  Mastodon  and  other  Vertebrata  of  the  Miocene 
Beds  of  the  Maltese  Islands"  (Quar.  Journ.  Geol.  Soc,  vol. 
XXXV,  i^art  3,  August,  1879,  p.  524,  pi.  xxv,  figg.  1, 2),  has  de- 
scribed and  figured  four  teeth  and  a  portion  of  the  left  ramus 
of  a  seal  from  the  calcareous  sandstone  of  Gozo,  Malta,  under 
the  name  Phoca  rugosidens  {Phoca  rugosidem,  Owen  apud 
Adams).  They  indicate  a  species  of  about  the  size  of  Mona- 
chus  albiventer,  with  which  in  respect  to  the  character  of  the 
teeth  the  species  may  be  compared.  Mr.  Adams  says  that 
canine  teeth  of  large  size,  referable  to  the  Phoddce,  are  of  com- 
mon occurrence  in  the  sand  bed,  and  are  also  somewhat  plenti- 
ful in  the  nodule-seams  of  the  calcareous  sandstone. 


IISTDEX 


[Iho  flKures  iu  black-faced  typo  refer  tu  the  descriptions  of  the  families,  genera,  and  species.J 


A. 

Aglektok,  632,  633. 
Aglektorsoak,  633. 
Aglektuiigoak,  633. 
Aglektytsiak,  633. 
Alactberiuin,  12,  14. 

crotsii,  13. 
Amphibia,  11. 
Arctoc^phalcs,  210. 
Arctocephalina,  11,  187,  188, 189,  414. 
Arctocephalns,  11,  190,  191,  192,  209, 
210,  225,  231,  275,  312. 
antarcticus,  190, 198, 201 ,  202, 205, 

207, 212, 222. 
argeiitatus,  199,  202. 
australis,  197,  199,  202,  205,  207, 
210,  211, 222,  224,  226,  330,  333. 
brevipes,  204,  213. 
californiauus,  197,  199,  233,  249, 

314,  338. 
cinereus,  191,  197,  198,  199,  213, 

217,  294,  372. 
iMalandi,  190,  191,  196,  197,  213. 
olegans,  204,  213. 
eulo]   ..U8,  199,  200,  202,  201,  216, 

316. 
falklandicus,  191,  196,  197,  199, 
200,  202,  204,  205,  207,  208,  210, 
213,  228,  372. 
forsieri,  199,  204,  205,  213,  372. 
gazella,  204,  213. 
gilliespii,  197,  276. 
grayi,  211. 

grayii,  199,  200,  202,  204. 
hookeri,  191,  197,  202,  209. 
lobatus,  191,  196,  197,  209,  217, 

293,  294. 
moutorieiisia,  190,  191,  197,  199, 

233,  249,  293,  314,  337. 
nigrescens,  191, 197, 199, 205, 211, 

222. 
nivosiis,  198,  199,  202,  203,  213. 


Arctocepbalus — Continued . 

pbilippii,  199,  202,  204. 

pusillns,  203,  204. 

schisthyperoes,  198, 202, 203, 213. 

scbistiiperns,  198. 

willianmi,  770. 

nlloic,  191. 

ursiniis,  197,  200,  204,  312, 
Arctophoca,  191,  192,  206,  210. 

argeutata,  192,  199,  204,  206. 

ebigans,  202,  213. 

falklandica,  192. 

gazella,  202,  213. 

nigrescens,  192,  204. 

pbilippii,  192,  199,  206. 
Atd,it8iak,  633. 
Atak,  425. 
Atarak,  631. 
Atarpek,  433. 
Atarpiak,  429,  432,  433. 
Atftrsoak,  633. 
Attarak,  632. 
Attarsoak,  425,  631,  632. 
Atteitsiak,  632.  » 

AiiN-ekiejak,  432. 
Avjor,  739. 


Bartiobbc,  657. 
Bedlamers,  634. 
Bedlimers,  634. 
Bellaniers,  634. 
Bebiga  catodon,  147. 
Bdte  i\  la  grande  dent,  26,  82. 
Bodacb,  600. 
Bos  marinus,  26,  82. 
Blaakobbe,  657. 
Blase-Robbe,  740. 
Bladdernoso,  726,  740. 
Blase-Seebund,  427. 
Blandrusb,  425. 

T75 


776 


INDEX. 


Kiassjiilen,  720. 
Blas-SkUl,  740. 
BlmidniHcilur,  427. 
Blnc-sidiiH,  (155. 
BriH'ii,  r>,  11. 


c. 
Calloc<5i»liiik',  415,  417,  557. 
Calloiophiilus,  414,  415,  41(),  417,  418, 
419,  420,  557,  558,  463. 
albicaudim,  444. 
anncllatud,  599. 
barbatns,  443,  444,  449,  65(i. 
bioolor,  449. 
caspicns,  451,  453. 
diiiiidiatus,  451,    453,    455,    459, 

464,  599. 
discolor,  443,  444,  449,  458,  599. 
fcEtidus,  451,  598. 
graMilandicns,  443,  444,  449,  630. 
hispidus,  443,  449,  451,  598. 
lagurus,  443,  444,  631. 
larj^ha,  561. 

leporinus,  443,  444,  449,  656. 
oceaniciis,  444,  449,  631. 
scopnlicoluH,  444,  690. 
\ituliuus,  443,  444,  449,  451,  453, 
455,  561,  (545. 
Callopboca,  479. 
obsctira,  479. 
Callorbiniua,  188,  192,  210,  225,  312. 
CallorhiuHS,  190,  191, 192,  210,  312. 
ursinu.s,  190,  196,  199,  201,  205, 
210, 216, 218, 224, 225, 3 1 3,760. 
Canipodoutia,  5,  11. 
Chat  marin,  314. 
Chein  marin,  .562. 
Cheval  luarin,  26,  82. 
Clapinutz,  425,  739. 
Cystopliora,  3,  11,  57,  220,  413,  414, 
415,    419,    420,    462,   465,  467, 
■793,  724,  742. 
augustirostris,  456,  470. 
antillariini,  450,  451, 453, 454, 4.'i9, 
708,  716,  717,  718,  719,  720,  726. 
borealis,  441, 448, 458,466,723,726. 
cristata,  219,  425,  426,  428,  431, 
436,  441,  448,  450,  451,  452,  453, 
454,  455,  459,  465,  468,  481,  482, 
492, 545, 570, 614, 667, 723,  la*, 
\*\    750,764. 


Cysfophora— Continued. 

falklandica,  4.56,  459,  466,  750. 

kergutilousis,  4,56,  459,  466,  750. 

leouiua,  456,  466,  750. 

proboscidea,  448,  4.50,  452,  456, 
466,  469. 
Cystophorina,  414. 
Cystophorina;,  220,  413,  462,  467,  723, 


]>. 


Dotard,  562,  614. 
Dugcng,  10,  16. 

fi. 

Elefante  niarino,  743. 
Elephant,  Sea,  743. 

Southern  Sea,  7r)0,  754,  755, 
Enhydris,  57,  412. 
Equus    niarinus    ot    Hippopotamus 

false  dictus,  23. 
Eriguathus,  414,  417,  419,  420,  461, 
462,  464,  654. 
barbatna,  139,  425,  426,  430, 431, 
436,  454,   459,  465,  468,  481, 
482,  488,  545,  .570,  641,  6S5, 
()5(),  763. 
Eumetopias,  189,  192,209,  225,  331. 
californianus,  233,  293. 
ciuerca,  204,  210. 
elougatus,  200,  233,  248,  252. 
gillespii,  203,  204. 
stellcri,  189,  195,  196,  199,  202, 
204,   209,  217,  218,  223,  225, 
333,  233,  29(i,  305,  316,  338, 
7.57. 
Eumetopiina,  188,  189. 
Euotaria,  191,  192,  210. 

cinerea,  201,  205,  207,  213. 
compressa,  202,  203. 
latirostriH,  201,  294,  207,  211. 
nigrescens,  201. 
schisthyperoes,  20S. 

F. 

Fatte-Nuorjo,  739. 
Fiordsaj],  .599. 
Fjordskai,  597. 
Fur-seals,  189,  216,  229. 
Fipper,  Square,  657. 
Flipper,  Square,  614,  657. 


INDEX. 


777 


Gramm-Scliir,  426,  428. 
Grainselr,  425,  665,  666. 
Gr&sskul,  436. 
Gressigiada,  3. 
Grninbelr,  666. 
Groiilaudsiil,  631. 
Gronlandsjiil,  631. 
Gritnlauds-Robbcj,  631. 
Giypboca,  479. 

siuiilis,  479. 
Gypsophoca,  191,  192,  206,  210. 

tropicalis,  199,  201,  204,  206,  213, 
217. 
Gypsophociua,  189. 

H. 

Haaf-flsh,  690. 

HsBinatopimis,  139. 
Hafcrt-skiil,  6.")7. 
Hair  Seals,  216. 
Halarctus,  191,  210, 
Halitore,  10. 
Havcrt,  6.57. 
Havhest,  26. 
HavSiil,  427. 
Horsowael,  81. 
Hvalriius,  2(5. 
Halichoerina,  414. 

Halicbcpriis,  5,  11,  414,  415,  419,  420, 
462,  465,  4§3. 
antarcticuN,  418,  4S0,  459,  463, 

561,  580. 
grisens,  414,  441,  444,  449,  465, 

663,  682,  691,  697,  700. 
grypbus,  691. 

grypus,  414,  427,  431,  437,  448, 
450,  451,  452,  453,  454,  455,  459, 
465,  468,  531,  545,  614,  616,  617, 
628,  648,  662,  663,  664,  669,  673, 
690,  737,  764. 
macrorhynchus,    451,    459,   465, 

690,  698. 
pachyrbyucbus,  451, 459, 465, 690, 
698. 
Halicyon,  414,  417,  419,  454,  463,  557, 
559. 
californica.  453, 454, 455, 459,  A6A, 

.')61,  584. 
pealei,  455,  561,  582. 
ricbardsi,  453,  455,  459,  464,  561, 
572,  iSaj,  587. 


HalipbiluH,  418,  419,  455,  46.3,  557, 
.559,  W'i. 
antarcticus,  561. 
Harps,  634. 

Breeding,  634. 
Turuiug,  634. 
Young,  634. 
Heliopboca,  417,  419;  465,  707. 

atlantica,  451,  453,  4.59,  465,  717. 
Histriophoca,  419,  461,  462, 464,  67S. 
equestrin,  ()41. 
i  fasciata,  4()4,  468,  632,  Oie,  763. 

I  Hofsskai,  436. 

I. 
Ibeeu,  599. 
Iblan,  632. 
Imab-ukallia,  429,  433. 

K. 

KabbuHtskobbe,  739. 
Kakortak,  726,  740. 
Kampselur,  666. 
Kassiarsook,  591. 
Kassigiak,  425,  562. 
Kikweb,  7.39. 
Killer,  406. 
Kioluk,  631. 
Klakkokal,  739. 
Klapmlits,  422,  724. 
Klappmutze,  726. 
Klapniyds,  667,  726,  735. 
Klappmuze,  426,  724,  738. 
Klappmysta,  726. 
Knubbsjiil,  562. 
KongeMeteriak,  429,  433. 

Ii. 

Lachtak,  422,  657. 

Laktak,  a57,  665. 

Lanmntiue,  14. 

Lame,  430. 

Land-Selur,  427. 

Leo  marinus,  190,  195,  233,  233,  248. 

Leptonychotes,  418,419, 421, 463,  467. 

weddelli,  467. 
Leptonyx,  413,  414,  416,  419,  420,  467. 

leopardimis,  450,  452. 

monachuB,  450,  452. 

roHsi,  450. 

aerrideuB,  45(),  452. 

weddelli,  450,  451,  452,  453, 4«7. 


i: 


778 


INDEX. 


Lion  mariii,  233,  254,  430. 

(le  la  Californie,  251,  276,  291. 
Lobodon,  413,  414,  416,  419,  420,  463, 
466. 
carcinophaga,  449,  450,  451,  453, 

463,  466,  475,  476,  561,  581. 
vetiis,  480. 
Lobo  marino,  27<),  302. 
Loup  marin,  196,  562. 

in. 

Macrorbiuo,  415,  417,  742. 
Macrorbinus,  3,  57,  220,  414,  415, 417, 
418,  419,  420,  463,  46(),  467,  558, 

723,  724,  742- 
augustirostris,  437, 453,  454,  456, 

459,  466,  494, 517,  744,  764. 
auHuui,  444. 
byroni,  444. 
leoninus,  430,  456,  459,  466,  517, 

724,  750,  753,  754,  755. 
probo8"ideu8,  433,  444,  449. 

Macrorhyua,  742. 
Manatee,  9,  10, 16. 
Manatus,  9,  10. 
Meerbiir,  193,  314. 
Meerbiisenkalb,  664. 
Meerlowo,  193. 
Meerpferd,  26,  36,  82. 
Meerrobbc,  dicliscbnauzige,  698. 

kruniiuiiasigo,  698. 

langscbnanzigc,  698. 
Meerross,  82. 
Mesotaria,  220,  479. 

ambigua,  219,  478. 
Mdsotaries,  219. 
Milatok,  632,  633. 
Mirounga,  416, 419,  465,  4(56,  723, 744. 

au8oni,  445. 

byroni,  445. 

cristata,  445,  725. 

patagonica,  445,  458,  466,  750. 

proboBcidea,  445,  482. 
Monacbina,  414,  707. 
MonacbuH,  414,  415,  419,  420, 436,  461, 
462,  465,  lOT,  720. 

albiventer,  415, 430,  451,  459,  465, 
467,  479,  717,  772. 

meditorraueiiH,  415,  465. 

ti'opicaliH,  453,    Y0§« 
Monatherihm,  479. 


Monatheriiim — Continued, 
aberratuin,  479. 
afflnis,  479. 
dolongii,  479. 

Mors,  17,  80,  81,  100 

Morscb,  24. 

Morse  ou  vacbe  marine,  24. 

Morse,  24,  26,  74,  82,  100. 

Morses,  les,  5. 

Morsk,  26. 

Morss,  66,  82,  110. 
j  Morsus,  17,  80,  81. 

Morsz,  80,  81. 
I  Morunga,  220,  414,  416.  420,  m),  742, 
j  angustircstris,  4'">.  744. 

I  elejdiantina,  451,  453,  753. 

Moruuge,  436. 

Miincbs-Robbe,  429. 

N. 

Natantia,  10. 

Natsek,  599, 

Neitsek,  425, 597, 616. 

Neitsersoak,  425, 724, 726, 739, 740. 

Neit8ik"k,425,616. 

Neopboca,  191, 192, 209,275. 

lobata,199,202,210,««»4. 
Neriuiartont,  735. 
Nerpa,  600. 

Nei-8aursalik,726,740. 
Netsiavik,  .5S>9. 
Netsick,  599. 

O. 
Oaado,  739. 
Odobu'niUa;,  2,  5, 17. 
Odobasnns,  3, 12,  14,  15, 16, 17. 

rosuianis,  23,  2(5, 80, 157, 757, 765. 

obesus,  141,  758, 768. 
Odobenotberiuiu,  15, 16. 

lartctiauuui,  20, 26, 61, 80. 
Odobemis,  9, 14. 
Odontobienus,  15, 16, 137. 

rosnianis,  23, 26. 
Ogjook,657,671. 
Ogmorbinus,  419, 421, 463, 466. 

leptonyx,  466. 
Omiuatophoca,  413, 414,  416, 419, 420, 
463, 467. 

rossi,  449,  451,  453,  458^  459,  467. 
Oinniatopliora,  420. 
Oo-sook,657,665. 


INDEX. 


779 


Orca,:Wl,r)52. 

Otaria,  187, 190, 191, 192, 208, 221, 225, 

231. 
albicoUiH,  194, 19(5, 203, 209, 215. 
argoutata,  211. 
aurita,216. 

australis,  197, 803, 210, 293. 
bironia,  199. 
byrouia,  198, 208. 
caUforniaua,  191,  195,  197,  250, 

270,291,292. 
chilensis,  197,  208. 
■      cineiea,  194.  im,  198,  203,  209, 

213,215. 
coronata,  196, 197, 215. 
elegans,  202, 213. 
delalaudi,  197, 199,222. 
fabricii,  19.5, 196, 215, 313. 
falklaudica,  191, 194, 198, 210. 
flavescenH,  194, 19r),215. 
forsteri,  19(),203. 
gillespii,  198, 276, 293. 
gilliespii,  191,  293. 
godefroyi,  198, 199, 203, 208. 
graii,  198. 

hookeri,  191, 198, 199, 208, 209. 
baiivillii,  196, 197, 203, 211. 
japonica,  293, 
jubatu,  188, 190, 191, 196, 197, 198, 

199,200,201,203,  204,  205,  208, 

209,  211,  226,232,245,247,  248, 

276,305,31.5,770. 
krascbenuinikowii,  195, 313. 
lamari,  197,213,216, 
leclerci,218. 
leonina,  177,  1S»2,  194,  197,  198, 

203, 208, 335. 
lobata,  197,  198. 
minor,  201, 203, 208. 
niolinaii,  196. 
niollissina,  196, 208. 
nigrescens,  191. 
oiidiiaua,  218. 
pernottyi,196,208. 
peroni,  194, 195, 196, 203, 212, 215. 
philippii,  191, 198,  211. 
platyrhincus,  197, 208. 
porcina,  194, 197, 215. 
pusilla,  194,195, 196, 198, 199,222. 
pygin«'a,201,203,208. 


Otaria — Coiitimicd. 

8bawi,196,211. 

atelleri,  191, 195, 197, 198,200,210, 
216, 219, 9"     ><>.>,  293, 294. 

ulloa',  IL  .98, 199, 203, 208. 

urBiiia,  194, 197, 198,201, 313. 

\voddellii,444,458,467. 
Otariadii",  I  ST,  188. 
OtarideH,  187. 
Otario  coudrdo,  203. 

de  Delalaude,  213. 

du  Lalaude,  196. 

de  Steller,  292. 

du  cap,  203. 
Otariesat  the  UalapagOH  Islaiid8,769. 
Otariidto,  2, 3, 12, 187. 
Otariina,  188, 189. 
Otariiiuu,  187. 
Otary,  Asb-c  olored,  196. 

Cape,  196. 

Lesson's,  196. 

White-necked,  196. 

OuliphociuiB,  188. 

Ours  marin,  314. 

Oxystonins,  10. 

P. 

Pagomys,  414,  417,  419,  420,  421,  4(53, 
557,558. 
foBtidus,  453, 454, 455, 598, 645. 
largba,453,.561,577. 
nnmnuilaris,  561,  .577. 
ochotensis,  4.55. 
Pagopbilns,  414,  416,  419,  420,  421, 
462, 4'i3,  .5.57, 558. 
equestris,  4.55, 676, 681. 
grojnlandicus,  451,  453,  454,  4-55, 
631. 
PaljEophoca,218,479. 

nysti,  477, 478. 
Palmata,  9. 
Pelage,  415, 4(55, 707. 
Pelagias,  416. 
Polagios,  416, 

Pelagius,  413,  415,  416,  419,  420,  465, 
707. 
monaobus,  218, 443, 444, 449, 465. 
PLipper,  Square,  616. 
Phoca,  15,24,  188,  413,  414,  417.  418, 
419,  420,  462,  463,  ««»,  597, 
(i54. 


h 


780 


INDEX, 


h' 


Plioca— Coiitinuod. 

albicanda,  440, 457, 4(>4, (CJl,  (WJ. 
albigeua,  447,  455,  458,  4(55,  65G, 

666. 
all>ini,G:U. 

albiventor,  4;J0,  440, 457, 4C5. 
aiiibi>,'iin,477,47I). 
aiisoni,   410,    443,   440,   45b,  406, 

750. 
aiitai(tiLa,'Jl'2, 440. 
aiistialis,  10;{,  ','10, 420, 434, 437. 
amu-llata,  441,44-i,  448,  450,  452, 

455,458,404,  500.  (i07,  000,  012, 

019,031. 
baicaU'iisiH,  450, 450, 404,  (ilO,  012. 
barbata,  422,  423,  425,  427,  428, 

420,  432, 434,  437,  440,  442,  443, 

445,440,448,  4.50,  451,  452,  455, 

457,014,0.54,090,  098,  699,  700, 

702. 
bicolor,  437,  440,  457,  405. 
byroui,  208, 440, 441. 440, 457, 406, 
■  750. 

byrouia,  198, 443. 
califoruica,  270. 
eanina,  43(5, 438. 446,447, 4.57, 458, 

463, 501,  .576, 587. 
caniua  var.  caspica,  464,  609. 
carciuophaga,  41(),  400. 
caspica,  426,  437,  448,  450,  452, 

456,  457,458,459,464,468,484, 

514, 546,  ()07, 608, 609. 
cbilpusis,  434, 457. 
chorisi,  441,  446,  450,   458,  463, 

561,  576. 
coinmuuis,  559,575. 
coiuinuuiB  var.  octouotata,  449, 

458,  464,  599,  601. 
oomuiuuis   var.    inuliilata,  449, 

458,  464,  599,  601. 
concolor,  449,  458,  463,  561,  579. 
coronata,  196,  215,  316. 
coxii,  440,  443,  444,  446,  457. 
cristata,  428,  434,  437,  440,  445, 

446,  450,  457,  723,  724,  7:38. 
ciicuUata,    431,    457,    465,    725, 

738. 
debilis,  470,  473. 
dt'iitibus  caninis  tectis,  562. 
desniarcHti,  446,  458,  464, 631,639. 
diinidiata,  599. 


I  Pboi'a — ("DiiUniKd. 

discolor,  J4l,  44.5,446,464,599, 019, 

dorwita,  447,458,404,031, 039,  041. 

dubia,  44(i,  458,  4W. 

elcpbantiiia,  430,  457,  460,  7.50. 

c()iicNtriN,  447,  452,  458,  4()4,  075, 
070.  (M». 

lalklandica,  103,  196,  210,  437. 

fasciata,  429,  434,  437,  438,  440, 
441,  444,  440,  455,  457,  675,  «»76, 
()79. 

flavesccns,  190,  208,  2(5,  437. 

<a>ti<la,  221.  425, 420, 427,  43(»,  431, 
430,  440,  443,  4 15,  457,  459,  404, 
40H,  481,  483,  488,  407,  54.5,  .561, 
.5()5,  500,  567,  570,  597,  508, 
(i41,  050,  004,  (»2,  088,  702. 

fredcrici,  440,  404,  .500,  (UO. 

gaiidiiii,  47>^,  479. 

gnmlaiidicii.  210.  221,  422,  425, 
420,  42S,  420,  43tt,  431,  433.  434, 
430,  437,  440,  442,  443,  445,  440, 
448,  450,  452,  457,  450,  404,  408, 
470,  474,  481,  483,  484,  488,  492, 
497,  511,  .545,  .5()5,  (507,  614,  616, 
630,  0.59,  688. 

grainlaiidica  var.  nigra,  434,4.57, 
031,  703. 

grypluLs,  56(5,  567,  569,  570,  663, 
689,  697. 

grypiiH,  420, 431, 446, 457, 682, 685, 
689, 697. 

halicha?ruB,  442,  458,  465,690,697. 

halitscbcusis  477,  479. 

heruauni,  446,  458,  465. 

liispida,  426,  428,  434,  436,  437, 
440,  446,  4.57,  464,  598,  617,618, 
619. 

liispida  var.  (piadrata,  434,  457. 

hoinei,  44(5,  4.58,  46(5. 

isidorei,  449,  458,  466,  725,  736, 
738. 

jubata,  193, 208, 232, 426,  433,437. 

lagura.  442,  445,  446,  4.50,  458, 
464,  561,  an,  (539. 

lakhtak,  440,  441,  457,  465,  0o5. 

Janiger,  434,  439,  457. 

largba,  447, 449, 458, 464, 501, 570. 

leonina,  190,  208,  233,  417,  422, 
423,  42(5,  428,  430,  433,  437,  446, 
447,  457,  415,  460,  724.  738 


INDEX. 


781 


Pboca — ("oiitiimed. 

leoniua  capito    antice  cristato, 

.4-jr,. 

Icopanlina,  4(57. 

lepcchini,  »ir,,  458.  4<?r),  651;,  6(56. 

It'porina,  f^'K,  J:U,  V.Vi,  i'Xi,  434, 

437,  440,  4  If.,  446,  457,  46.'),  {i:Hy, 

6.')8,  6()."),  6(i(). 
leptonyx,  440,  441,  445,  446,  450, 

457,  46(). 
leucogiwtiT,  43S,  457. 
leucopla,  442,  445,  446,  458,  46(>, 

7-25,  7:W. 
limine,  445,  458,  463,  561,  576. 
litton-a,  44-2, 445, 458, 4()3,561,576. 
lonjticollis,  214,  4:?7,  438,  440,  443, 

444. 
lupina,  430,  437, 440,  443, 444,446. 
liitris,  447. 
iiiaiulata,  431,  434,  438,439,  440, 

441,  444.  446,457. 
major,  445. 
maxima,  422,  665. 
iiiediiu  inngiiitiKliniH,  562. 
mitrata,  442,  458,  46r),  725,  738. 
modesta,  470,  473. 
moeotica,  478,  479. 
monacha,  429,  431,  434,  437,  440, 

446,  447,  450,  457,  465,  707. 
miillcri,  445,  458,  464,  631,  639. 
mntica,  439,  457. 
iiauri(;a,  455,  465,  656,  666. 
nautica,  447, 455, 458, 465,656, 666. 
nigra,  313,  434,  439,  440,  441,  446, 

447. 
iiummularis,  449,  450,  452,  458, 

464,  558,  561,  572,  57«i,  587. 
oceatiica,  422,  429,  440,  443,  446, 

457,  4()4,  631,  639. 
ocboti'iwis,  447,  452,  458. 
parBousi,  445,  458,  465,  656,  666. 
parva,  212. 

peal«i,  418,  454,  464,  495,  .561, 581, 
pedroni,  477. 
platytbrix,  448,  458. 
poutica,  477,  479. 
porcina,  215,  430,  431,  433,  4:i4, 

437,  457,  466. 
proboscidea,  438.  440,  446,  4i>0, 

4.57,  466,  742. 


Pboca — Contimu'd. 

punctata,  434,  438,  439,  440,  441, 

444,  44(),  457. 

imsiUa,   194,  llKi,  212,  214,  215, 

426,  430,  434,  437. 
pylayi,  44t),  448,  464,  631,  639. 
n'sima,  438,  440,  446,  457. 
ricliardsi,  154. 
rosmaruM,  24,  417,  423. 
rugidt'iis,  477. 
rngosidciis,  772. 
sericoa,  436,  438,  446,  450,  457. 
semiliiuariH,  430,4.57, 4(i4, 631, 639. 
scbri'bcri,  44.5,  458,  4(54,  617. 
8coi)iilicola,   442,  446,  458,   465, 

5(50,  .57(5,  690,  (597. 
Bibiiica,  426,  437,  464,  4(58,  607. 
stelleri,  232. 

Hen  vitnliis  marinns,  562. 
testndinoa,437,  4:W,  440,  446,  450, 

457. 
testudo,  434,  438,  457. 
tetradactyla,  438. 
tbienomanni,  44.5,  4.58,  4(55,  690. 
tigrina,  444,  4(53,  .561,  .57(5. 
tropioalis,  451,  459,  708,  716, 717, 

718. 
ursina,  26,  193, 195,  210,  212,  213, 

417,  423,  42(!,  429,  431,  432, 433, 

437,  447. 
variegata,  436,  438,  441,  457,  458, 

4(53,  .560,  576. 
vitnbna,  221,  417,  421,  423,  426, 

430,  431,  434,  43(5,  437,  440,  441, 

445,  44(5,  448,  450,  452,  454,  457, 
459,  463,  4(58,  479,  484,  488,  492, 
493, 497, 534, 545, 459,608, 614, 
641,  659,  761. 

vitnlinavar.  botbionica,  445,4.58. 
vitnHua  var.  botnlca,  431,  434, 

457,  599,  616. 
vitnlina  var.  caHpica,  431,  434, 

445,  464,  609. 
vitnlina  var.  macnlata,  445. 
vitnlina  var.  sebrica.  44.5,  458. 
vitnlina  var.  sibirica,  431,  434, 

457,  464,  612. 
vitnlinoides,  479. 
vulgaris,  561. 
weddelli,  214,  446,  4.50. 


782 


INDEX. 


Phoca — C'untiimed. 

wilkianus,  708,  710,  718. 

wyinani,  470,  471,  473,  480. 
Phocacea  auriciilata,  187. 

inauriciilata,  412. 
Phocauella,  479,  (514. 

minor,  479. 

pnmila,  479. 
Phocarctos,  191,  809. 

eloiiKatns,  18t),  201,  210, 233, 252, 
294. 

hookori,  199,  201,  20.5,  209. 

uIloiD,  191. 
Phocitlffi,  2,  4,  188,  4112,  461. 
Phocina,  414. 

PLociiiic,  221,  41:3,  414,  461,  467,  55V. 
Pbocoidea,  12. 
Phoque  i\  capiicliou,  430,  726,  740, 

k  croissant,  430,  631. 

k  ventre,  blanc,  430. 

cominiine,  !jti2. 

de  nAtre  oceau,  562. 

Gassigiak,  430. 

Grum-selur,  439,  440. 

Laktak,  430,  440. 

marbr<^,  599. 

Neitsoak,  430. 

petit,  195,  196,  203,  204,  214. 

tigr<!,  439,  440,  576. 
Phoqiies  h  oroilles,  187. 

proprement  dits,  419,  429. 

sans  oreilles,  412,  429. 
Pickaninny  Pussy,  600. 
Pinnipedia,  1. 
Pinnipeds,  1. 
Platyrhinchiis,  190,  208, 
Platyrhincus,  208, 

leoninns,  20H. 

niollnssinuB,  208. 

nranio;,  208. 
Platyrhinques,  190,  208. 
Platystomus,  10, 
Porcus  monstrosTis  ocean!  Genuauici, 

93. 
Porco  marina,  430. 
Pristiophoca,  479. 

occitana,  477,  488. 
Prophoca,  479, 

proxima,  479. 

ronBaeani,  479. 


Pua,  683. 

Pusa,  414,417,  419,  421,462,  463,  6S7, 

558,  .559, 682, 683. 

grypus,  684, 690. 

Puesb,  684. 

Puirse,  684. 

Pflrse,  684. 

Pftse,  684. 

PnsHV,  684. 

B. 

Ragged  Jackets,  6:^4 

Ranger,  ,5(>2. 

Rat,  Floe,  510, 600. 

Rawn,.')62. 

Rerauiesu'len,  657. 

Remru8a'l,66<>. 

Roptigrada,  4. 

Rhinophora,  416,419,466,742. 

Rhytina,9. 

gigas,  73. 432. 
Rosmarida),  5, 12, 17. 
Rosmaroidea,  5, 12. 
Rosmarns,  15, 16, 17, 23, 80. 82. 

arcticus,  22,26,147. 

cookii,  22, 147. 

obesus,  22,26,147, 

trichechus,  26, 147. 
Rosniarus  sen  morsns  norvegioas,  33^ 

Rosnibvalr,  80. 
Ro8mul,80, 
RoHtnngr,  80, 

«. 
Saddleback,  631, 634, 
Sadiers,  634. 
S»l,  562. 

Krunisnudede,  431, 690. 

Spraglede,  431,  .562. 
Sffilhnnd,  .562, 
Sattel-Robbe,  631, 
Sea-Bear,  193, 

Forster's,  196, 

Steller's,  196, 
Sea-Bears,  188,216, 
Sea-Calf,  422,  .562, 657, 662. 

Bay,  524. 

Gray,  664, 
Sea-Cat,  336, 341, 562.  ' 

Sea-Co  w ,  24, 26, 67, 82, 177. 

Steller's,  9,16,432. 


INDEX. 


783 


Sott-Dog.  '.(52. 

Sea-EI«i)lmnt,  177,290,  484,494,517. 

SonthtTi),  422, 7.''.0. 
Sea-Iiorsc,  2fi,  2H,  76, 82, 95, 147. 
Sea-King,  233. 
Sea-Lion,  193. 

Aiihou'h,  422. 

California,  27<>. 

Northern,  190,23;J. 

Soutliern,  245. 
Sea-LionH,  188, 21(5, 770. 
Sea-Oxon,  <5(». 
Sea- Wolf,  432. 
Seal,  5()2. 

liaikal,  012. 

Bay,  534, '•'52,014. 

Beanlcd,  139,  431,  488,  510.  .545, 
055,  <»o7, 700. 

Black,  434. 

Blacksitle,  422, 031. 

Bla<l<l«'r-no8e<l,  510. 

Bottle-noned,  433, 435. 

Caspian,  484, 514, 54C,  609, 611. 

Ciiu^roons,  194. 

Common,  423,4:54,562. 

Crested,  422,  428, 484, 492, 720. 

Eared,  435. 

Elephant,  221,517,743. 

Falkland  Isle,  193,43.5. 

F,jor<l,599. 

Fossil,. -)<)9. 

Freshwater,  502. 

from  tlie  South  Seas,  090. 

Fur,   314. 

Gray,  531,  .545,  014,  61(5,  028,004, 
073,  (589,  (590. 

Great,  435,  (5.57. 

Great  Seal  of  the  Farn  Islands, 
098. 

Greenland,  484, 488. 492, 545,  (531. 

Ground,  0.57. 

Hair,  233. 

Harbor,  431,488, 497, 524, 559,614. 

Harnassed,  4:t4. 

Harp,  422,  4;^!,  435,  488, 492, 497, 
545,014,(530,031. 

Hispid,  488. 

Hooded,  428,  431,  435,  410,  545, 
014, 648, 724, 720, 738. 740, 

Jamaican,  708, 


Seal — Continued. 

Lan«l,  562. 

Leopard,  495, 5(5  J. 

Leonine,  435. 

Leporine,  435,  (557. 

Little,  435. 

Long-b(.die«l,  423,  430,  657,  662, 
0(5.5. 

Marbled,  000. 

Mediterranean,  435 

Mitred,  739. 

Monk,  429. 

Native,  .5(52, 014. 

New  to  the  British  Islands, 726. 

Pedro,  708,710. 

Pied,4:{,5. 

Porcine,  435. 

Ribbon,  (57(5. 

Rnbbon,  434,  4;{5, 67(5. 

Rough,  4:55,488,541,598,  618. 

Saddle-biuk,  510. 

Shot  near  the  Orkney  Islands, 
599. 

Square  Phipper,4:M,614,670 

Sj.ring,  427. 

Tortoise-he.aded,  423, 434, 435. 

Urigone,  4:55. 

Ursine,  19(5,314,435. 

Yellowish,  194. 

West  Indian,  708. 

Wikai>e,5:M. 

Winter,  427. 

With  a  Cawl.  422,724,738,740. 
Seals,  Eared,  187. 

Earless,  221, 412.  ♦ 

Sealch,  .5(52. 
Seebiir,  42(5. 
Seehund,. 5(52,  (509. 

caspische,  426,  (509. 

gefleckte,  .562. 

gemeiue,  502. 

geringelte,  5i)9.  . 

>:iane,  426, 498, 690, 696. 

gronlandisehe,  (331. 

grosse,  426, 897.  •'" 

kleiue  geiihrte,  426. 

rauhe,420,498,499,6ir 

schwarzseitige,  631. 

sibirische,  426, 612. 

VierteSorte,612. 


784 


INDEX. 


S«^ckulb,  W.-i,  Vm. 

jjraiio,  (»89. 
Scelowe,  SiUH. 

glatto,  426. 

zottigc,  4'26. 
See-viteliio,5>33. 

Soikio,  rm. 

Siiil,  bra,  (ilO,  ($89,  (190, 097. 
Singtikto]),  4^9, 433. 
8ireuia,  10. 
Sireniiiim.  10. 
Sjii'l,  (ira,r)9J>. 

\Vikan-,5«!2. 
Skill,  Ur&,  6<>4. 

CJraWikaio,r>99. 
lUiiK'lad,  .'^99. 
Sk;Bl,  BlasH,  72(). 
Gra,  cm. 
Spriicklig,  .'•02. 
Spraglfi,  .^<)2. 
Squul«{lon,218,470. 
tlebiliH,  473. 
wymaiii,  473. 
Steen-kobbc,  M2, 599. 
Stenorhyncbina,  414. 
Stenorliyiichinie,  413, 414, 403, 407. 
Stenorhynclius,  413, 414, 415,  nO,  419, 
420,  421,  400. 
leo])ar(linu.s,  449. 
leptonyx,  443, 444, 449, 453. 
Benitlciis,  400, 475. 
vctus,  47.'V,  47(). 
wo(l(leni,444,467. 
St^norhiuqiKs  415, 4()6. 
Steniinatop*-,  415, 723. 
StemiuatopuH,  415, 410, 419, 405, 723. 
cristatus,  443, 444, 449, 72o. 
mitratiis,  449, 726. 
Stiiik-Robbe,  599. 
Storkobbe,  657. 
Storsjiil,  657. 
Sulryg,031. 
Svart8ide,431,631. 
Svartsiide,  422, 631. 
Sviiu8a3l,431,433.  ;  . 

S0ebi0rne,  431. 
Sfk'hare,  431. 

T. 
TanRfish,  562. 
TapvaiBt,690,70S. 


Tcvyak,720. 
Tizak,.''.9l»,024. 
Thriiboclnis,  l.'j. 
Trichei'liina,  5, 414. 
Trii'bccliiila',.''',  11. 
Triclu'cbodon,  12, 14, 15. 

linxloyj,  13,14,20,26,04,80. 

konniiicki,  14. 
Trit!btHbim,  9,  U,  1.5, 10, 413, 414. 
.         (!ooki,22,.'>l,147, 171. 

div«figeim,  18, 19, 147, 170. 

diibiuK,20,20, 171. 

loiigidt'iis,  19,20,20,80, 171. 

inaiiatiiH,  26, 432. 

(.boHiis,  18, 80, 147, 170. 

i<i8inaiUH,  18,  19,  20,  21,  34,  147» 
171). 

viigiiiianuH,  20, 26, 58, 80. 
Trichecina,  5, 11. 
TricluMMiH,  9, 15. 

dngong,  9. 

iiiauatiiH,  9. 

rosiiiarim,  9. 
Trieliipbociiiiu,  188. 
Triebisina,  414. 
TricbopbocaeiB,  208. 

U. 
UkHuk,  6.57, 005. 
Uii(iue,  430. 
Urkfluk,  425,  «M)5. 
UrsuH  uiariiuiH,  193, 195, 313. 426. 
Utokaitaiak,  033. 
Utsclr,  610. 

Ut-Solur,  420, 427, 017, 090, 097 
Ut8«k,425,420. 

T. 

Vacca  tuarina,  94. 
Vache,  marine,  24, 20, 82. 
Vade-Siil,  427. 
Vadeselr,  425. 
Vadeselur,  031. 
Vcau  uiariu,  562. 
VikaroKJiil,  599. 
Vikare-8k&I,  436. 

Gra,  436. 

Svart,  436. 
Viksiil,  599. 

VitiiliiB  marinus,  423, 56i,  657, 662. 
Yitulua  maris  oceani,  561. 


INDEX. 


Wullro,sH,03,0,i,;„;^y,    1(^ 

WallniH.Hl. 
WalroHH,  Zi,  81. 
VValruH.  26, 82. 
Arctic,  24. 
Atlantic,  23. 
FoHsil,  24. 
Pacilic,  22, 147. 
WalmseH,  2,.';,  221. 
Walru8licii,38. 
Wetrar-Scliir,  427. 690, 697. 
Whitecoat,  (531,634. 


Wlk»re,664. 
Wor-Selur,4Sn'. 


785 


s. 

ZalopLina,  188, 189. 
^*'"P';";•,^«^•'»=-^  209.217,  223.  225, 

caIifl,rumnnH,20r,,  209,217,  224, 
!i--'<>.248,2o2,  a»6,7r.9,771 

gnh-spli,  19.-,,  lyy  200,  202.  204 
^.'■•l,  27(1,  291,  292. 

'"!;^"';,J'";' ''''  '''■''  204.  m. 

209,  5il7,  258,  803,  -.'94,  770. 


